Cdc Sept 9 2018 Biblical Character and the Matter of the Price

[Intro] Glory to the Lord. Glory to the Lord. He's triumphant over his world. He has loosened the bands of death. He has loosened the bands of death. His truth and his life. [Speaker 1] Church and fellowship cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home from. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tales Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] Today we will try to move a little forward from where we left the matter. We’re talking about the price. Let’s go back again to that Matthew. Let’s go back again to that Matthew, Matthew chapter 6. Now, I want you to see what followed themselves by and by as they followed themselves from verse 19 where we read last week. I’m reading the NIV translation. Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Look at what follows in the next verse. You know he’s still speaking? He say, the eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are what? [Speaker 3] Healthy. [Speaker 2] What does your own say? [Speaker 4] Evil. [Speaker 5] Single. [Speaker 6] Clear. [Speaker 7] Good. [Speaker 4] Evil. [Speaker 2] Healthy. If your eye is single? King James says single. Some say good. Some says healthy. I want you to note the word healthy. Your own? [Speaker 3] Healthy. [Speaker 2] Okay. Your body will be what? Your body will be full of light. But if your eyes are what? [Speaker 4] Evil. [Speaker 2] My own say unhealthy. What your own says? [Speaker 8] Stingy. [Speaker 9] Bad. [Speaker 2] Now, are you following something? Are you following something? The eyes, are they single? The eyes, are they single? He says if your eye is single. Another version says... I want to explain something very, very critical about price. One version says if your eye be single. Another says if your eye be healthy. Say if your eye is good. One says if your eye is clear. All on like that. Your body will be full of light. The next one now says if your eye is evil. Another one says bad. Another one says unhealthy. What will happen to your body? Your body will be full of what? Darkness. If then the light which is in you is darkness, how great is your darkness? He’s still discussing the matter of treasure. That’s what I want to show you and take you to somewhere. Now, let’s look at the eye. We say the eyes are not single, but honestly the eyes are single. The way you will know is that close one of your eyes. Close one. And let there just... just see with only one. Open the other one and still look at an object. Look at an object with your eyes. Just any object. Closing one of the eyes. Now, look at the same object opening the two eyes. What is the difference? [Speaker 10] I can see more and it's brighter. [Speaker 2] Do you notice that for the eyes to be good, the two eyes converge such that you see an image as one? Once you are looking at this fan and this one sees it separately, this one sees it separately, the eyes are bad. Do you know what I’m trying to say? I hope you know what I’m discussing. You’re all science students. I’m not a science student. But I know that there’s a convergence in vision that makes the two eyes not to see individually. Do you understand what I’m trying to say? Once they see individually, then your eyes are bad. So even though there are two eyes, for the eye to be good it must be single. Once it is not single, then it is evil. Now, what Jesus is saying. He now says if the eye is single, what will happen to the body? It will be full of light. But if the eye is evil, the body will be full of darkness. Now, having said that, let’s look at the next thing. What’s the next thing that follows in verse 24? No one can serve two masters. We have been talking of one master. What should be the one master? We have been talking of the price. Is that not? We have been talking of the price. And we said that we must do everything that the price is not on earth. Once it is on earth, then at a point you will be dragged to the earth. You will be dragged because your heart will be where your price is. Bible says set your affections on things above. So if your price is down, your affection cannot be up. Where the price is, that is where your heart will be. Now, in talking about that, it was now related to what? To vision. You know the eyes are for vision, for seeing. That once you can see and you are seeing correctly and you are seeing clearly, your eyes don't have problem. Both eyes should converge to see one thing. But if it happens that this eye is seen independently from this one, then there is a problem. Immediately he said that, he now came to you can't serve two masters. That is, these eyes cannot be seen one master, this one see another master. A man must see just one thing. In other words, you know what he’s trying to say? You cannot have two prices. You can only have one. You can only have one. Once it is not one, there will be a problem. Now, look at what he says the problem is. Some of the things that the other person was trying to say the other time. He says no one, who is speaking here? Jesus. He said what did he say? No one can serve two masters. No