Biblical Concept of Faith (36)

[background music] Churchy fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God still desires a godly home. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 1] Our brethren who are joining us on Mixlr, Lord all of us together, the physical audience, the online audience, we commit ourselves into your hand. Lord, we pray that today as we are attempting to bring to a close biblical concept of faith, Lord we pray that your spirit will work within us. Lord we pray that you will meet with each and every one of us at the points of our needs. Lord we pray that you will find our hearts very convenient to manage. Lord God Almighty, you will instruct us in righteousness. You will lighten our darkness. You will teach us your ways. You will establish us in your path in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Blessed be your name, our God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. So we will take the matter from where we left it last Monday. Last Monday we were looking at Biblical Concept of Faith, episode 34. I think it’s 34. Last week was 35. So we are going to episode 36. Biblical Concept of Faith. What is faith as far as the Bible is concerned? What is faith? We have journeyed and journeyed and journeyed, and last week we are trying to round up in Hebrews chapter 11. Let’s go to that our text, Hebrews 11. Hebrews chapter 11. So we were able to see something very clear from we took it from the verse 5. Hebrews 11 from verse 5: "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go to a place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar, were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth." That was where we stopped last week. We saw three things about faith. Last week we saw that one thing about faith is that number one, it makes you to see things afar. Biblical faith makes you to see things afar. Not only that you see it afar, you are assured of them, you are able to embrace them. That is, you are able to time travel. You are behaving today based on what is to happen in fifty years' time. You are behaving today based on what is to happen in a hundred years' time. That is faith. Faith makes you to come to a point where you are not living because of what you see now, you are living because of what is to come. Those were the things we looked at, that they embraced them and not only that, people of faith are people who speak. And I said something last week that when it comes to the spiritual world, it is a matter of voice. And I said may you not be quiet when you ought to speak. It is a very, very important thing. They confess it. And like we saw in episode 33, faith is not about speaking to God, it is about speaking to the situation. Please let us not forget that. When they say they confess, faith is holding to what God has said about a situation. We have talked about the ears of faith and the eyes of faith. So faith hears God, faith sees God. And so what was seen and what was heard becomes what is spoken to the situation. The woman heard about Jesus. The woman know Jesus could heal. And so what was she doing? She was speaking to her situation: "If I touch the hem of His garment, this thing will go. This thing will disappear." She was speaking to the situation. She wasn’t speaking to God. She has heard God, she has seen God, and so she was speaking to the situation. "Say to this mountain, move." So what you are speaking to the situation makes us to know whether you have seen God or you have heard God. So people of faith, they speak out of the abundance of the heart. We have spoken about how you get abundance. We have looked at that in episode 33. How do you come to abundance? Because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. It’s not you don't try to speak faith. No, no, no. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So if it is what is in you that you speak. You don't try faith is not something you try to do. "Let me try to." No, no, no. Once you are drunk with it, "be filled with the Spirit." It's a kind of drunkenness. So when you get to the place, you just begin to speak out of the abundance of what you have. And that is faith. So they were confessing, they confess, they confess. And today, we want to try to bring the matter to a close. And what I want to show you today, which I think I will be able to do last week but we couldn’t, is this critical matter about faith. You know from episode 1 to episode 35 we have said so many things about faith, biblical faith. How do we know we are practicing biblical faith and not just that we are inside church? I was handling a counseling section today and I was trying to separate a church person from a kingdom person. I was speaking to a group this morning. It’s an online meeting. And by the time I was trying to make that separation, you could see that the people I was speaking to today were surprised. Because for them, once you are inside church and you attend church and you are active in church, it means you are a Christian. But they were able to see that you can be committed to church, you can even be a pastor, you can be Bible Director—I don’t know if that one exists—you can be President and Founder and yet you are not a Christian. The Christian life is a life of a relationship where an individual can hear God and an individual can see God and the individual is the life that the person is living is that the person is responding. God says do this, you are doing it. That is Christianity. Do this, you are doing it. That thing that you are doing based on what God is saying, that is what makes us Christians. And that is what we are calling faith. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God." There is a hearing, there is a seeing. And now, you know we said last week that without that faith it’s impossible to please God. You cannot please God. There is no, you know. And what I want to as we are trying to conclude it, I want to quickly go up a little then we come down back. Look at something. Look at Enoch that we first mentioned just to get something. Let’s go back to Enoch again, the first person that was mentioned. "And was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken, he had this testimony, that he pleased God." Now, I want to be showing you something about faith. Now, just as the Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." You know what he’s saying? The Bible is saying that when it comes to any matter of life, it is impossible to have a good report without faith. When it comes to any matter of life, any matter. That’s what we want to as we begin to look at these heroes, you will see that the heroes are using faith into different areas of life. That is, because he said, "It is by faith that the elders obtained a good report." What he was calling report, what was he calling the report? What they did with their life by faith. You know, when they were living their life, they were not acting drama. You know in drama, what are you doing? You are following a script. If I say, "You are crazy," you will respond that, "He is mad." You already know you are already preempting the response of that person. You know you see script. So even when the director says, "No, except you sleep with me you cannot get the job." If you are acting the uncompromising Christian, you know you will even though you can compromise. Oh, are you understanding me? But because this one is drama, you already know how it will end, that you will not compromise. So when you don’t compromise, the man will first send you away, later they will now bring you back, you now become the director. You already know that one. So it’s easy to act. Are you understanding me? The heroes, they were not acting drama. