Grace for Next Level

[Speaker 1] [Choir singing "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah"] [Speaker 2] Church unity fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God only desires a godly fruit. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 3] Let’s have a word of prayer as I speak to the topic, "Grace for the Next Level." Let’s pray. Our Father, we thank You. We give You all the glory. We thank You for the privilege of worship. Lord, we are grateful for life. We are grateful for opportunity to access You, to come into Your presence like this, to fellowship together, to hear Your word. Lord, we thank You for this great privilege. Accept our thanks in the name of Jesus. Lord, we fellowship together in scriptures. We are just praying that according as it is written in 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul plants, Apollos waters, but it is only God that can give increase. Lord, as we plant this morning, striving to present every man perfect, Lord, we just pray that You will give increase to Your word in our hearts in the name of Jesus Christ. The scripture says in Proverbs 20:12, the seeing eye and the hearing ear, they are of the Lord. Lord, except You help us to hear and You cause us to see, we can neither hear nor see. Lord, I just pray this morning that in the simplicity of this brief exhortation, You will cause our ears to hear. You will cause our eyes to see. Thank You, Eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The first thing I want to do is just to call our attention to the Chaplain’s Corner of "Grace for the Next Level." I want us just to look at the Chaplain’s Corner. It says, "Getting to the next level is sweet but not easy. Your moving time could be your trying period. You need to endure this time to get to the next level. Brethren, it is dwelling in the infinite grace of God that justifies and qualifies us to be enlisted with the grace that commands attention which eventually glorifies us in heaven, to command exploits on earth. It also grants us supernatural commanding victory over all our enemies. The weapon of God acts as their strategy in God, and we are connected to Him by grace." Praise the Lord. The reason why I read that is just to call our attention to the reality for different individuals. For different individuals, what we mean by the next level differs. The next level for individuals differs. What is next level for somebody may be where somebody is right now. Am I making sense to you? What is next level for me may be where somebody is right now. What is next level to that person may be where somebody else is. So the next level for different people differs. But this morning, the focus of grace for next level, I want us to fellowship in scriptures around three major things, particularly as highlighted briefly in the Chaplain’s Corner. Three areas that I want us to look at this matter from: Grace for the next level. The first area is grace is solely God’s plan and has been freely given to us in Christ. That's the first area. The second area is this victory that comes by grace gives victory over sin. The third area is it is in the crucible of personal private suffering that grace is born, thrives, and triumphs. And lastly, I will say the final words. So I take the first one. Grace is solely God’s plan and has been freely given to us in Christ. We use the text Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 5:11-19. Let’s see those scriptures together. Ephesians chapter 2... are we displaying it? It says, "For by grace you are saved through faith, and that is not of yourself, it is the gift of God." Oh, by grace we are saved through faith. It is not of yourself; it is the gift of God. Now, what is simply saying is that the matter of grace is something that is the entire... it is solely the plan of God. It is something that God sat down, He took time, He planned, it was sorted out, and He made up His mind about it, and He brought it to us. So grace is not something that is accidental. Grace is something that God... he took time, he went into a serious planning, decision. It is His will. It is His desire that our lives should be graced. Now, the whole thing about that plan and the whole process of it is not something you can take in a Sunday message. But the simple thing about it is this: the Bible says we died in Adam and we live in Christ. But you must bear in mind that ever before time was, ever before Adam, ever before we died in Adam, Christ had been crucified before the beginning of time. So for you to know how much God had this whole plan in mind, that's what I want to bring out. And then in Romans chapter 5, it says we are saved by faith, it is the gift of God. Romans 5 encourages us, knowing that this thing came from God and it came freely. It came as a love of God to us. Romans chapter 5 brought it out clearly. Romans 5... I like to read Romans 5 from around verse 8, that popular scripture. It says, "But God demonstrates his own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only this, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation," or this grace. What is this saying? When the love of God came to us, when? When we were sinners. It was while we were still fornicating, we were lying, we were stealing, we were evil. That was when the love of God came to us. It did not come to us when we became holy. You must have that understanding. It was when your life was valueless that God died for you. In fact, the value in your life now came because grace came. He is now saying that if God gave you Jesus when you were valueless, now