one. What does when you say can, what is can showing? No one can serve two masters. What is he saying? You don't have the capacity to serve two masters. You don't have it. Even when you want to try to do it, you don't have it. You don't have the capacity. You see, you can't... you can't price two things. You can't have two prices. It's not possible. You can only have one. Now, why is it not? He says either you will do what? You will hate one and do what? And love the other. Or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Do you look at another scripture? Say you cannot serve God and riches. Another say you can't serve God and mammon. You can't serve God... Now, what is he trying to tell us? Once there are two prices, it's a deception. You only self-deceive. You cannot price two things the same way and be faithful to the two of them. You must price one higher than the other. It's not possible to have a man that price two things the same way and he end up being faithful. Once he obeys one, what will happen? He will have to disobey the other. Now, then on and on, Jesus moved on. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life." You know we’re coming now again to the place of what? The matter of fear. You remember. "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, about your body what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" Now, you'll be wondering why did Jesus use food and clothing? Why did he use food and clothing? [Speaker 11] These are basic needs. [Speaker 2] These are the basic essential things of life. Now, you know he began by saying that do not put your treasure here. So in other words, what the matter is saying is that certain things are essential of being here. Do you get it? They are so essential that if you have to be here, you must have them. He said but be careful not to do what? Not to worry about them. I hope you know we are gradually dealing with the matter of how to deal with the matter of price. What's the first thing about the matter of price? Price cannot be two, price can be one. Is that not? Number two, if I don't want my price to be here, I want my price to be above, what's the first instruction the Lord gave? I don't need to worry about the basic issues of life. I don't need to worry. If you understand this thing very, very well, you don't need to be anxious. You don't need to... if you look at it, the average man is anxious. He’s trying to make us see how gradually certain things become our price. We don't need to be anxious. Let’s read on. "Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?" What is that telling us? I want us to discuss that verse. What is that verse saying? [Speaker 12] It is God's duty to provide for my needs. [Speaker 2] That's one. We can see that in that verse. What can we see again? [Speaker 13] God cares for everyone. [Speaker 2] Yes. Since he provides for the birds. Okay, God cares for everyone. Yes, that's two. [Speaker 14] If God can care for ordinary birds, how much more of the human beings? How much more will he care for us? [Speaker 2] If God is mindful of birds that are just flying all over the air, can God forget man? It's not possible. That's three. There's still something in that verse. Look at it a little more closely. What again can you see in that verse? [Speaker 15] Even if you are not born again as the birds, God just provides. So you don't have to worry. And just as you said, it is not given for all but when you look at children. [Speaker 2] Okay. Can you also see something in this verse? That when we worry about the basic things of life, what is it saying? It means you don't know your value. And it's a big problem today. Most people don't know their value. Let me explain it clearly. How can I do it now? Okay, please come. I want to show you something that most Christians don't understand. It's a pity that Christians are drawn away by lust, by unreasonable desire. It's honestly a pity. Now, you stand... I want to show you what Jesus trying to say in that verse. Grace, you come and then... okay, you too come. Are you really... did I forget your name? Tolulope, eh. No, Grace, you stand... come and stand here. Let Grace stand here. Tolulope, stand here. Now, Grace, look at something. When Jesus was speaking about the basic things of life, he was talking about God as a creator. Abbi? God as a creator created the birds in the heaven. And behind Grace now, the creations, the birds, the animals, whatever, all of those things he created them. And as a creator, he makes sure that they feed. Do you get that? Now, if God does that, God is also... apart from the birds of the air, the animals, all those things that God feeds, God also created man in his own image. As a creator, he feeds man. I hope you know that you don't need to be a Christian for God to provide food. Don't you see unbeliever eating and drinking? Understand this thing very, very well. Don't you see unbeliever coming to school and having first class, second class, doing their becoming professors, becoming that and having money? Am I very correct? God as a creator provides for man. Look at it. As at this