Faith Not Sight

[Music playing] [Speaker 1] Churches and fellowship cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. The Lord greatly desires godly homes. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. Be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] We were able to conclude our topic on abounding in his goodness last Monday. And we saw something very, very crucial, that actually it is God that works in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. It is God that works in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And it is very, very important therefore for us as believers, as much as possible, not to try to save ourselves. We don't need to try to save ourselves. We don't need to. Our savior is Jesus. So he says, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that works in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. So it is God that is working in you, it is God that is working through you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. It becomes very, very important for you not to try to lean on your understanding, not to try to trust in yourself, not to try to rely on your strength, but to know that if you must consistently abound in goodness, then the Holy Spirit must have his place, must work effectually in you. Today we want to take another topic. I am estimably or hopefully I am thinking that we should be able to complete the topic today. And if not, we will conclude it next week. Just don't want to be too affirmative because sometimes when some topics start, you'll be thinking they will take four weeks, they take two weeks. And some of them you are thinking you will take two weeks. By the time the matter starts, the Holy Spirit keeps pointing light on the matter, and you find yourself spending more weeks than you originally thought you are going to spend. So we're starting a topic today, and the topic is walking by faith, not by sight. Or, by faith, not by sight. So it is either you are walking by faith, not by sight, or you can shorten the topic to by faith, not by sight. By faith, not by sight. And we took our topic actually from 2 Corinthians chapter five. 2 Corinthians chapter five. That's where we took our topic from, 2 Corinthians five. I want to quickly go to that passage of the scripture. 2 Corinthians chapter five. Actually the topic is in verse seven, but I would just like that we read 2 Corinthians chapter five from verse one. I'm reading from the English Standard Version. For we know that if the tent, that is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent, that is this body that we have now, in this tent, this present body, that's the tent. In this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened, not that we should be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by what is life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Praise the Lord. Our topic for today is actually taken from the verse seven. I took the topic from there, but our discussion is not necessarily going to be based on the context from where this topic is taken. I took the topic to place it on a particular story, familiar story in the Bible, a Old Testament story, just to teach us as believers that when these people are speaking here, what they are speaking, they understand the reality of what they were saying. I mean the reality of our life, being in this body and our expectation of being with the Lord. In summary, what 2 Corinthians chapter five verse one to 10 is saying is that the apostle is saying something very definitely by the Holy Spirit. That yes, right now they are not dead. They are still putting on this flesh. Now, you can see a very, very important thing. An ability to separate himself from his body. A truth that many believers have not been able to do today. We're not able to understand that actually, actually, we only live inside this body. This body is a tent. We are not this body. We are just living inside. Some of us live so much for this body, we are so concerned about the body, the body, the body, the body, the body, even at the expense of ourselves. Now, so it is important to have an understanding that the body is just a dwelling place, and the dwelling place is actually a temporal place. There is another body that we will put on, which is the heavenly body. And that heavenly body is the one in which the mortal will have been swallowed up by the immortal. The one we have now is mortal body. The one we are going to put on in the Lord is immortal body. So the apostle was praying that his prayer is that, ah, may I put down this mortal body so that I can put on the immortal body. Because actually in this mortal body we are groaning. Now, he now made reference to something. He said that God has done something. What did God do? God has given a guarantee that definitely we are going to put on the immortal body. God has given a guarantee. The guarantee that God gave to assure us that we will definitely put down this mortal body is his spirit. Now, what is the guarantee? God has put his Holy Spirit in us. And the Holy Spirit in us will be the one that will connect us with Christ on the last day. If any man does not have the spirit of God, he does not belong to God. So the guarantee that God is coming back for us is that a part of God is already in us. So God is coming back for us. Now, he now said because they are confident of this reality, what is the reality? They are confident of a spiritual reality. What they are so sure of is something that is not visible. They are so sure that look, God has given his spirit, and God is coming back to take them home. Definitely he is coming. And they are just waiting for him. They are just here, that you see, while we are in this body, we know it's just for a while. We are waiting. And he said we are always courageous, and they are living by