Biblical Concept of Faith (21) (heb 4)

[Speaker 1] Family Tents Fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God uniquely desires a godly home. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tents Ministry. May you be blessed as you receive. [Speaker 2] [background music] Adoration, adoration to our God He reigns. Adoration to our God He reigns. He reigns, He reigns, He reigns. Adoration to our God He reigns. Our Father, adoration to you. We bless your name. Your kingdom is not in words. Your kingdom is in demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power. Our Father we pray that as we gather unto you this evening to fellowship together with one another in scriptures and in your spirit. Lord we pray, let it be a time of the Holy Ghost and of power in the name of Jesus Christ. Let your spirit work within us. Let your spirit work among us. Lord meet with us individually. Our brethren who are connecting with us on Telegram, our brethren who are connecting with us on Mixlr. Lord we pray, meet with us all together in the name of Jesus. Thank you Eternal Father. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Yeah, we thank the Lord again as we gather. I want to say happy new month to everybody. We are welcome to the month of June. The month of June. We are welcome to the month of June and we pray that the month of June will be a month of rejoicing. It will be a month of mercy, it will be a month of grace, a month of goodness to us all in the name of Jesus Christ. As we gather this evening to pick the matter from where we left it last week. Last week we were able to look at the matter of rest. And we realized that rest is actually something that many times we as believers we enter into the first rest of God, which is the rest of salvation. But many times we don't enter into the second rest. The second rest which is not just a rest for our spirit. Spiritually like I noted to us, once anybody comes into union with Jesus, what happens is that he has been blessed with every spiritual blessing. So the issue is not about whether our heritage in Christ is settled or it is not settled. No. When we come into Jesus, the Bible says Jesus gives us rest. But what we considered very seriously last week is that many times believers don't enter into the second rest where Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your soul." It is that rest, the one that has to do with the soul that many more often than not believers don't enter into. And the Bible says that it is because we are not careful. He say let us be careful, let us be diligent, let us be watchful lest as those people never entered into the rest of God, we will find ourselves that with many of us God will not be pleased. We will not find rest for our soul. Because the offer of Jesus is not just a offer at salvation. The offer of Jesus is a comprehensive offer. Jesus came to save us completely: spirit, soul and body. And when our soul don't find rest, then what is the essence of salvation in our lives? So that was where we ended last week. And my prayer is that brethren, just like the Bible warned them, let us be careful, let us be diligent, let us be sober, let us carefully take time to sit down and learn Jesus. Actually today my initial thought was for us to move on to Chapter 8 to 10 of Hebrews. But somehow the more I prepare for this meeting, the more I see that the Lord wants us to emphasize something very crucial. And the more I try to set it aside, the more I see the Holy Spirit pointing it back again to me. So I said okay, maybe we will start from there, from this emphasis. If we are able to finish it before the expiration of our time, we will move on to Hebrews 8 to 10. But if not, if that is all that God wanted us to look at today, then it would be sufficient for us. As I meditated in the course of the week, the Holy Spirit kept pointing me to do I realize that there are abundant examples in scriptures of men who were able to enter into this rest, this rest for their soul. You know we said something last week that if you don't find rest for your soul, the problem is not about something external to you. Not finding rest for your soul is primarily caused by your internal state, not anything around you, not anything about you. It is about what is within you. When what is within you is not correct, when what is in you is not right, you will keep thinking that there are things, it is the things that surrounds you that makes you not to find rest. And the more I wanted to move on, the more I see God pointing me to look at this life, look at this life, look at this life. And I just began to pray. I was really praying for my life that God, God may we truly find rest for our soul. May we truly find rest for our soul. And so what we want to do this evening brethren, we want to look at some biblical example of men who found rest for their soul. You will see how they reacted to situations. And then you will discover that these men they are not spirit oh. They are not spirit. What made them look as if they are strange is because they were able to find rest for their soul. And we will quickly begin to look at those examples that the Lord raised with me. As they were coming to my mind I was just listing them down. And so I'm thinking we might take a very quick journey. Rest for your soul: biblical example of men who demonstrated that they found rest in their soul. And I want to begin with the first one: Stephen. Acts 7:51-60. Acts 7:51 to verse 60. Stephen, I hope you remember Stephen. Stephen was one of the deacons that was selected to serve tables. But some people conspired against him and so he was lied against as blaspheming against Moses. So he was addressing the elders. Look at how the story went. From he has said so many things from verse 1. I just went straight