point, man, God did not redeem this one. But God redeemed these ones. What did he do? He sent his son to die for these ones. Then from here again, he now chose some out. Not as creation, but as his children. God is providing here. God is providing here. What do you think will happen here? Are you getting this at all? So you see when you see believers, "If I go and tell the truth and I lose my job, how will I eat?" It's an unfortunate thing. Because even if you are here, you will eat. If you are here, you will eat. Then what of being here? You see these ones, the ones that are here, they will not inherit the kingdom. It's just like if you look at yourself now, even look at you at your level, or maybe look at your dad. Look at the wealth of your dad. Is it only spend on his children? Don't your dad give to some neighbors, give to some people? Do you get the point I’m making? Why? Out of his goodness. Is that not? Your dad pay some children school fees, help some people. You get the point I’m making. But those things that he does it for, they are not necessarily his children. Isn't it? They are not his children. What is the difference between his children and those ones? The children will inherit everything. Those other ones cannot. Is that not true? Then the focus of his wealth is where? Is it here or here? The focus of the wealth is here. Is that not true? In other words, for God not to provide here, it must happen that he does not have for this, for this. He became so insufficient. You know if your father have only 1,000, the first people he will forget, he will forget these people. He will forget these people. Is that not? And he will focus on which one? So it will take God not to have to provide for humanity for a Christian's needs not to be met. Are you following this thing at all? You need to know your value. There's a problem today of Christians knowing their value. And that is why I keep telling... I was telling somebody, I said look, anybody who is not born again, honestly, he has no business with church. It's just unfortunate. It's unfortunate that unrepentant people are inside church. It's an unfortunate scenario. Because the unfortunate scenario is that if you are familiar with Luke 15, before the story of the prodigal son, Jesus talked about there's joy in heaven over a sinner that repent. Do you remember? But he gave two categories of sinner. What was the first category? The man that came inside the church? No, no, no. In Luke 15, talking about two categories of sinner. Maybe you may not know that they are two categories of sinners. He said if a man misplaced his sheep, he will leave the 99, he will go and look for the sheep. If he find it, there will be joy over that sheep than over the 99 that are to. That is the first category. He now gave another category. What's the second category? If a woman should lost her silver coin where? Inside the house. Some sinners are outside. Some sinners are inside. They are inside the house. Now, but you notice something that Jesus said. How will the woman find the one that is inside? He says she will first put on light. Then what will she do? She will sweep. Is that not? You notice that for the first one, you don't need to put on light. In the second one, you are putting on light because it is more difficult to find a man that is inside, nobody's looking for you. You know, it will be very, very rare for someone to go and preach to David that David, be born again. Or come and meet Olutola. Olutola, be born again. You just assume he's born again. He'll say, "Oya, brother Olutola, let's go and do evangelism." So the lost will be looking for the lost. Nobody will be looking for that lost. But what I’m trying to make you see is that the lost inside the house is unfortunate because what we are discussing, it's about the children of God, people that have this top position. This top position is such a place of high value that you must imagine that God must be so impoverished that he cannot provide for the animals, he cannot provide for the men of the world for God not to be able to provide for a Christian's needs. Are you following this thing at all? Are you following it? You need to know your value. And that is why the psalmist said, "Once I was young and now I am old. I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed beg for bread." Now, the reason why we are saying this thing is this. We are trying to make you see why the price should be who? The price should be your relationship with God. Your price in life should be that relationship you share as a child of God. Because at that point, there is nothing that is essential in life that you cannot get. Let me illustrate it for you. If you put banana, a bunch of banana, ripe banana, bunch, if you put it down like this and you put 1 million dollars on the other side. Which one have more value? [Speaker 16] 1 million dollars. [Speaker 2] Are you sure? Are you very sure? You are very sure? Now, if I do like this, 1 million dollars, ripe banana, bunch of banana, if I come before a monkey, which one will a monkey choose? Why? It does not realize that there are several bananas inside