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they didn’t know how Nebuchadnezzar would turn. When they said, "Why are you delaying, O King? We, we have made up our minds. We are not going to bow down. Whether you are going to kill us—God is able to deliver us. And even if he didn't deliver us..." They were not thinking, they didn’t know what would follow what they were saying as to make them act in a way that Nebuchadnezzar will now take them into the fire. When they get to the fire, something is going to happen inside the fire. Inside that fire, the thing will not burn because it’s film trick. You know a film trick is not correct fire. You know all those things. You just be acting it because you are able to do that one. But this one, they were not sure. Are you understanding it? They didn’t know how things would turn. And you can also see God. God wanted to be sure whether they know what they were doing. God too did not show up when they were carrying them. You know when they say, "Put them into the fire!" God was watching. God did not act. They tied them. God was watching. There was no action. They were approaching the fire. God was watching. There was no action. Very close to the fire. You know at that point, you are certain this is the end of everything. It was when they entered the fire and then "Are we still alive?" You know their being alive was the least thing in their imagination. It was the least thing. Now, what I’m trying to make you understand is that when the Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God," because we want to close with all these heroes. What we want to be seeing in the heroes is different areas of their life. That is, God is showing you that for instance, if you want to be able to in this life—you know Enoch walked with God. You know that was what he did. He lived right. You know what he’s saying? If in this world you be able to live a holy life, it is impossible without faith. That’s what he’s telling you. You know Sarah got a child at an age that ordinarily—you know Sarah did not just pass menopause. Did you understand? You know there’s a distance between passing the age of menopause. You know when you pass menopause, it only means that you are no more menstruating. That was not when Sarah gave birth. Sarah gave birth when the "oldness" in the old has concluded that be preparing to die. You know when your next thing is getting ready to go. It’s not expectation of anything again. That is, everything was dead. Now, you know what he’s trying to say? He’s trying to say that if you want to obtain promises, you want to get things in situations that is beyond human reasoning, without faith it is impossible. It is that’s what it’s telling you. Now, so we want to quickly capture some things now. Let’s capture what I was trying to read last week that I had to stop when I noticed that it was 6:30. Now, all these died in faith but they confessed and on and on. Now, I want to go to while he was dying on his staff, Joseph we have looked at Joseph. Now, we take Moses. By faith, Moses when he was born was hidden three months by his parents because they saw that he was a beautiful child and they were not afraid of the king’s wrath. By faith, Moses when—I'm in verse 24—when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. You know ordinarily, what was his name? Who gave him "Moses"? Pharaoh’s daughter. So when he said "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter," what does that mean? He abandoned it. He was called Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter that she took him from the water. Now, if you refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, what exactly are you rejecting? What are you giving away? You have given away everything that goes with the privilege of that place. That is why he said look at the next verse: "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin." If he chose the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he would be among the rulers. Are you getting it? And not just among the rulers. Somebody that is to become the next Pharaoh. That’s where he’s sitting. It’s like you have the privilege of becoming the next president of America and you refuse everything to be like that. Mission field now brought you among the "Bulalas" in Maiduguri. Did you get it? And you chose to be doing mission work in Maiduguri instead of becoming the President of US. [Laughter from audience] Are you getting it now? Are you getting it? The Bible says it is impossible for anybody to be able to leave privileges for vision without faith. Nobody, when you see enjoyment, you see privileges, except you can see something else more glorious and you can see the glory in that thing, you cannot leave the privilege. Let me explain to you. You know if you are sitting inside 10 billion Naira—10 billion Naira. That is your bank account. And while you are enjoying that, somebody is offering you to leave it for 10,000 Naira. Are you likely to leave it? [Audience: "No! No!"] You know you will not be able to leave it. No, wait, wait. There must be something about that 10,000. Yes, there must be something about that 10,000. That’s what I’m trying to say. Now, I’ve spoken about faith. You know faith has eyes and faith has ears. That is why anybody who is not seeing the invisible and hearing the inaudible is not a Christian. I said that last week. He’s not a Christian. Christianity is about seeing the invisible and hearing the inaudible. He says, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow Me." So hearing God is not for General Overseers. You know I was saying that last week. It’s not for big, big brothers. It’s not for Baba Adeboye, Baba Kumuyi, Baba Oyedepo. It’s not for all those no, no, no, no, no. That is the foolishness that we are thinking about. It is for anybody who is a Christian. But we now concentrate our life in levels. You get the point I’m making? It’s just like fruit bearing. It’s not only for old mangoes. Are you understanding me? Once you are a mango, you will start bearing mangoes. You get the point I’m trying to make? Old mangoes too be bearing mangoes. You get the point I’m trying to bring out? So seeing hearing God, hearing the inaudible and seeing the invisible, which is the basis of Christianity. That’s what Jesus said. He said, "The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father doing. As I hear, so I judge." So there is the ear of faith and the sight of faith. Now, listen. Look at the illustration that we were taking. If you are sitting on 10 billion, if you are asked to leave 10 billion for 10,000, you can never do it. Because you’ll be asking yourself, "I can remove several 10,000 inside 10 billion, isn’t it?" A hundred million times. Now, but look at it. If you are sitting on 10 billion Naira