to the concluding part. Having said so many things, what he did was to tell the story of the Israelites from Abraham. He began their story from Abraham on and on and on to the Pharisees and the Sadducees. So in Acts 7:51, he was now speaking directly to them. "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in the heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it." When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. We are looking at men, example of men who found rest in their soul. And we are using Stephen as the first example. Do you follow the story what happened in this place? He has spoken to the people. Having spoken to the people, what do they do towards him? They gnashed their teeth. That is they were furious. That's a way of saying they became furious. "You are labeling us the same way you labeled our fathers were" because he spoke the truth so courageously to them. And they came against him with all kind of ferocity. And when they came against him, the Bible says he was full of the Holy Spirit and he just responded and he said "I see the heavens opened and I see the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." Please, is that the response to what was coming? Does that look like a natural response? It's not looking like a natural response. The natural response should be either to take cover or to seek safety. I don't know. But the response was he looked up. The Bible say he was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up and then he was speaking about what he was seeing. That made them madder or more mad. They became more mad and they just held him and then carried him out of the city and then they took stone and they were stoning him. And as they were stoning him, what was the next response? The Bible says he cried to the Lord Jesus, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then the next thing he knelt down. When he knelt down, what was the prayer? The prayer was "God, do not lay this thing against them." Please, what we are trying to look at is look at what is happening around Stephen and look at the response of Stephen to what is happening around him. The response of Stephen to what is happening around him, does it correlate? Is there a correlation between what is happening around him and the type of response that he was giving? Is there any natural correlation? No. But the correlation, the response of Stephen, what was it showing? Was it showing a man that is troubled? No. Does it showing a man that is afraid? No. Does it showing a man that is scared of death? No. Does it shows a man that is disturbed by all the ferocity with which they were coming? No. Where was Stephen? Stephen was just calm. Stephen was just cool. Stephen was again praying that God please, these people they don't know what they are doing. Lord please, don't lay this murder, this thing that they are doing, don't lay it to their charge. So you will agree with me that the response of Stephen has nothing to do with the immediate thing happening around him. The response that Stephen was giving was not coming from the immediate thing that was happening around him. The response that Stephen was giving was coming from the immediate thing happening within him. Do you get that? The response he was giving was coming from what was happening within him, not what was happening around him. What I'm trying to make you see is that when men have come into rest for their soul, their response to what is happening around them will be coming from where? From what is happening within them. Not what is happening around them. What I'm trying to make you see is how do you know whether you have found rest for your soul? You will realize that your response to the things happening around you will not be coming from the things happening around you. It will be coming from what is happening within you. What was happening within Stephen was glory. What was happening within Stephen was fellowship. What was happening within Stephen was revelation of Jesus, of heaven, of glory. And everything happening around him became what? They became inconsequential. That's the word. What I'm trying to make you see, when what is happening around you becomes what determines you, what defines you, what molds you, what shapes you, it's a sign that what? You have not found rest for your soul. You have not found rest for your soul. Everything happening around Stephen was not the basis of his responding to what was happening around him. So that tells you that it is possible for things to be happening around you and you are responding to those things but not from what is happening around you, but from where? From what is happening within you. And that is what Jesus is saying, that "come to me, come to me". What made Stephen to be at rest? What made Stephen to be at peace? What made Stephen to be stable, to be consistent? What made him to look very different was that what? Despite all that is happening around, where was his soul? His soul was at rest. His soul was at rest. And you can see the response. You can see the response. What I'm trying to draw to you brethren is that it is important for us to know that Stephen is not one of the apostles so that you don't say it's because he's one of the apostles. Who was Stephen? Stephen was one of the seven people that was chosen to be serving bread. Awon yen la ma pe ni boya bi usher. Awon to n gbonje kiri to n pe onje ninu soosi. They don't look like serious Christians. I'm just trying, you know when you connote it in your head, the people you see as jin-jin really spiritual are like the pastors who are at the altar, those inside the chancel, those who are taking the leading the prayers. But when they say okay, time to serve food, brethren in the kitchen come and serve food, you don't see those ones as really, in a way