the other. That is the state of a man that does not know his value when you place your price outside God. Do you get it now? Are you understanding it? So many times we pursue the things, we pursue things, we'll be pursuing the banana, we'll be following the banana. We don't understand that look, the real treasure, just one of the dollars, just one, not even all, in fact, one dollar is even too many because that's about 350 naira. Half of the dollar, that's about 175 naira or something, will buy banana. I don't know if you understand me. There is a need, you see, one thing I’m trying to make you see is this. But why is the monkey following banana? Yes, that's true. That's true. Is that the only thing we can say? [Speaker 17] That's the basic need, because they have not been open to see that money can buy much more. [Speaker 2] Yes, because their eyes have not been open to see that. So if we bring the two together, when men cannot put their price on God, where is the problem? That is it. Just put what she said and what he said together. Once God cannot become the price, it is because the man cannot see. There is problem with seeing. And so if you want to solve the problem of the price, what is the prayer? Open my eyes to see Jesus, who is seated upon the throne. It is completely difficult, that is one. Now, but let's now look at it again from the other way. If you look at the monkey, another problem about the monkey is that because the monkey is a monkey. Do you get the point I’m making? Ordinarily, a monkey cannot even understand. Is that not true? Who are in that state? For the person who is at the middle, he can never understand because his nature has not been changed, he's a sinner. Do you understand what I’m trying to say? But for the person who is here, what has happened? His nature has been changed, he's a child of God. So this is what I’m saying. If you are not yet born again, the first prayer is that God... until you are born again you cannot even see anything, you cannot understand anything. It's God, Lord, let me encounter Jesus. But if you have been born again and you are still having struggle, you know this matter of the price, putting the price at the right place. For you to eventually put the price on God, you must consistently pray for your eye to be open. You must consistently be praying. I'll give you a practical illustration of a story in my life that will now give you biblical example of this matter of price. As an undergraduate, anytime they are singing this song, "Lord, whatever your plan, I am in your hand, let whatever you say, mold me I'm the clay." Do you know that song? That song is just saying that whatever plan God has, I am in the hand of God, God should use me for the plan. Do you know I don't sing that song? Why is it I don't sing that song? Because I would just imagine, what of if God's plan is that I should not be rich? Hey, whatever his plan, no, whatever, whatever. I would say God, use me for this kind of plan, I prefer to choose the plan. Are you following me? It was a struggle for years. There are certain songs of constitutional I avoid singing because I was afraid that the check, it is still open. And so I have reservation. But the day God will deal with that thing in my personal life, it was the day I was in Lagos and I was about to go and have my bath. The house we stay is not directly face me, I slap you. But there is a space in between. Those ones are facing a wide veranda. It is two compounds separated by a wide space, but two compounds are now facing themselves, this one is facing that other compound. It's not the usual face me, I slap you. You get the point. Now, so I came out of the room, this room was owned by my dad. The other room is owned by somebody else. Originally the two rooms was owned by an individual, but during the Biafra war the man who owns it want to sell the two to my dad. But he could not buy it. So my dad bought this, somebody else bought that. So it became two landlords for that's why the house is like that. Now, so I was there, I want to go and have my bath. As I came out of the room, I met three children of the same parent of three age range. The eldest, the second, and then the third. The third is... these people now they are now married people, these people I’m describing, as at that time they were children, little, little children. So the eldest suddenly just what I just saw was that he collected a sweet from the youngest. As he collected it from the youngest, I wanted to interrupt, but somehow I just found myself watching. So when he collected it from the youngest, the youngest, you know the way children normally cry they will roll on the floor. The youngest just threw on the floor and was rolling and shouting at the top of her voice, "My sweet, my sweet, my sweet." So the eldest now called the next to him. That eldest is Taiye, that next to him is Olu, that youngest is Kemi. So Taiye called Olu. He said, "Olu, Olu, what's wrong with you?" All kinds of insult. After heaping all the insult on Olu, he says look, "Are you blind? Can't you see that there is ant in this sweet? Can't you see the ant?" Then