and you are offered 10 billion Dollars. Are you following me? Are you following me? Listen, they are both currencies. You know they are both currencies. But unfortunately, it happens that you don’t know what is Dollar. You don’t know what it is. You don’t know the value of Dollar. So somebody now said, "Leave, shift away from this 10 billion, enter into this other currency." You look at him, "What is this one? They said it’s money. What type of money? I’m not interested. Do you know what it means to have 10 billion?" You know you will be arguing on your 10 billion. But if for any reason, you know the value of Dollar against Naira, before they finish the offer—what would you have done? So it tells you that the reason why the pleasure of Egypt become so attractive to us as against eternity is because we are not seeing it. Am I making sense to you? The reason why the pleasure of Egypt—you know some people are comfortable with the things of this life. They can tell lies to make money, they fornicate, they are immoral, they steal, they compromise, they do anything to get money. They can bent anything, they can bend any bend to make it. They are never straightforward, they are not sincere, they are not truthful. In all their ways, they are not straight. They are cunning, they are deceitful, and they are enjoying a lot of things because of that. They do special centers to get certificates, they cheat in exam to get degree. Are you understanding me? They manipulate, they change their age to get a good job. Are you understanding me? They cross, you know, they cut corners to enter into marriage. They act who they are not. The reason why they are doing all of that and it is looking like "ah!" is because eternity that Baba is offering them, they don’t know the value. Are you understanding me? I’m talking about faith. So to be able to leave all that is in this world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the pride of life—ability to leave them and live for God is impossible because as far as they are concerned, they are sitting on 10 billion. What? This 10 billion Naira. What heaven seems to be offering them is 10,000 Naira. So it becomes impossible. That is why Jesus said, "Narrow is the way and street is the gate that leads to life. Few are those who find it. Because broad is the way and wide is the gate that leads to destruction. Many walk in it." You see what we are not realizing about any other thing apart from what God offers. Listen to me. What we are not realizing about any other thing apart from what God offers is that they are tantalizing mirage. You know what is a mirage? False image. What what Have you ever seen a mirage before? You know what a mirage is. You don’t know what a mirage is. I will Have you ever any time in the hot sun and you are on the main road on a tarred road? If you look far, you will see something like water. But when you get close, water is not there. Have you seen that thing before? You know it will look like there is water in the front. But when you now get to the place, there’s no water. You’ll be looking at again in the front. That’s what they are calling mirage. When I was small and I travel with my dad, when we see that thing on the road, we would say, "Daddy, see water! Daddy, water!" He would just laugh and say there is no water there. We said, "No, Daddy!" He said, "Okay, when we get there." By the time we get there, "Daddy, where is the water?" Because then we didn’t understand mirage. So you see everything that is apart from what God is offering us is a tantalizing it’s tantalizing but it is a mirage. By the time you get into it, you will discover that there is nothing inside. That is why the preacher said "vanity upon vanity, all is vanity." It is after you have laid hold on it and you stay on it. And do you know what is going to happen on the last day? You know what is going to happen? Is that on that day, that is when people will now realize that okay, so what God was offering was 10 billion Dollars. Why did I sit on Naira? What was my problem? That was what happened to the rich man in hell. He said, "Father Abraham, please tell Lazarus to go and tell my brothers so that they don’t come to this place. They don’t behave like I have. They don’t behave like I did." He got the realization. You see eventually, everybody will come to realize that the offer of God is greater than the offer of this world. Everybody will come to that realization that "Ah! What was my problem? Why did I stick to Naira? Why did I stick to Naira?" So when we are discussing about faith, you see faith is that relationship with God in which God helps you to see afar and hear afar so that you can know the true value of what is being offered. And so people begin to see you leaving this one. "Say, are you mad? Look at you! They are giving you!" say, "No." "Say there is nothing!" say, "No worry. I know where I’m going." That was what happened to Moses. You know everybody in in Pharaoh’s court, they will be wondering, "Moses, are you in your right senses? Are you in your right senses? Are you in your right senses? You are son of Pharaoh’s daughter! Can’t you see the privileges? Moses, wake up!" He said, "You see, I’m an Hebrew." "Hey! Moses, you are not Hebrew, you are not Hebrew. Let us tell you your story. Let us tell you your story. You see, they took you from water. That woman that came to nurse you is not your mother. The point is that you are Pharaoh's daughter and you see, being Pharaoh's daughter let me tell you, even if you think that person is your mother if she have deceived you, let me tell you, you will become Pharaoh. Number two, see all these people, see how they are suffering. Building, building, building. You you will just sit down in the palace and you will be giving command. What is your problem? You have all the abundance. Any car you want to ride, anything you want to do." And Moses said, "No. I said that I’m not an Egyptian. I’m an Hebrew." "Ah! Moses, wake up!" Why is Moses behaving like this? See, see. Look at what the Bible says. Look at what the Bible says, verse 27. He says, "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as what? As seeing Him who is invisible." So what was Moses seeing? So what is faith? Faith is seeing the invisible. So do you notice that if not that he was seeing, is it possible for him to choose to be saying "I’m an Hebrew"? Will he be saying, "Me, I’m not Egyptian oh"? Will he be saying that? He cannot say that. That is why let me tell you something. Faith, it is faith is not an artificial life of something you are trying to do. It’s a reality that is at work in you. Are you understanding me? Faith is not something artificial. It’s not something artificial that you are trying to do. "Let me try to have faith. Let me try." No, no, no. That is what people no, no, no. That is not the biblical faith. That’s not the biblical faith! The biblical faith is a reality. It’s something real. It’s something at work in you. It’s a reality you can see, it’s a reality you know. That thing that you are hearing, that thing that you are seeing, and you are acting on that reality. And people around are asking that "Ah! What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting so differently?" It’s because say, "What can