this reality. That's why he said so we are not walking by what? By sight. We are walking by faith. That is, the life we are living here, we are living it with a clear understanding that actually we are not meant for this place. There is a spiritual reality around us. There is a reality about us. There is a reality that is our reality. There is a reality that is the true reality. The true reality is that very soon we'll be with the Lord. And so, what do we do? We make it our aim to please him. So you get what he's trying to say. It means they are living for a reality. And that reality that they are living for is that very, very soon, very soon, everything physical will give way for that which is eternal. That is their reality. And so, whether they are in this body, what is ruling their life, what is guiding their life, is how to please the Lord. How to live a life that the Lord will be pleased. That is the reality that they are living for. That is what they are following. And do you know that living for this reality is a very, very, very, very crucial one. What is the reality? Ability to live by what is not seen. Ability to live by what cannot be seen. Ability to be controlled by what is not seen. Ability to understand that the things that are seen, they are not created from the things that appear. Ability to know that the things that actually control life, they are not visible. The things that are actually controlling life, they are not visible. You know, the element of this thing, you know, this thing began, let me tell you how this thing began, and then I will take you to the story in the Old Testament, and then if we can finish that story today then I know we are through with this topic. I was trying to create the background that led to me looking at that story in another light. This is how it started. I just got thinking. You know there's a way when God wants to do something, God wants to teach you something, you just start thinking in one direction. And before you know, things start joining things, and matter starts joining matters, and then it becomes a deep understanding. I was just imagining that somebody lies down and the person is dying. And the person is constantly taking antiretroviral drugs, that is drugs that are particularly prepared for those with HIV virus, people having AIDS. Now, what is destroying the person is not what you can see with your eyes. And yet they tell you that that is what is killing the person. And yet you can't see it. They are not visible. If you take the person and you cut the person into two, you won't see the thing. And yet the person is dying. The person is dying away, dying away. So that he will not die, you see the person taking antiretroviral drugs. He's living by reality that cannot be seen. How the person who said this thing is real, how did he see it? The person took a magnifying lens, electromagnetic magnifying lens, or electromagnetic magnifying lens. Under that lens, you are able to see what the natural eyes cannot see. You will now see these things that you call HIV virus. They are smaller than the usual spermatozoa. I was reading a medical book. The medical book said that if you put a biro, a biro, I mean your pen, if you dip it into an infected blood of HIV virus, if you bring out that biro, that biro head will have close to 300,000 HIV virus. I'm trying to make you imagine something. You take just your Bic biro, you dip it into an infected blood, and you have close to 300,000. When you look at the thing, will you see anything? You will not see anything. But if you have brought under a particular aid and you look, you will see those tiny, tiny things moving. They are living, they are alive. Yet eyes cannot see it. And I said, if science can make you to know that there are things that eye cannot see, you can't see them and you will see the people they'll start going lean, lean, lean, lean, lean. And if they don't take their antiretroviral drugs, very soon, boom, they are dead. As if people dying in thousands, in thousands, in thousands. And yet you cannot see the thing. Suddenly it occurred to me that so you can believe science about invisible virus that are destroying people? The Bible says if you can believe the testimony of men, then the testimony of God is greater. That there are invisible forces. There are invisible powers. There are forces, there are powers that are controlling destinies. There are powers! If science can make you understand invisible, who created science? Who is the brain behind the brain of man? Is it not God? Do you realize that the real thing when we talk about sickness, about dying, about these things, the real things that actually destroy people you don't see them? That you will need special, special, special aid to see those things. And these things are real! They cannot be denied. We see their effect everywhere. That is what led to this matter that we are discussing today. See, if you are a man or a woman of sight, you can never, let me tell you this truth, you can never enter into real life. Real life is in the invisible. Temporal life is what is visible. Real life, real life. And you know this hymn kept coming to me. Immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light inaccessible, hid from our eyes. Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, almighty, victorious, your great name we praise. The most blessed, the most glorious, is actually hidden from our eyes. The things that are most blessed. Oh, may God take you from the realm of sight. May God bring you to the realm of faith. The realm of the invisible. The things that are most blessed, the things that are most glorious, they are not things that are visible. The things that are visible, they are temporal. The things that are visible, they are mortal. The things that are mighty, look at it. Immortal, invisible. The one that is great, glorious, is immortal and is invisible. It's invisible. The one that are visible, they are mortal and they are temporal. Men who live by things that are visible and that are mortal, they are temporal men. They are men that can never build to last. They can't build to last. Men who will build what will last are men that can come to the immortal and the invisible, the invisible. That is where real things are. That is where things that are most glorious, things that are most blessed. Look at this statement of the Lord. He said what eyes have not seen, what ears have not heard, what have not entered into the heart of man, is what God has prepared for those who love him. What eyes have not seen. Are you seeing it? Hidden from our eyes. The real things are invisible things. And I just want to show you a man who took the invisible for granted. He took the invisible for—there's nothing. He was so confident of the visible. He was so assured about the visible. He didn't realize that the real things that control life, they are not in the things that are seen. They are not in the things that are mortal. They are not in the things that are visible. Unfortunately, he made a shipwreck of his kingdom. Made a shipwreck of his kingdom. And that is the example I want to point you to. It's a very familiar story. Look at what happened to him in Exodus chapter 14. The familiar story of the crossing of the Red Sea. Look at what happened to him. That was where the whole thing just jumped out. And as I was studying, I saw that story again in a new light. The very, very familiar story. Exodus chapter 14 from verse nine. The Bible says, I begin from verse nine. But please when you get home you can read from verse one. I take it from verse nine. It says, "The Egyptians pursued them. They were pursuing the Israelites. All Pharaoh's horses and chariots, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. When Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites lifted up their eyes, and behold the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people cried out to God. They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."' And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not. Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again.' I believe when Moses said this, he was speaking nonsense in the eyes of the people. 'The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.' The Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.' And I also tell you this evening, what is that thing that is making you afraid? Go forward. Go forward. Go forward. Don't stand still in fear. Don't stand still amazed. Don't stand still confused and paralyzed. Tell them, go forward." That thing that is making you say the end has come, don't stand paralyzed. Go forward. Go forward. Go forward. Lift up your staff and stretch your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the heart of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariot and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariot and his horsemen. Then the angel of the Lord who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them. And the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was a cloud and darkness, and it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. Then Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong wind at all night, and made the sea dry land, and the water was divided. And the people of Israel went into the middle of the sea on dry ground, and the water being a wall to them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariot, his horsemen. And in the morning watch, the Lord, the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down at the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.' Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch forth your hand over the sea, that the water may come back on the Egyptian, upon their chariot and upon their horsemen.' So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared as the Egyptians fled into it. The Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. And the water returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea. Not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry land through the sea, and the water being a wall to them on their right and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians. And Israel saw the Egyptian dead on the seashore. And Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians. The people feared the Lord, and they believe in the Lord and in his servant Moses. Praise the Lord. Brethren, as we close this evening, I just want to draw your attention to a few things in this story. I want you to note that as far as Pharaoh was concerned, there was nothing about the Israelites that could save them. Pharaoh looked at the whole situation and he saw everything to his advantage. One, the sea is a dead end. Two, they don't have chariot. They don't have weapon of war. They have not made weapon of war yet. He is coming with soldiers and everything. They don't have horses. They are walking on barefoot, going on leg, going. And then he checked, there is no way they can escape. And everything looked perfect as far as what is visible is concerned. As far as what is visible is concerned, all things working out. The Israelites will be captured and they will return back to Egypt. Pharaoh took for granted what is invisible. He took for granted what cannot be seen. He took for granted what eyes cannot see. It's like someone that they told see, there are giant—he said I cannot see it, I'm eating it. He took for granted. He did not understand that real things are things that we cannot see. The things to be feared are not the things we see. I'm telling you the truth oh. Do you know where that thing began in me many years back? The Lord Jesus said do not fear men who