insult again upon him, all kinds of things. "Oya, take the sweet now and go and change it for your sister." When Kemi saw the sweet going, the joy, the cry changed again. She was now dancing and turning and then the sweet was going, crying vehemently. Taiye just stood waiting for Olu to come back. And that one was just dancing and turning and now pulling his leg, beating his leg, kicking his leg, wicked. You know the way children, but there is nothing you can do. He just stood there and was just standing, waiting. After some time, Olu came back with another sweet. And then Taiye collected it from him and then investigated it, okay. Then he sorted him again, or whatever, said whatever. He now gave it to Kemi the youngest one. She thought it was the crying and the beating that brought back the sweet. So her cry was now but now going down. The Lord just asked me a question, he says "What happened?" and I narrated what happened. He said "Wale, what do you think actually happened?" And I narrated what happened. He said why did Taiye collect the sweet from Kemi and give to Olu? I said because he saw that the sweet was no longer good. He said why was the other one, why was she crying and turning? Because she does not understand. Why was Taiye not listening? I said because he has a good point, he was making a good point and he was trying to get the thing sorted. And he said that is you. You don't understand that whatever I deny you of, whatever I choose in my wisdom not to give you, is because I saw in it what can destroy you. He now asked me a question. He said "What is the intention of Taiye, is it good or bad?" I said it's good. He said "If you have a good motive for doing something for somebody and the person misinterpreted you and is suspicious of you, how will you feel?" I said of course I will feel bad. He said "That is how your heart make me feel. You are suspicious of me. You are suspecting me that I may not do the best for you." That day I could not go and bath again. I wept and wept and wept, went back into the room. I was still weeping, God I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. That was the day it was that day in my life that I said God, even if you wants me to be pushing truck, anything, just anything. I'm not interested in becoming what my contemporaries want to become, I just want to be what you want me to be, whatever that thing is. I know it is for my good. And that was the day I that was when I had capacity. But you see that it was the Lord opening my eyes. I don't know what your struggles are, but you must learn to cry. You see, when you're talking about the price, the price is such a difficult thing. Sometimes for you to understand that God is the price. Why? Because the basic things of life, some of them look so basic that if I don't have this thing... and so we find ourselves putting, laying our hearts towards them, worried and disturbed and turning. And before you know, you find those things turning our heart, you find those things controlling and controlling our life. Now, the problem is that if they control our life, eventually we become eliminated from the battles of God like we saw in the case of Gideon. 9,700 were eliminated from that battle. Eliminated from that battle. And what I want to do further today as we try to round up this aspect of the price, is I want to show you very, very important thing. Why, for you to know that God is concerned about this matter of the price. God is somebody who focuses on what is your price. God is somebody who daily searches. Now, if you look at Exodus chapter 20, the Lord said something about himself. What did he say about himself in Exodus chapter 20? He said, "I the Lord your God, I'm a..." what? Let's go to Exodus 20. Exodus 20, let's read from verse one. Exodus 20:1-5 "And the Lord spoke all these words: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall not have any other God before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath, or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." What is one thing about God? What do you see about God? You must not have any other God before me. You must not have the image of anything. There should not be anything. I don't want anything. Why? Because I am jealous. Do you know that God is jealous? Some of us don't know. Please know. Please know. Olorun ma n jowu. That's Yoruba translation. He's jealous. God is somebody who is jealous. He... when God is looking at your heart, your commitment, he's jealous. Look at her now, look at how many hours he's using on this. Look at less hours she uses for me. That is God. That is what he call himself. And there's nothing you can do about it. That is God. He said I'm jealous. Once I set anything before me, I'm not agree. And then you don't get the best of God. He doesn't want he said the image of anything, the likeness of anything, he doesn't want anything before him, anything apart from him. He wants to be the one and one. I am the one, when he's the only one he said yes, I'm comfortable with this person. Now, you know he was talking about worship. He was talking about that, which you revere, something