in your mind you don't see them as really really spiritual. You get the point I'm trying to bring out. What I'm trying to make you see, it was just a brother, a brother that was among those that was serving tables which the apostles could not serve because they want to give themselves to prayer and to the word of God. Awon fe feti si ministry gan-gan. They now call some people to be serving bread. It is that kind of a man that found rest for his soul. What I'm trying to make you see brethren, you don't need to be the leader of the church. You don't need to be the G.O. You don't need to be mummy G.O., daddy G.O. You don't need to be all of that to be a correct Christian. That's what I'm trying to say. Stephen was so correct. Stephen was so correct. And yet when you look at him, many times people feel that ushers are not very strong Christians. They feel it's those in the bible study that are strong Christians. Or maybe ushers are those who don't have very strong Christian life. Ka ma wa so awon to n gbonje kiri. "Eating time! Oya brethren come and serve Coke, come and serve food." Those brethren don't look like brethren from the kitchen. But he had a correct life. He had a correct life. Such that everything around him did not disturb, was not the basis of his response. My prayer brethren is that may we find rest for our soul. May we find rest for our soul. May we find rest for our soul. You would not expect that a man that was facing this kind of situation could be this calm, cool and collected. Can you be calm, cool and collected loju iku? That's the question I'm trying to ask you. Can you be calm, cool and collected in the face of death? That was a brother, not among the apostles, among those that were serving tables. Calm, cool, collected. Why? Everything around him was not the issue. It is everything within him. And that is why I keep saying that you are who you are not because of what is around you. It is because your soul has not found rest. And I keep telling and I'm telling us brethren, the more you keep thinking the reason why I did it was because economy Nigeria le, the reason why I did it was because there was no money in my hand, the reason why I did it was because if you see the way he provokes me, if you see the things she said, if you see the way he acted, if you see what she did, if you see... and we keep thinking that we could be justifiable. We cannot be justified. Brethren let us grow. Let us grow. Men have lived. Men have lived and they have lived correctly. Men have lived and they have lived well. I want to ask you, what did Jesus say about the servant? What did Jesus say about the servant? He said a servant is not greater than the master, abi? But a servant when he is fully grow is like who? Is like his master. Please the response of Stephen here, can we compare to the response of Jesus when Jesus was also being crucified? During the crucifixion and they were busy doing all that, what was Jesus's response? "Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." Please, where was the response of Jesus coming from? From around him or from within him? From within him. From within him. May we find rest for our soul. May we find rest for our soul. May we find rest for our soul. Honestly I've been praying, I've been praying, I've been really really praying for my life that God... it's... Lord, Lord cause my soul to find rest much more the more. You know because the more I look at the Stephen story, the way it just coming to me is that ah, can someone have calmness like this in the face of death? Can one be this rested in the face of death? Can somebody be this rested? Many of us we are not rested in the face of hunger. Many of us we are not rested in the face of denial. I was speaking with somebody recently and I said "Where are you?" She said "Actually yes, I am now serving." I said "Oh that's very very good. Which fellowship are you?" She said "Actually it's not in any particular fellowship. It's with one group like that." "Ah." I said "Why are you with the group?" She said "Sir you know, you know you see, the situation was that I needed accommodation. So when I didn't... these people they provided the accommodation. And so I don't want to be among them and be different. So and I don't want them to because of their accommodation thing because they are the one providing accommodation for me as a youth corp. So I just conform. But I know what I'm doing oh, I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing. It doesn't mean that they can change me oh. I'm just agreeing with what they are doing, not because but my mind is made up on by the time I finish service, I know where I'm going as a Christian." You know my response to her? I just said sorry. I said "Your faith should have come first." A place to live should not have come first. What am I trying to bring out? Somebody could not find rest for his soul in the face of just where do I live? Ibi ti ma sun. And yet somebody was at rest in the face of "I'll be dying the next minute oh". Iku re oh. This is death. And somebody was just calm. Somebody was just cool. What is the thing that is external to you that you are attributing your actions to? What is it? We keep attributing our action to "se ri o bo se gba mi leti ni, nkan to se, o bo se dun mi si ni, if you see what..." and we keep thinking that we could be justifiable. We cannot be justified. Brethren let us grow. Let us grow. Men have lived. Men have lived and they have lived correctly. Men have lived and they have lived well. Look at this second example, it follows in that succession. It is in Acts Chapter 16:16-34. And that's another very popular story. That's about Paul and Silas. I believe most believers are familiar with that story. In fact there's even a song. The song made that story very popular. "Paul