you look at? You cannot see!" Moses was seeing Him who was invisible. Moses was seeing Him. He was looking at Him. He was seeing what it is. He was seeing beyond all those things, while sitting on the 10 billion Naira. He was able to understand that there is a offer of 10 trillion Dollars. He understood that there is a offer of 10 trillion Dollars. And so nothing could keep him again! "Moses! Ah! Moses!" "No, mica, I’m wiser." He was looking foolish but he was wiser. I’m talking about faith. I’m talking about faith. So we need this. We need this. That is what the Bible is calling biblical faith. Biblical faith is not just that I’m a member of Anglican church, I’m a member of Redeemed, I’m a member of Deeper Life, I’m a member no, no, no. That is church membership. It’s a different thing from faith. It’s a different thing from "I’m in the choir, I’m in the Bible study, I’m in the" It’s different. They are two different things. What we need to please God—that is why you will discover, take Nigeria for a good instance. Nigeria is the most religious nation in the world. Because there’s nothing we do without praying. Even even when we want to steal we are praying. No, that’s just the truth. That’s just the truth. Even when we want to steal. When people when people resume in their offices, check most Nigerian offices. Every first day of the month, there is prayer. Am I correct? Am I correct? Most of the offices you find in Nigeria, they will say Alhaji pray, Pastor pray, all of them pray, pray, pray, and then they will pray. And then when they gather in some, every first day of the week, government offices, there will be prayer. After all the prayer, "Glory be to the Lord, Hallelujah! Glory be to the Lord! Ah, Baba, Baba! He makes me wonder!" After all after all the dramas, then they will open the Word of God. "The Bible says we should love our neighbor. The Bible says" After all those things, when they now resume the work, "Eh, brother, sorry oh. If you don’t drop 10,000, Oga will not sign. You have to drop 10,000 for Oga to sign. Are you understanding me? Okay. Okay, okay, okay. What did you say you want us to do? Okay, okay, okay. You said you are no, you are 35 years old. Don’t worry, we will change it to 30 years old. But you will settle me. Oga, no problem. How much? Bring 500,000. Okay, put it to that account." After all the prayers. So what I’m trying to make you understand is that that that we need to understand what faith is. That’s not faith! The person who is doing that is not seeing anything, he's not hearing anything. And that is why it is so difficult to leave that thing. He’s on his 10 billion Naira. He could not see 10 trillion Dollars. That is so precious to him. "Naija la wa oh, olohun! Olohun! Even God knows that I try. God, God even God knows that I try." And are you understanding me? Most of the people you are calling corruptible servants, they are inside our churches, they are inside our mosques. They are in our mosques everywhere, they're in our churches. The lecturer sleeping with student on campus, he's also the elder in one of the church. So I you see, we need to that’s why I’m trying to say that there is a there is a difference. You see we’re talking about faith! That the Bible said that "without faith you cannot please God." You see, it is impossible! Because if you are not seeing the invisible, if you are not seeing 10 trillion Dollars, it is impossible to leave 10 billion Naira. As long as you are seeing 10 trillion Dollars as 10,000 Naira, you cannot leave 10 billion Naira. It’s impossible! He says it is impossible to please God. It is impossible. It is not just possible to do so. It’s not just "Ah! How will you do it? 10 billion Naira, what you are seeing is 10,000 Naira, and you leave" it’s impossible! You no matter how people want to push you, "Hey! Stop this thing now! You know it’s not good oh! Eh, God, eh Father please forgive me, forgive me." You will still go back because you cannot see. And that is why you notice every time we gather in church you are always repenting from one sin, a sin you don’t leave. "Listen, God, I'm sorry. Eh, Baba, any sin that will block our prayer, God, God we can not but sin. God, just help us." You when you come again the next Sunday, "Father, any sin that will block—" because you know you cannot leave them. What can give you power to leave them is not with you. You are not seeing the invisible, you are not hearing the inaudible. You can’t leave it! It’s impossible to do so! And that is why you see people no matter how much they enter the churches, they come out of the churches, they seem to read the Bible, they seem to pray, you still find their wicked life in their wicked ways in the things they do. They continue with it, they will again lay down, they will still do the prayer. They think that religiosity is Christianity. No. Religiosity is something different from Christianity. That’s why I tell people, "Be careful not to be religious. Because religion is bondage." Religion is bondage. We are looking for we are looking for kingdom people. It’s not just religiosity. We are looking for spirituality. Spirituality. We need to be spiritual. And I'm not and I'm not talking of spirituality in terms of spiritism. Spirituality of "Whooo! Omo eniyan! I can see!" No, that’s not what I'm talking about. I’m talking of ability to see what God is doing, to hear what God is saying, and to respond to God, which the Bible called faith. So Moses was living otherwise not because Moses was so strong but there is something. What was being offered he could see the correct value. He could see the correct value. That’s why I tell somebody, I say tell your neighbor revelation is the key. Without revelation, you remain in bondage. Revelation is the key. Without revelation, you remain in bondage. You can never live a life for God. You can never please God. You can never walk with God without revelation. There must be revelation. And that is what the Bible is calling faith. So when you begin to take them one by one, Moses did that. If you leave Moses, he says, "By faith, the wall of Jericho fell down after they encircled it seven days." What make Joshua to do that? You are a commander of the army. You want to bring down the wall of Jericho. You want to bring down a wall. Please, bringing down a wall—do you know the thickness of that wall? In case you don’t know Bible history, you don’t know history that surround this thing. The Wall of Jericho, the diameter is such that you build house on the wall. Do you know what is diameter? The thickness of something. How thick something is. The thickness of the wall is such that you can build house on the wall. Houses are built on the wall. Did you get it? Somebody now tell you that you want to make that wall to fall, go and be going round and be blowing trumpet. Go round and be blowing trumpet. Just go round, go round the first day, you go and sit down. Go round the second day, you go and sit down. Go round third day, you go and sit down. Go round fourth day, you go and sit down. Until the seventh day. Then the seventh day, go round seven times. Don’t forget that while you are going round, the soldiers are on the wall. They can shoot you arrows. Because you remember Abimelech. Abimelech went