you reference, something that is so valuable, so sacred, so set apart, so lifted. And God says you must not have any other one before me. You must not have any other one apart from me. And that tells you something about God. God either takes all or none. He takes all or none. He says I'm a jealous God. Now, having said that God is a jealous God, can we display this matter of the jealousy of God? Let's look at it in the life of people. Let's check it in the life of people. I want to show you for you to see this matter, how God is weighing what is the price for men. Now, God called Abraham. How many of us can follow God the way Abraham followed God? How many of us can follow God the way Abraham followed God? God just call you, arise, go to a town that I will show you. Then you just carry your load, pack your properties, you get to the garage. Say where are you going? Just keep going. When I get to where I'm going I will know. Do you understand it? Instead of if it's not like you are taking a vehicle, if you are to be trekking, somebody asked you, your pack all your load and your family and your wife, say yes, so to where? As I'm going, I will know the place. So which direction are you going to face? Don't worry, I'll just be going like this. Do you understand what it means? Go and put that thing into social reality. And you will see how many of us will say, if the man face if it's a brother, brother, ori e o pe mo. Am I correct? Because you'll be wondering, God say you should, God will tell us exactly where. But he was not told. I'm showing you the level of commitment of that man to follow an unknown God into an unknown destination. Look at the commitment. He started the journey. They were going. They were going. They were going. They were going. He got to a point, I don't want to take so much time on that. But if you want to have the full message of the heroes of faith, you can go on our website, you can download it and listen to it. Abraham the passion and his walk with God, the heroes of faith. We took each of them one by one. But he just went on. I'm trying to show you something. He got to a point, God said this is the land. And then he stayed in that place. Mind you, when God called him, he was how old? 75. That was when God called him. He began the journey. We don't know exactly when he married. He said he took his wife Sarah. As at when... the age we don't know. But at 75 he was called, he began the journey. When they journey and journey and journey and got to a point, Sarah said it's look as if God don't want me to have a child again. Abraham, why not go into this Hagar? Abraham too has been losing faith. God had said he would give him a child, but Abraham was losing faith. And so he went into Hagar. They have his son. On that matter, God was not happy. Because you notice that by the time we come 13 years later, he said "Walk before me and be blameless." God didn't like that work. But I want to show you something for you to know something about God and price. When they got to a point in that work, God now told him he should send Hagar and that child away because it's not part of the plan that God never had that plan for him. But anyway, since that was a plan that he worked out and Hagar was a victim of circumstance, God had to bless Hagar and the children. And we are still facing that war today. But I'm tracing Abraham for you. Sometimes when we alternate, we read generational problem for ourselves. But that's not what we are studying now. What we are studying now is the matter of the price. Now, at a point when they have now sent Hagar and Ishmael, the Bible now says God now came to Abraham. He said "Abraham, take your only son, Isaac, whom you love, go and sacrifice him." Abraham started the journey. Why is God doing that? At a point in the life of Abraham, Abraham began to price children above his work with God. And because he placed so much price, he was concerned with having a child, having a child, who will succeed me, who will succeed me, he became honestly overburdened with that and he took a wrong step. He was almost eliminated, but thank God for mercy. After God had brought him back, God still wanted to be sure that that matter had been settled. That he alone now is the price. He said go and kill him. Then God was watching. Let me see what will happen. And Abraham was going, going, going. And he got to where he will kill the boy. When Abraham raised his sword to kill the boy, what did God now say? What did God say? Abraham, Abraham, do not touch the boy. For now I know that you fear me. So all this while, if a man have done that with God, all the work, God is still trying to test to be sure of where the price is. God just wanted to know if this time now, Abraham now price his work with God more than what because of course if he kill Isaac, his hope is gone. That was what he thought would be gone before that made him to go and quickly rush and have one boy. God now want to kill the only one that remains. And see whether he will understand that look, you don't need to bother about this basic thing. You don't... this is not your... if you have me, you don't