and Silas they sang, they prayed, the Holy Ghost came down." So it's a very familiar story. But let us look at how men found rest for their soul. Paul and Silas. Acts Chapter 16 from verse 16. Acts 16 from verse 16. The scripture says "Now it happened as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with the spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us and cried out saying" what was she saying? "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation. And this she did for many days." But Paul greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, of course, they took hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. And they brought them to the magistrate and said "These men being Jews exceedingly trouble our city. And they teach customs which are not lawful for us being Romans to receive or observe." Then the multitude rose up together against them and the magistrate tore their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them. I want you to be marking the word. After they have laid many stripes on them. What is stripe? What is stripe? Coboco. Suffer than coboco. So when there is stripe all over you, what does that mean? Wound. Am I correct? There are wounds all over them. Word said when they had laid many stripes on them, not some, not few, many stripes on them. Won ni pe won ti sewon lese daadaa. They have wounded them. Look at the next thing. They didn't put them into prison oh. What did the Bible say? They threw them bi eni ju abobo. They threw them like men throwing stone. They threw them into the prison commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Now what happened? Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet to the stock. Do you know what that means again? You have been wounded. You were thrown into prison. For you to even be able to even touch your pain becomes impossible because they now chain you down in that situation. That was the situation. That was the external situation happening around them. It says "But at midnight". You see the Bible even says but. Telling you that nkan to sele wa contrary. Is that not true? But at midnight. And do you know something about midnight? What is... I don't know whether you have experienced bodily pain before at midnight. What normally looking about midnight and pain? It becomes worse at midnight. At midnight all your nerves is supposed to settle down. So that is when you feel the pain. Awon nkan to dun e during the day, the pain you didn't feel during the day, it is late in the night that all those pain will now surface. So they are in pain. They are in shame. And then the Bible says they were praying, they were singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them. Please where was the praise and hymn? Where was it coming from? I'm trying to make you see men who found rest for their soul. You see when the soul is at rest, nothing around you affects you again. When the soul is at rest, our major challenge... that's why Jesus said "look take my yoke upon you, learn from me", or else the things around you they will not allow you to be able to follow me. The things around you. And do you know one thing that the Lord Jesus told us? He said "In the world you will have tribulation." So if you don't find rest for your soul, please can you ever please God? Can you ever please God? You can never please God. What I'm trying to make us see is that the things that makes us to please God actually really have nothing to do with what is happening around us. It has to do with what is happening within us. We must concentrate on our soul finding rest in the Lord. The things that you did, you may be attributing it to one thing outside. You may be attributing it to one person outside. You may be attributing it to the Nigerian economy. You might be thinking the reason why you are not serious with God... like one of my one, you know you know, somebody sent a message to me said "Ah you see I've not been able to be so serious with God because of the economic situation." And I said no. It because of your soul situation. It's not the economic situation. It's your soul situation. You have not learned Jesus. You are not learning Jesus. You are growing in church, you are not growing in grace. You are becoming a church person but you are less a grace person. You are more of a church person but you are not a kingdom person. There is a kingdom that Jesus came to establish. In that kingdom people learn Jesus and when they learn Jesus they find rest for their soul. When they find rest for their soul, their response to situation will have nothing to do with what is happening around them. That's why we are painting this other situation again. Men are with many stripes. These are not spiritual stripe. They are physical stripe. Ke ma ni boya toripe won wa in the spirit. Won na won won sewon lese daadaa. It was something physical, it was something literal that anybody can feel. And there was not relief to put Abobiki or rob or something to soothe the pain. There was no spirit, there was no anointing oil, there was nothing to ease the pain. They were thrown into prison to make it worse for them to even be able to... eh ye ibi ni, they could not touch, they were fasting again on... and then at midnight wow, they were connecting so wonderfully. So wonderfully. And the Bible says the prisoners were listening and they were just singing hymns. And they were singing hymns. And the hymns was going on. And somebody said the hymn was so wonderful and God didn't know when God was just dancing and God was tapping his leg that it was the tapping of his leg that led to the earthquake. The person was just trying to be funny anyway. But whichever it is, the point I'm just trying to make is have you found rest for your soul? Do you get it? Have you found rest for your soul? Look