close to the wall and a woman draw mortar on his head and he died. So you don’t go near the wall of a city because it’s the defense of that city. That is why Babylon, the Wall of Babylon, you know chariots of horses, they said seven chariots will stay beside themselves and be going round that wall for you to know how thick the wall is. That is why Babylon was so confident that nobody can conquer them. But when God was to make them conquer Babylon, when God brought Cyrus, God said that He will open the gate for him. There’s only one gate from outside into that Babylon city. When they have closed every other gate we call it the the inner gate. The night when Cyrus came, that gate was left open. I’m talking about city wall. Now, a commander was approaching a city. If not that he could hear and he could see. God told him, "Son this is what you will do. Let me give you strategy. This is strategy to come to bring down this wall. Go round it seven days, one time one time. On the seventh day go round it seven times. On the seventh time on the seventh day tell everybody to blow tell them to blow their trumpet. Panparan-panparan-pan! The wall will come down." And Joshua was responding to that. Am I correct? He was responding to that. So the Bible says, "By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down." They were living do you notice that it is their life that they are calling faith? It is the life that they are living! So faith is not something it’s not a concept somewhere. Faith is the life that you are living every day. So when Joshua was looking at the wall, Joshua would tell them, "Hey! This wall is going down!" They would say, "Ah! Commander what are we doing?" "You are going to go round go round the wall every day seven times on the seventh day we are going to shout! This wall is coming down!" He began to speak to the wall. Why? Why? He has heard something. He has seen something. So he was speaking what he has heard. He was saying what he has seen. So they confess it. He was confessing to people. He said, "This wall is going to come down!" They say, "How?" "Just go round." "Command we have gone and see." "Go round again!" This wall is coming down! Why? That’s why the Bible says, "Who who who say a thing and it come to pass when God have not ordained it?" So what we are saying is that faith is able to connect with what God has ordained. So you begin to say it! So what he’s confessing is what? What had been ordained by God! So you speak and what happens? It is established. You say it, it comes to pass. Not because you are so powerful, but because of what? Because of what? You could see and you could hear. That’s just it. And that is faith. So you notice that in this place, it is their everyday ordinary life that they are calling faith. Look at it. Move on. "By faith, the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she had received the spies in peace." It's by faith. When Rahab said she kept those spies and was doing those things, she was keeping them and was telling them that, "Look, I know that this land will become your own." What was she doing? She was living her life! It was her life that they are calling faith. So what I’m trying to make you see that ordinarily, if you will not perish with this world, if you will not perish with unbelievers, if you will not perish with sinners, if you will not perish with liars, if you will not perish with fornicators, if you will not perish with ha! With the corrupt Nigerians. A average Nigerian is corrupt. By corrupt what I mean is that we take advantage of the other person to get things done. We take advantage of other person. But don’t think that it’s just Nigeria that is happening oh. Sin is universal. If you go to America, you will find the same thing. If you go to US, you find the same thing. The only thing that they have been able to do over there is that they have good policing. If there is no thief there, there will be no policing. Anywhere there is policing is because there is crime. Is there any nation without policing? So we don’t have good policing. That’s why it look like if our own thief, they are own thief, they are also the police. So it become very difficult to police to police the thief. You get the point I’m making? So everybody is like, you know, everybody is the thief. So the whole system is the thief. That’s why it look like "Ah! Abah!" Our own is so serious. Everywhere too there are thieves. But the policing system is effective. So the police is able to catch you. That’s why it look like but the point I’m making is that if there is policing universal then sin is universal. That’s what I’m trying to bring out. So don’t think that "Ah! Let me just leave this Nigeria when I got to US there will be no—" you are deceiving yourself. Cameroon monkey, Kilimanjaro monkey, American monkey, UK monkey, Canada monkey. What is the common denominator? Monkey! Monkey is monkey. It doesn’t have another name. We are the one coloring it. That’s why somebody said Nigerian type of Nigeria type of corruption is unorganized. US type of corruption is organized. [Laughter from audience] So because our own is not organized, that’s why everybody is shouting, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" But that one is organized. It’s also still going on but it’s organized. So you are not seeing it. But that God who sees, who knows Bible say Jehovah sees, Jehovah knows. Bible say He’s a God of knowledge, by Him all actions are weighed. He can pick all the monkeys. Whether Nigerian monkey, American monkey or US monkey or Canadian monkey, He picks all the monkeys. And the Bible says, "Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. Whatsoever a man sow he shall reap." If you sow to the flesh, you will of flesh reap corruption. And if you sow to the Spirit, you will of the spirit eternal life. Everybody will reap what they sow! You can never escape what you sow! So I tell people, you don’t need to think about what will happen tomorrow, just consider what you are sowing today. You harvest what you sow today. That’s tomorrow. If you want to know how tomorrow look like, just look at what you are sowing today. You will be able to know what tomorrow will be. Because except God ceases to be God, that’s when you don’t reap what you sow. Except God ceases to be God! But as long as God remains God, you can be very sure say, "Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked." That is you can mock men. There is a way you can turn in. "Sister Holy, Ah! Brother Jesus! Oh! You know you are so you are so wonderful you know." You can mock men. But you cannot mock God. You can’t mock God! You can’t mock God! Everybody will come back to reap what they sow. So I tell people, thinking, "I don’t even know what the future look like." Just look at the seed that you are sowing today. Just check the seed that you are sowing. You will know what the future will look like. The Bible says, "Mark the perfect man, behold the upright, the end of that man is peace." So just check what you are sowing today. What you are calling tomorrow is a collection of today. That’s the truth. That’s the truth about it. And so we are looking at something very, very important. He says, "What shall I say more? For time will fail me, time will fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak, and Samson, and Jephthah, and also of David and Samuel and the prophets." Look at what they did. "Who through faith subdued kingdoms." So let’s look at it now. Are there kingdoms against us? Are there kingdoms against us? What is the kingdom that is against us? The kingdom of darkness. So do you know that you can never subdue the kingdom of darkness without faith? He said for them to subdue kingdoms. And that is why you will realize mark my word. I've said it one time in a meeting in one of our meetings, I'm repeating it again. At a time, I was baffled. I was seriously baffled. As somebody who is sent to the body of Christ, understanding my grace and my calling, I know that I’m sent to the body of Christ for the edification of the church. But I was so baffled with the state of the church. I mean I was I was baffled. And I was saying, "God, why is the church like this? Why why are things like this? Why is it that hypocrisy, this that?" I was so disturbed! And at a point I was wondering, "Ah! But the Bible says I will build My church, the gate of hell will not prevail." But this church that we are seeing, if it is this church, "Ah! The gate of hell has prevailed oh!" I'm telling you, I was baffled! Then the Lord spoke to my heart. He said, "Son, don’t be baffled, but rather understand. Like the first Adam, so shall be the second Adam." Who is the first Adam? Adam. Who is the first Adam? The first Adam is of the is of the flesh, is of the earth, isn't it? And what did they do for him? What did they do for him to get his wife? They took a rib. So let’s say a bone, isn’t it? A bone. A tender bone. A bone was taken out and then that bone was molded into a what? Into a bride for him. And it was brought to him. He said, "Wow! This is now bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman for she was taken out of man." Okay. So the body of Adam, his body, isn’t it? Adam got a wife out of his body. Do you get that? Do you get that? Eve came from where? The bone of his bone, isn’t it? Isn’t it? So Eve was what? Bone of his bone. So the proportion of the bone that was taken to the one that remained, what is the proportion? The one that was taken out to mold the woman and the ones that were left. What is the proportion? Is it equal? One is very, very small, isn’t it? Compared to the one that was left. So the same way, the bride of Christ is not the body of Christ. The bride of Christ is not this body, but the bride is in the body. So they will also take out of the body. The bride will be taken where? Out of the body. So don’t think this body, these local churches, everything that you are seeing, it doesn’t form the body. Everything that you see, they will just take out of it. Are you are you understanding that? Are you understanding that? So the question is whether you are part of the bride. But the Bible is teaching us something. He said "By faith we can subdue kingdoms." If the gate of hell will not prevail against us and how does hell come to us? How does hell come to us? You know our first enemy is not hell. Hell is not our first enemy. Our first enemy is ourselves. But how does hell come to us? The Bible say "Put on the whole armor of God that you may stand against what? The wiles of the devil." Tricks! Tricks! Tricks! Look at how he got Eve. "How did God say you should not eat everything that is in this space?" He said, "Ah! What are you saying? God did not say all. God said one." "And what did God say?" "Look, God said you will die." "Which death? You cannot die! Look, once you eat like this down, your level will change." "Eh?" "You you will just become like God!" "Eh?" "Just like that!" "Ah, what are you saying? This your eye will just open." "Eh? Are you sure?" "Just try it you will see!" Then the woman saw that it was good. She has been seeing that thing all the while. Are you understanding me? I’m talking about deceit. The Bible says it is by faith that we can conquer kingdoms. You know what the Bible is saying? If you are not hearing anything and you are not seeing anything, you can never escape the deceit of hell. It is by faith that you can subdue kingdoms. Do you want to subdue the gate of hell? What do you need? Faith. It is faith that you can use to subdue. It’s not church membership. It’s not being active in choir, active usher, I’m this. Is that to say that attending church is wrong? Is that to say that attending church is wrong? No! I attend a local church. I’m a teenage church teacher. I’m in the prayer unit. But I’m saying that Christianity transcend church membership. That’s what I’m saying. It is those who have faith that can get into the churches and help people to find faith. Those who don’t have faith, when they get into the church, you know what they create with people? They make them church people. There are people you will meet inside the church and all they will do with your life is to make you more churchy. But inside that same church there are kingdom people. That when you encounter them, they will make you experience the kingdom. They are all inside the church. But at the end, we will take out the bride from those of the kingdom. That’s what we are saying. We are all inside. So that’s why you say, "Ah! You see, we are both—" It’s just like a case that I was caught to handle, a marital case. They finished the wedding. I don’t want to mention the church in Akure. They finished the wedding. It’s the normal church we normally be a member of. I can be a member of such a church so don’t think that it’s any of any bad church like that. They were both the brother is in the ushering unit, the sister is in the choir. The second day, you know they wedded. The following week, you know you wed on Saturday. Another week start on Sunday. All the way the following day. Saturday ends the week. All the way is the seventh day. Sunday is the first day of the week. That following week, neighbors called the wife that the husband is having affair with a woman on their matrimonial bed. He just went she just went to work. The brother is in the ushering unit. You know you call them brother. But what do you call them? Isn’t it brother? If once they are in ushering unit are they not brothers? That’s why that’s why I tell people, look don’t think because people are inside church they are Christians. That’s the mistake many people are making. "Say he’s active in the choir, he’s the president of the fellowship, he’s the right so he’s a Christian." That doesn’t it doesn’t make Christians. When they when they you know the drama why they were calling why when I it's not something that somebody told me oh. I was called as a marriage counselor to come and mediate, to come and handle. So no that thing I was told. I was dealing with the parties involved. So it's not they say they say, it's not they say. When the when the sister came to meet the brother, you people call them brother. But that’s why you know that’s why I said several people you call brother are "bro". They they are not brothers. Many you call sisters are just "sis". They are not sisters. They are "si—" And many times except except listen except you can see the invisible and hear the inaudible, you will confuse artificiality for reality. There are so many artificial