can destroy the body. I will tell you who to fear. Who did he say you should fear? He said fear God, who after he has destroyed the body has power to cast the soul into hell. Him I tell you, fear. The things to really fear are not things that you see. The things to really be afraid of are not things you see. Because the almighty power—that is why we began with that song that we sang at the beginning of the fellowship. Do you still remember the song we sang? Jesu Alagbara nla, Alagbara nla. Jesu Alagbara nla, Alagbara nla. Jesu Alagbara nla nla nla, Jesu Alagbara nla nla nla. O joko sori ite. Ewa de orire. Ewa de ori baba. Jesu Alagbara nla nla nla. Look, the power that is invisible, agbara taole shegun, the invincible power is an invisible power. Where power really lies, where the almighty power is, is not in what is visible. It is what is invisible. It's not visible. He saw them as vulnerable. He saw them as weak. He saw them as helpless. That was his conclusion. And let me tell you, he forgot that those three conclusions were based on what is temporal and what can be seen. But the real things that control life, they are not in what is temporal and what can be seen. The real things that control life, they are things that you cannot see. He does not understand that these people, they are not vulnerable as he thought. There is an invincible army around them. That army that is invincible, please, invincible is different from invisible. Invincible means that which cannot be defeated. Invisible means that which cannot be seen. So, he didn't know that there is an invincible, what cannot be conquered, around them because that which is invincible is also invisible. It cannot be seen. That which is invincible is also invisible. It cannot be seen. So, he took for granted that as long as it cannot be seen, it does not exist. He did not understand that real things are things that we cannot see. When the sea parted, he took it for granted that it was just a coincidence. The wind just blew. That wind that blew, he didn't understand that when the Bible say the Lord caused the wind to blow, for him, ojo fe ro ni, it's about to rain, that's what is special about rain want to fall. What is special about the physical thing? Abi wind just blow, there is nothing special about that now. What is special? So, he was taking everything from the point of what can be seen. He didn't understand that the wind that is blowing is not just a wind that is just blowing. That which is invisible and invincible is behind all the events. The people were not vulnerable. The people were not weak. The people were not—they were not helpless as he thought. It was him that was seeing looking from the point of what is physical. What is temporal. What is sight. And men who live that way, that's why I tell you, men who live that way will mortgage eternal reality. Mark my words. Men who live by that which is visible, they will mortgage eternal reality. Because that which is eternal, again, is in that which cannot be seen. That which is eternal is in that which again cannot be seen. Be careful brethren, don't allow your life to be guided by that which is visible, by that which is temporal, by that which is sight, by that which can be seen. The real things that rule life, they are things that cannot be seen, and they are the things that are eternal. The real things that control life, they are things that cannot be seen, and they are the things that are eternal. Those things that are destroying life, they are not visible. Those things that are making and building lives, they are also not visible. The power of resurrection is not visible. The gates of hell is also not visible. Let us pray. Talk to the Lord this evening. I'm so happy I'm able to come to the end of this topic. I really wanted to conclude it today. We live not by sight. Believers don't live by sight. Believers live by faith. Believers don't live by sight. Believers are not controlled by sight. Believers are controlled by faith, by faith. They are controlled by that which is not seen. When they look at it by sight, the Israelites said, 'Ah! We are completely finished. Moses, we should have died in Egypt.' Ah, oh. Everywhere you have concluded your matter because of sight. I pray for you this evening. May the Lord open your eyes to the eternal things about your life in the name of Jesus. May you see beyond that physical limitation. May you see beyond the physical Pharaoh. May you see beyond the physical situation. May you see the Lord. May you hear the Lord announcing to you: go forward. Go forward. Go forward. Above your limitation. Beyond your limitation, go forward. Go forward. Go forward in the name of Jesus. Thank you, eternal Father. Blessed be your name our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Let's share the grace together. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever. Amen. [Speaker 1] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, the Christian ministry involved in reaching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission aid. Our regular activities are: discipleship class every Monday at 5 PM; Adonis Youth and Singles Club, every first Saturday of every month at 10 AM; marriage forums, second Saturday of every month at 10 AM; family life seminars, regular school outreaches, and every day counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by First Bridge, Iyere Community, opposite Very Joy filling station along Ijero Road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. Or send us an email through familytentministry01@gmail.com. You can also reach us on YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook, or through our website, www.familytentministry.org. Or listen to any of our podcast at Spotify. Our phone numbers are: 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all. [Music ends]