at the situation of these men. Ordinarily what should be the response? Ordinarily it should be agony. It should be ah Jesus, Jesus, ah, ah, Olorun oh, Jesus, ah God help us, God help us, God deliver us oh, Silas, Silas, ah God help us oh God deliver us oh, ori mi oh, ah mi o ti le sun. Ah gbogbo ara lo n ro mi. You know that should be but but the response was different. They were... it was coming from where? From a soul that has found rest. I pray again for you and I pray again for myself. May we find rest for our soul. Ki Olorun fun okan wa ni isimi. May we find rest for our soul, rest for our soul. I'm telling you, it is impossible to please God if your soul don't find rest. It is impossible to please God. You will only be a fair-weather Christian. You will not be an all-weather Christian if your soul don't find rest. Look at how these men handled the situation. And then it said suddenly there was a great earthquake that the foundation of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone chain loose. And the keepers of the prison awaken from sleep and seeing the prison door open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, "Do you do yourself no harm for we are all here." Then he called for a light, ran in and fell down trembling before Saul and Silas. And he brought them out. "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" May our life demonstrate power in the face of adversity. A power that brings the world cringing and trembling under the majesty of our God in the name of Jesus. May our life be able to display the power of God in the face of strict adversity, in the face of difficult situation, such that men will tremble at our God and they will come submitting to our God asking "What must I do to be saved?" in the name of Jesus Christ. May we be delivered from lackadaisicality. May we be delivered from artificiality. May we be delivered from superficiality. May we be delivered from ritualistic Christianity. May we be delivered from mere convention and mere church attendance. May our life be a life that carries power. Power of a life that has found rest with God in the name of Jesus Christ. That is what we are seeing in these men. That is what we are seeing. The jailer came trembling. "Ah, ah, your God, your God, your God, your God." May the name of the Lord be declared through our lives. May the name of God be declared through our lives. May we be strong through adversity. May we wax strong in the face of cruelty, in the face of assault. This was a physical assault. And yet the power of God was made to bear because certain people had found rest for their soul. So they said "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And they and he took them that same hour of the night and washed their stripes. You see that their wounds were still there? Oju egbo yen si wa nbe oh. Eje, the blood, everything was still there oh. And these men were displaying the power of God. They were displaying the gospel. Their response to situation is not about what is happening around them. It is about everything within them. And that is why we must grow. We must grow, we must take time to grow. We can become strong in the face of adversity. We can wax strong in the face of cruelty, in the face of assault. This was a physical assault and yet the power of God was made to bear because certain people have found rest for their soul. He took them that same hour, he washed their stripe and immediately and all their family were baptized. And now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. So they were even hungry. Won o ti jeun. There was no food. They were in pain. They were in shame. And their life was demonstrating the power of God. Their life was demonstrating the grace of God. Their life was showcasing God. Why? Because they have found rest for their soul. There was so much rest within them. They have found rest for their soul. May we find rest for our soul in the name of Jesus Christ. Look at this third one. A reflection on the inner life of Saul. A reflection on the inner life of Paul. A reflection on the inner life of Paul. You will find that in Philippians Chapter 1 verse 4 to 26. The one we read just now Paul and Silas is Acts Chapter 16:16 to 34. Philippians 1. Philippians Chapter 1 verse 4 to 26. Look at what the Bible says in that place. Philippians Chapter 1 verse 4 to verse 26. Paul, it was the personal life of Paul. He was just reflecting on his personal life. He was talking and we are able to have a glimpse of something about him. "Always in every of my prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ." In the name of Jesus, God will complete His work in us in Jesus' name. He says "Just as it is right for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness how greatly I long for you with all the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and in discernment." May that be our portion in the name of Jesus. "That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruit of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. But I want you to know brethren," we are looking at his personal life oh. "But I want you to know brethren that the things which happen to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident in the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ." Telling you that Paul was writing this letter when he was in chain. "Most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife and some also from goodwill. The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chain. But the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached and in this I rejoice, yes and will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed but with all boldness as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by what? By death. Let's read on. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor. Yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and your joy in the faith. That your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by coming to you again." Brethren what do you notice about the personal life of this brother? What was the greatest thing this brother is looking forward to? His greatest desire is that ko ba ko se bayi kin kura ma lo. That will have been so wonderful. But "You people you will need me so I can labor more among you. Okay maybe for your sake." You know what I'm trying to make you see? These people are they thinking the way we are thinking? Are you understand what I'm trying to say? I'm just trying to make you see their inner life. Their inner life, the inner life of these people is that being here does not worth it. Being up is something they if the opportunity comes and they have to go, wow, it's just something exciting and something great. The reason why they are thinking of this place is not even because they are thinking of one building or one "okay for because of you people sha ka tun le ma encourage yin si. Okay maybe for your sake God should keep us." But ah, how we desire to be going now. I'm just wondering the situation of the heart of these people. Are they looking like the kind of Christianity we practice today? Are these people... I'm trying to make you see the men who have found rest for their soul. You see when you find rest in your soul, you will discover that everything around is just there's just nothing about it. And that is why they don't have effect on you again. That is why they don't have effect on you. That is why all the chain, imprisonment, it don't because they are they are so much found... look at the way Jesus describe it. He said the kingdom of God is like a man who found a treasure in a land. And so what did the man do? He went and sold everything he had to buy that place. These people they have found something. May we find the treasure that is in Christ. May we find the riches of His glory. May we see it while we yet live. May we experience heaven while we are still here so that the things of this life will lose their grip. Will lose their grip over us. A lot of things are holding us. And that is why we sin. That is why we err. That is why we cannot please God. That is why we don't live to God in every situation. Some situation we have live for the sake of our interest. We have live for another one because we have too many conflicting interest. But these men they have one primary interest that override every other interest and that interest is clear, it's showing, it's obvious in their life. That thing is obvious in their life, very very obvious. Very very clear. Showing very clearly in their life. Why? This overriding interest. They have learned Jesus. They have seen the treasure. They have seen the hope of that which is to come. They have seen the riches of the glory. They have seen it, they have seen it. And I was speaking somewhere and I gave this example. You know if you are inside a hall and everybody they are just dancing, they are dancing to a song. Maybe they are singing a hymn. "Rock of Ages cleft for me." You know there will be a way everybody will be going with the rhythm of that hymn. But if you are having a earpiece in your ear and you are hearing another type of song and the song that you are hearing is not "Rock of Ages cleft for me", the song that you are hearing is a song like "Oh come let us adore Him, oh come let us adore Him", you know your own movement and rhythm will be different from every other person's own. What I'm trying to make us see is that when our inside becomes so loud, our outside fall into oblivion. When our inside becomes so loud, when the inside, the inside, the intimacy we share with Christ, when we have find this great rest within our soul, when we have come to a place of rest in our soul, you will just discover that it is not as if you are trying. These people were they trying to live the life? Is it that they were trying? They were not trying. It was their life. It was their life. Another example that came to mind as preparing, men who have found rest for their soul. That is Paul's personal life. Look at look at this that happened between David, between David and Saul. 1 Samuel Chapter 24. 1 Samuel Chapter 24. Look at what happened there between David and Saul. I read from verse 1. It says "Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him saying, 'Take note, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.'" Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men on the rock of the wild goat. So he came, he came to the sheepfolds by the road where there was a cave and Saul went in to attend to his needs. I hope you know what that means. That is he went there to rest, he needed to rest to sleep, to refresh themselves. Now David and his men were staying in the recess of the cave. Are you seeing what is happening in this place? They did not realize that David and his men, they were also inside that cave. But they were inside inside the cave. Saul and the three thousand men that came looking for David to kill David, they were somewhere inside the cave to rest. But David and his men were inside that cave they did not know. It said then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.'" And David arose secretly and cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him. And he said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord." So David restrained his servant with this word and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way. David also arose afterward, went out of the cave and called to Saul saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth and bowed down. And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men who say 'Indeed David seeks your life, seeks to harm David, seeks your arm?' Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you and I said 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord for he is the Lord's anointed.' Moreover my father, see, yes, see the corner of your robe in your hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand and I have not sinned against you, yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the Lord judge between you and me. Let the Lord avenge you, avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancient says, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. Afterward whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore let the Lord be the judge between you and me, and see and plead my cause, my case, and deliver me out of your hand." So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said "Is this your voice my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David, "You are more righteous than I for you have rewarded me with good whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me. For when the Lord delivered me into your hand you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, that you will not destroy my name from my father's house." So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home but David and his men went up to the stronghold. I'm showing you a man, a man. What are you seeing in David? What are you seeing in David? A man who has found what? Rest for what? For his soul. A man who has found rest for his soul. Look at look at what happened between the two of them. Look at how one is seeking the life of the other one. And it happened look at how Saul and all his men they were fast asleep that David could go very closely, cut his cloth and he never did nothing, nothing evil. And look at what David told Saul. You see what I'm trying to make you see, all these vengeance spirit that is in you is not because of what people are doing to you. It's because your own soul have not found rest. All this spirit of hurt, pain, grief, all this spirit of unforgiveness, all this thing that seems... that is what is controlling the life of some people. That is what determines all their actions. That is why some people their marriages can never be stable. That is why some people they can never be at peace with their siblings. In fact the next example is that of Joseph and his brothers. The Bible says "and Joseph remembered his dreams." Joseph remembered his dream. And on the basis of that dream, Joseph began to relate with his brothers. Such that when his father died, his brothers they were afraid again, guilty conscience. They said ah, maybe Joseph was showing us all this good because our father was alive. Now that our father is dead, hey, he's going to kill us oh. And they came again to him "Joseph you know before our father died he said we should come and beg you that you should not remember the sin of your brothers. Please forgive us we are your servant." And Joseph said "Am I God?" For you to know that they know that what they did cannot easily be forgotten. Their brother was crying, begging them and they were laughing and they were eating and they were selling him off. These brothers they were eating and they were laughing and he was weeping. You know the torment even in their own memory could not allow them to sleep. But Joseph was sleeping. Joseph was at rest. Joseph did not have anything tormenting his brain. He didn't have anything tormenting his memory. They are the ones that could not sleep because they know the terrible thing they did. But a man has found rest for his soul. What I'm trying to make you see is that we must all we must all take time to learn Jesus and find rest for our soul. Many things that we keep attributing to situations, to people, nkan to se, what she did, what my wife did, what my husband did, what my father did, what my mother did, what my sibling did, what my uncle did, what my neighbor did, you keep attributing your actions to all of these things. It is because your soul have not found rest. The day your soul come to rest, even if your enemy is delivered into your hand, you'll still be doing him good. Even if your enemy, your enemy... for ordinarily even cutting the cloth as evidence, David wanted to prove evidence to Saul, he cut the cloth. Even for cutting the cloth again what the Bible says? His heart began to trouble him that "ah, mo ge aso iranse Olorun, mo ge aso iranse Olorun." He was still honoring the iranse Olorun. He was still honoring the king. A man that once he can just finish him David will be at peace. That's why David was running all over the place oh with his father and his mother and his brothers. Everybody who was the Bible said everybody who was distressed, everybody who was oppressed, they all went and gathered to David. So David was moving with them inside the bush, inside the jungle, not having a place of rest. And luckily for you so to say, all the people that came looking for you they were fast asleep. And you and your men you were there with your spear and your sword. Did he not to just finish with one sledge hammer you just solve your problem at once? And you know that God Himself knows that this man seek my life and I've only killed this man out of what? Self-defense. Ki n ma baa ku, mo tete pa. What I'm trying to make you see, may our soul find rest. May our soul find rest. May our soul come to the state of rest. The the the last example that we will take, we may not be able to read that but I wanted to finish this matter of the examples that came to mind as preparing, men who have found rest for their soul. That is Paul's personal life. Look at Abraham and Lot. Strife over property. I normally say something, it is when it comes to inheritance that you know the true heart of those you call brothers and sisters. It is when it comes to inheritance, e