need to bother about that. And eventually when he saw that Abraham would kill that boy, he knew that Abraham don't mind again. Abraham now see that look, God and God alone. Anyhow, God knows what he will do about my life. And then God now say now, I know you fear me. We now want to start, "In blessing I will now bless you." Do you know that it's the same thing with your own everyday life? It's possible that you may want to write an exam and God may just send an angel to just blow your brain and you just forgot what to write for the first 15 minutes. God just want to see what you will do. And it may be a second semester final year exam. God have different ways of checking what is our price. Different ways of checking for our prices. He have different ways, simple, simple things that he will just throw. That's why he open doors for situations, some situations. If I tell the truth, God will understand, I'll just lie small here, I can't tell the truth here. God just want to see if you can believe him that anybody who follows God can never be forsaken. Just want to see, just different, simple, simple tests. I show you a last one that we are more familiar with. You know the story of Daniel in the lions' den? I believe we are all familiar with that story. We’re all familiar with that story because I want to make sure I finish before 6:30. We’re all familiar with that story. If you look at it, they made a decree. God did not stop them from making the decree. They arranged, God did not stop them from making the arrangement. The first thing God want to check is what will Daniel do, will he stop praying? Daniel did not stop. He continued with God. He continued with his work with God. Then they arranged, they got him. They brought him before the king. And the decree to the lions' den. Did God show up? God did not show up. They took him to go and throw him there. Did God show up? God did not show up. God did not show up until finally when Daniel met face to face, korokoro with the lion, and the thing was to do rawr, that was when God said okay, lion, this is not food. What was God waiting for? Do you know if you are to be in that situation, do you know how your heart will have been beating? See, sometimes we don't put the Bible stories in situation. These people they are not spirit. I hope you know that they are not spirit. I hope you know that Daniel is not a spirit, he's a human being. And number two, who are those in drama? You know in drama they will give you a script to act, you already know the end. Do you understand me? In drama, you know that you did not die. Daniel was not acting a script. He was not acting a script like a film such that even if it gets to the lion, it's a lie, they've already tied a lion, their mouth are there's no teeth there, he knows that there is nothing, so he's just going. It's just drama. When he gets... I hope you get what I’m trying to say? So there was nothing to fear. It was not a drama. But let me announce to you, they never knew it would be recorded to such detail. They were just living their personal life. Do you know that the details of your intricate life are been recorded? Your personal life where nobody there was nobody there with Daniel. He didn't know that records were been taken. What I mean is that he never knew that it would become a divine canonized book, that his life would be what God would picture to the saints. He was just living his life. So the same way, like that, personal, private, quiet life, record have been taken. You know what you will do? You know you will not you will not keep all the details where you don't do well. You know that when you want to tell testimony, the testimony you told the lie to get the job. Brethren, praise the Lord! I wanted the job, and when you want to say what it say ha! God have done it, God did it. Say ha, what happened was that I was invited, and then when I got to verse 3 where the thing you will skip that. So they gave me the letter, it was favor! You will jump. Do you understand me? You know we have a way of keeping behind what I call the quiet life of men. They'll keep those areas. Daniel was not acting a script, he was living his life. But what I want to show you is that God did not show up until he got face to face to the lion. I'm showing you if the price of that man is life, I can't die o, what would have happened? He would have abandoned his work with God. So you can look so that if you look into the Bible, you will notice that God is a what? God is a what? God is a jealous God. God will use different things, different ways, God will deliberately leave you at some point. I can give you personal story of when I was in the university. You will write some exam, you will not see your result. I remember this particular case, I didn't see my accounting 121, 121 and ACC 111. No, BUS 121, is it BUS 211 and ACC 2, ACC and BUS 211, two I'm forgetting the course code, but it's two something. I didn't find the two. And I know I wrote the exam well, I did everything. I went to meet the lecturer, he just send me out of the office, "Get out you fool! Get out of this place!" I was confused. And you