things today but they are not real. So many artificial things. But they are not real. They are not real! They are not real! Do you know that when they brought the brother the sister to meet the brother? And all he needed all he needed to tell him that, "Wo! Ah! Take it easy now! Take it easy. Ah! What is it? Ah! Calm down, calm down. Ah-ah." My my own problem my own problem is that there’s a difference between somebody who fell into sin and somebody who is a sinner. There’s a difference. A Christian may fall into sin. But a Christian don’t continue in sin. It is like fish. Once you take fish out of water, what happens? It begin to struggle because he want to get back into water. Once a Christian come out of righteousness, his life become confused. He begin to cry for mercy. He begin to look for "Ah! Please!" you know, he’s confessing, he’s repenting, he want to get back into water because he cannot live outside water. Bible say, "He that is born of God cannot continue in sin because the seed of God is in him. He cannot!" Not that he will not. He cannot! But he who continue in sin is of the devil. That’s what the Scripture says. So when they were telling me I said, "Excuse me, excuse me. We are not dealing with a brother." They said, "No, you know he is—" I said, "Listen to me, brethren. We are not dealing with a brother." So that’s the first thing we must first settle. The more you think you are dealing with a brother, the more we will not get this matter sort. He that is born of God cannot continue in sin. You see the point I’m trying to bring out is that the Bible is saying if if we must subdue—look, there are different kingdoms. There are kingdoms, principalities, powers, rulers of darkness Bible say we will not wrestle against flesh and blood but against spirit against there are so many manipulations, there are so many confusion, there are so many deceit, there are so many things around us. There are so many things going on. So many spiritual manipulations here and there. We are not fighting against flesh and blood! The Bible says those that will subdue kingdom are those who can see the invisible and hear the inaudible. This is a very, very important thing! When you get to marital junction and you cannot see the invisible and hear the inaudible, you will confuse reality for artificiality. If you get to career junction and you cannot see the invisible and hear the inaudible, you will confuse artificiality for reality. If you get to educational junction. That’s what I’m trying to say! What the Bible is teaching us is that these people they are representing different areas of our life. Each of the hero, they are pointing you to different things. There are families today that marriage scatter because there is no child. Why? They could not by faith receive. Instead of standing in faith, it is see you, you are barren. You it is you, it is you. Blame, blame, blame pushing. Mother-in-law blaming, father-in-law blaming, that one blaming, this one blaming and then eventually, the marriage scatter. Their marriage are scatter. Look, there is even one oh goodness! This one is my my she’s late now, my immediate elder sister. Her marriage scattered because she did not have a baby girl. Yes! Yes! Baby girl. She had the first one a boy, the second one a boy, the third one a boy. And the husband the husband the husband began to persecute, fight, and then when he went out he went out to take another wife because he wanted a girl. I'm talking of a crisis in their marriage! I'm talking about my own biological elder sister, she's late now. And then eventually, after he has gone out and done everything, by the time the first pregnancy she now had, she gave birth before the one outside gave birth, it was now a girl but the marriage had scattered. And I've seen the other way too, marriage where they said there is no boy. You see why all these things are happening is because there is no faith. Without faith you see at what the Bible is trying to what I want you to understand about all of these people you see he said they subdued kingdoms, they worked righteousness. You see it? Inside unrighteousness today Nigeria, if you want to work righteousness, what do you need? Faith! I remember when I was you know after my university after my university years, I was I was not gainfully employed until after about fifteen years. I was just trying to do I was doing all kinds of things. But at a point I got an offer. That was about the twelfth year of waiting. Was it the twelfth year or the tenth year of waiting? Rather the tenth year of waiting after graduating from from school. And then I got this wonderful offer. So by the time I gone submit the application, that’s when I was told that you must not be above thirty-five to to apply. "Ah!" When I saw it and they just told me, I said, "Okay, let me say there will be no need to apply." Then they just called me, one of the officers said, "Come." He said, "We will assist you." I said, "Assist me for what?" He said, "No, don’t just is it not because of the age? Forget about that." I said, "Sorry. Because I'm above thirty-five, it means the job is not meant for me." They look at me, "This one a Nigerian?" I wasn't looking like a Nigerian! And what is the argument? "See, age is just a number! You can write any number! What will be your problem?" I said, "Sorry." You see the point I’m trying to bring out is that to wrought righteousness, if you are not seeing the invisible, o le se. O le se! It’s not faith is not "trying, I’m trying like let Him try." Ko si nkan kan to n try! Faith is what you know. So he says they worked righteousness, they obtained promises. Do you know that God has offered us a wonderful promises? Promises of God today "Standing on the promises of Christ my King." Those promises, you cannot obtain them without faith. The look look look for instance, I remember when I newly started my walk with God and we were struggling with all kinds of evil thoughts and then you were trying to meet elders that time. "Ah! May men who are blind not be your elders." Amen! You know I met these men. Say, "Ah! Ko ye mi, mo ti f'aiye mi fun Jesu. Ah! What this simple thing we don't understand? I've tried and tried ah! Bo'la le mo orun ko ri m'aji!" [Yoruba saying: No matter how long you stay in the sun, you can't be dry enough to enter the fire.] That was when I first heard that that you cannot walk without your hair shaking. Ah! "Omodede o le m'eko je ko ma ra lowo." [Yoruba saying: A child can't eat solid cornmeal without getting it on their hands.] "Ah! A ma n gbiyanju ni, a o le stop e, se lo le se ni gbogbo wa? We all sinners!" So but you know, as a young convert, I wanted reality. I but I didn’t know how to get the reality. I was struggling and struggling. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know how to solve it and there was nobody to help solve it because of the kind of church that was attending then. It's not a church of discipleship where you have disciplers. But one thing that mercy gave me, it was mercy. And I keep believing that it was mercy that found me. It was mercy that made me. It was mercy that helped me. I was constantly studying scriptures. I’m talking about obtaining promises. Until one day, I didn’t know what just happened when I encountered the scripture, "If any man is in Christ, he’s a new creature." Hey! That scripture! That’s I’m talking about obtain promise. It was like no and I was now trying to read you know what I was trying to read? All I’ve been reading all that have been in my spirit is "If any man be in Christ, he will be a new creature." It never occurred to me until that day that the Bible says, "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature." Ah! So I carried my Yoruba Bible—to date I still read my Yoruba I still read Yoruba Bible to date. Ah! I read Yoruba Bible to date. I I connect with Yoruba language because I grew up in a Yoruba church. You know over time, no, but I still connect with Yoruba language. So I carried my Yoruba Bible. "Ti enikeni ba mbe ninu Kristi, o ti di eda titun." [Yoruba scripture: If any man is in Christ, he has become a new creature.] Ah! "Ko se pe ko ma di eda titun." [Yoruba scripture: Not that he will become a new creature.] I said, "Jesus!" So you know the prayer I was praying? You know what I was praying then? I was praying, "God, make me new creature, make me new creature. I want to stop this habit. God, God, make me new creature, make me new creature!" So it just occurred to me that day, "Are you in Christ? On'i se o mbe ninu Jesu? [Did he say you are in Jesus?] Mo ni beeni. O ti d'eda titun. [I said yes. You have become a new creature.] You are a new creature." Ah! I stop praying. You know I was "Oh! I'm a new creature!" Do you know that it was that revelation? It was that revelation! What three four years of struggle of meeting different elders that they were telling me that "Ah! Bo'la le mo orun ko ri m'aji," [No matter how long you stay in the sun, you can't be dry enough to enter the fire] you cannot walk without sinning. It was that revelation that took it away! I heard the invisible. And it was that same revelation that took away taking drugs for malaria. I dropped my malaria drug when I encountered the scripture "By My stripes you were." I was looking for "you will be". Oh, I that was how I stopped my drug that was talking about 1988! And since that day when I dropped my drug till today, I’ve not gone back to my malaria drug. Obtaining promises! There are promises for us! But you cannot obtain it if you don’t see the invisible and hear the inaudible. You cannot obtain it! So he says they obtain promises, they stopped the mouth of the lion, they quenched the violent fire, they escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the alien, women received their dead raised to life again, others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials of mockery or scourging, yeah, of chain of imprisonment, they were stoned, they were sawn into two—that was Isaiah. They put him inside the wood and cut him into two. That's how they killed him. Yes, reality. Won fi sa n'ige won si ge. [They put him in a saw and cut him.] They cut him into two, Isaiah. So he’s not just making emphasis. They were sawn into two, were tempted, were slain with the sword, they wandered about in sheepskin, in goatskin, being destitute and afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in desert, in mountain, in dens and in caves of the earth. All of these having obtained a good testimony through faith. You see it. Thank you. We should round up now, but I've been able to come to the end. All of these things they did, it was done through what? So note what I’m trying to make you see. He says, "All of these obtained a good testimony through faith." The point I’m making, nobody can have a good testimony at the junctions of life without faith. Let us pray. Nobody. Nobody. Nobody. Nobody. I want you to pray this evening, just talk to the Lord in one or two minutes. It’s already 6:30 and we must close. Just talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord in one or two minutes. Just talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. You are coming to your own junction. You are coming to your own junction. Academic junction, marital junction, financial, different junctions. Tell yourself, "I don’t just want to be inside church. It’s not just about Bible reading. I want to have a relationship with God. I want to be able to hear God. I want to be able to see Him. I want to be able to communicate with Him." When God made man, God made man to be having fellowship with man. It is hearing God, talking with God, relating to God that makes us human beings. That’s what makes us Christians. That’s what makes us Christians! Pray, "I don’t just want to be a church person. I want to be a kingdom person. I want to have a relationship with God. I want to see the invisible, want to hear the inaudible. God, take me beyond a church person. Not just a church person but a kingdom person. Not just a church person but a kingdom person. Oh Lord, take me beyond artificiality. Bring me into reality. Lord bring me into the reality! The reality of the Christian life! Bring me into that reality! The reality of the Christian life! The reality of the Christian life! The reality, the reality, the reality, the reality, reality of the Christian life!" [audience praying together] Oh thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus! Lord take us, take us beyond take us beyond artificiality. Take us beyond superficiality. Oh help us to see the reality of eternity. That we may see the reality of eternity. That we may see the reality of eternity. That we may not live for the things of now. May not live for the things that are seen, but for the things that are not seen. That we may see the invisible, that we may hear the inaudible. That we may be able to comprehend the incomprehensible by the Spirit of God. Oh Holy Spirit of God reveal to us the things that God has prepared for us. That we may go beyond the things that the world is offering us. For all that the world can offer us—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the pride of life—they are just fleeting, they are just fleeting pleasures. They cannot endure. Holy Spirit open our eyes to see the eternal offer that God is offering us in the name of Jesus. Oh Lord, may we not be a man of the now. May we not be a man like Esau who for a morsel of bread sold his birthright. May we be able to see afar. May we be able to hear things that are to come. May we be able to see what God is seeing. To hear what God is saying. To do what God is doing. In the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Eternal Father. Blessed be Your holy name our God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Let’s share the grace together this evening. 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. God bless you see you next week. [outro music] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's Word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission head. Our regular activities are: discipleship class, every Monday 5:00 PM; adolescent 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 out-reaches and every day counseling. For further counseling you can reach us at our location: Light Camp by the first bridge, Illere community, opposite Very Joy filling station, along Ija-Are 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: 0803-386-1136, 0703-361-3848. God bless you all.