fe pin ogun, that you know true brothers and sisters. I was reading the story of a man, his father died. He has houses in Lagos, he also has houses in Cameroon. The elder brother said he's controlling the one in Lagos, so the ones in Cameroon should be sold since he's the heir apparent. The younger brother is the one in Cameroon managing the one in Cameroon. And he told the elder brother that "look you are not serious. You sit over the one in Lagos, me I will sit over the one in Cameroon." They are not even thinking of their sister who is already married, what that one will take. Three children. But the brother in Lagos will not allow the one in Cameroon to rest. The one in Cameroon decided to make an arrangement, find his way to Lagos and he came with a dagger and killed his brother, killed the elder brother so that he can have control over the property. When the mother heard that the brother, the younger brother killed the elder brother, the mother's B.P. rose. The mother died because of that incident. The brother who killed the elder brother was eventually arrested and put in life in prisonment. Today they said the properties in Lagos and the properties in Cameroon have been overgrown by grass. The sister could not go to to attend to any of the properties again, the only sister took. Three children. Their mother is late. The brother is dead. The other one life in prisonment. Sometimes I ask myself what actually should parents leave for their children? Is it wealth or Jesus? I really don't know. But that was how the story went about that family. What I'm trying to talk about is property. People who have not found rest for their soul. The herdsmen of Saul and the herdsmen of Abraham, they were striving. And what did Abraham do? He called Saul, he called Lot, sorry. He called Lot. He said "look we don't need to strive, we are brothers." And what did he say? What was the offer? Did he tell him to bring a judge to judge between them? He said "look, is the whole land not before us? Ko si repete. If you take to the north I will take to the south. If you take south I will go north. If you go east I will go west. You just choose whatever you think you will want to choose and leave the rest and leave me." And I'm just trying to make you see people who have found rest for their soul. He's not even concerned with what the other person will choose. What if the other person choose all the best thing and leave what is not good? That what exactly what happened anyway. The other person was covetous. Olojukokoro. Akotileta. Arungun omo. That was Lot. Somebody who was like your father, who brought you up, is giving you a offer that if you go left I go right, if you go right I go left, you just choose first. You quickly went there and you also choose all the best of the land and you took everything yourself and move to that place quickly. Telling you how covetous his heart is. But that did not even bother Abraham. When he chose every every good thing, Abraham remained where what was left. And he was okay. Look, the situation is not about what is around him. It is about what? It is about what is within him. May our soul find rest in God. You see when men have found rest, when men have found rest... I'm trying to make you see it shows in different things: adversity, provocation, anger, property. It shows, it shows in everything. Let us go ahead to pray this evening brethren. The prayer I want you to pray is that "God, may I find rest in my soul." Restlessness is not about what is happening around you. It is not your neighbor that is making you restless. It is not what your wife or your husband is doing that is making you restless. It is not what is happening around you that is making you restless. It is not what your brother, what your sister did that is making you restless. What is making you, what is pushing your life around like this, what is making you the way you are, what is making you to tell lie, to steal, what is making you to do evil is because you have not come to rest within you. You have not come to rest. I want you to pray to the Lord. "Lord bring my soul to a state of rest. Open my eyes that we may know the hope of our calling in the name of Jesus. Lord God Almighty, help us that we may see the glorious inheritance that is in the saints. Oh God in the name of Jesus. Lord help us to know the exceedingly exceedingly working of your mighty power. Lord the same power that raised Jesus from the dead in the name of Jesus. Lord we pray that we may approve excellent things. Lord that we may approve excellent things. That we may be full of the fruit of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. That Lord may our life in all situation bring men to submit to your kingdom in the name of Jesus. Lord by the reason of our life may men be subdued, may kingdoms be subdued, may nations be subdued in the name of Jesus. Thank you Eternal Father. Blessed be your holy name our God. In Jesus name we pray. Amen." Let's share the grace in fellowship. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever. Amen. [Speaker 1] This message is coming to you from Family Tents Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and marriage through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission aids. Our regular activities are: discipleship class every Monday 5:00 p.m., Adolescent and Singles Club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 a.m., marriage forum second Saturday of every month at 10:00 a.m., 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, Ilere community, opposite Rejoice filling station along Ije road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: FamilyTents@yahoo.co.uk, FamilyTentsMinistry01@gmail.com, www.FamilyTentsMinistry.org. Our phone numbers are 080-33-86-11-36, 070-33-61-38-48. God bless you all.