know there's a time limit, then it's not like what you have now. If you don't register that course, if you don't register that course on time, you don't have opportunity to do it again. So what you must do is that you have to register what once you cannot find your result, the rule is that you have to register it. So I've gone to pick add and drop form to add those two courses to the course that I will register. So but somebody now told me that ah no, what would have happened was that they must have taken the script to the script room, that I should go and meet the man that control the script room, so that if he can help me get my own script, then I'll be able to reports. I went to meet the man, that man said he doesn't have time. I went to meet again, say I don't have time. And time was going. Later some people now told me "Olumide, go and see that man, give him money, bribe him he will go and check the place." I just said myself, I'll rather carry my carry over than bribe anybody. I'm not going to bribe anybody. I'll carry over. But you know as I concluded like that as I was going, that night suddenly a scripture just came, out of the strong come out sweetness, out of the eater come forth meat. I began to comprehend the scripture. I compare into the following day. And as I got to the back of that day, something said go and meet the lecturer again. I went to meet the lecturer. I said sir, I'm looking for... okay, so you've been looking for it? I said yes. He said okay, go and check that place. This man have been sending me out for the past three weeks. I went there, as I picked the first pack, just the first pack, it was my script. I had a B because I said sir, take it. Is that your script? What is your matriculation number? I said 1904. Matriculation number? He said okay, go join my car. He just brought out, he just wrote B that and signed. "Take it to the exam record office now! Okay, okay sir." I left. I went to meet the second one. I said sir, I... he said "Heh? Are you sure you wrote the exam?" I said I wrote the exam. He said okay, go to that place go and check. I'm talking of someone that've been sending for the past three weeks. I went to the place to go and check. When I got there, I checked through sociology, I didn't see. Something just said I should go and check other department. That I should carry a particular pack. As if you know something is remote controlling you. I just went and I just picked one pack in another department. And as I brought it out, it was my script. They went to pack it other department. And that was how, so in so many things, the Lord will test what is it what is your price. Let us pray. The Lord will test what is your price. What is your price? In so many ways, you would suggest to the hand of God. If you are having struggle, you know maybe in some things you look at your life now you failed in some lines, you just look at your life and just ah, me I failed o, look at that day that I had to tell a lie, look at that day that I have to commit fornication, look at that day, look at that day, look, you don't need to dwell on your failure. What you need to do is to reach out to God. Reach out to God this evening. and see God, God, God, I stretch forth myself to you. Lord God, I pray particularly for this younger generation. We are at a time today where so many things are just happening. Youth like Daniel, youth like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, youth like Daniel, youth like David, youth like Joseph that will say "No, madam, it cannot happen. Whatever will be the consequence of this, whatever, I can't do this." Youth like these are not they are not very common again. But Lord, there is something you gave in the heart of those youth of those days that made them what they were. Lord, I pray with this. Do the same thing in the heart of our youth in the name of Jesus. That work of grace, that work, that work that set a young man apart for God, that work that consecrate a life apart for God. That working upon the heart that set a youth apart, that make him a life that is unrepentantly committed to the Lord. Lord God, do that working again. Do it again in our time. Do it again in our time. Raise for us Daniel, raise for us Joseph, raise for us Shadrach, raise for us Abednego, raise for us youth of power, raise for us youth of purpose, raise for us youth of grace, raise for us youth of determination, raise for us youth of vision in the name of Jesus. Thank you, blessed Father. Lord cause your spirit to rest upon your people. Cause your spirit to rest upon your people. Lord cause your spirit to rest upon us all. That Lord in our going forth we shall be like a lion that turneth not away from any in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, blessed Father, in Jesus' name we have prayed. Lord our God, I pray particularly for this younger generation. We're at a time today where so many things are just happening. May you be blessed as you listen. [Outro] Glory to the Lord. Glory to the Lord. He's triumphant over his world. He has loosened the bands of death. He has loosened the bands of death. His truth and his life.