that you have value, do you think God can lose you? Are you getting the point I'm trying to make? That is what he's saying about grace. That you need to understand that it was the plan of God. You were useless, maybe some of you you don't know what sin was, I knew what sin was: a fornicator, an homosexual, a street kid, smoking Indian hemp, doing all kinds of thing. You were just useless. And in that uselessness, God gave you Jesus. He gave your life a meaning by His grace. Now, having given your life a meaning by His grace, do you think God can lose you? That is the point you need to understand. And that is why the song of the choir has so much a meaning. Keep on believing. When you were still sinner, Jesus was near. Now that you are a child, in fact, He's inside you. Am I making sense to you? Jesus is near. Jesus is not far because He came solely by grace. Now, the second thing is Romans chapter 5 verse 17, verse 20 to 21. But you will appreciate 20 to 21 if you read it from the verse 17. I read from the verse 17, I'll now read into 20 to 21. It says, "If by one man's offense, death reigned through one man, much more those who received abundance grace." Let me read the NIV translation here. "For if, by the trespass of one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through that one man." Do you get what he's saying? What he's saying is that... I want to look for a very simple way that can easily illustrate it. Now, we believe we all died in Adam. Is that true? What was in Adam? What made Adam, Adam? God gathered some sands together. Am I correct? When that sand gathered together, was it living? It was just cadaver, it was dead. What make it to start doing like this? God just do [breathing sound]. How many of God is that? Just a very tiny fraction. And then that is the person that killed us. Jesus that saved us... I want you to understand it. The person that killed you had just a breath of God. And when he killed us, we were dead. We were graceless, we were useless. Now, the person that saved us, is it just a breath of God? What is He? He is God Himself. So if Adam could kill you, do you know the extent to which Jesus have saved you? The person that led to your death was just a breath of God. The person that brought grace is God Himself. So he's saying that don't you understand that the thing that killed you is so infinitesimal to the things that brought life to you? Am I making sense to you? You need to understand that. You need to realize that it is not a small thing that you receive. What you receive is the life of God, the supernatural of God, the greatness of God. What came into your life because you became a child of God is too mighty, is too great, is too powerful, is too overwhelming that you cannot compare it to the thing that killed us. Another way to make you understand it is if people want to... the Chaplain talk about enemies, weapons, all of that that may be faction against us. I want to explain it like this. Because if I begin to expand the scripture, I will not finish. So I prefer to use illustrations. If you want to make a charm, enchantment, spell to tie the life of people down, and you want that spell to be very powerful, what do you involve? Blood. Am I correct? If they want that charm, that enchantment to be very powerful, which type of blood will they go for? They will not use animal blood again. They will use the blood of human being. If they want it to be stronger, they don't use any type of human beings. What do they go for? They go for virgins. Which means the purer the sacrifice, the more potent the spell and the charm. If they want it to be stronger, they go for newborn babies. Is that not? Now, the strongest of all charms and enchantment against our life can be factioned with the blood of a newborn baby. But the blood that set you free is the blood of God. Which means no matter... there is nothing that can be more potent than the potency of the thing that set you free. Are you getting the point we are making? We are talking about grace. You need to appreciate grace. You need to understand grace. You need to know what God did. So that like the choir sang, there is nothing to fear. Honestly, there is nothing to fear. "They have put it together, they have done one thing, they will do one thing, they will do it like this, they will do it like that." You see, you don't understand. What God strategized is stronger than whatever they want to strategize. It's stronger. The grace of God in us makes us to be greater than them. That's why the Bible says in 1 John 4:4, "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world." So as a result, please get it. As a result, the Bible says... sorry, I want to get my text. The Bible says in Romans 5:20 to 21, "Moreover the law entered that offenses might abound. But where sin abounded, grace much more the more." So that what? "Moreover the law entered that the offenses might abound. But where sin abounded, grace much more the more abounded." For what reason? "That as sin has reigned unto death," please note, the law entered so that sin might abound. But even where sin abounded, what happened? Grace much more the more abounded. For what reason? "So that as sin has reigned unto death, even so grace reigned through righteousness unto eternal life" by who? "By Jesus Christ our Lord." You see, I'm not exaggerating. If we are to sit on these two verses, it can be a teaching weekend. Not just three minutes talk. What these verses say: how did the law enter, how did the law condemn us, how is it that where sin abounded, grace much more the more abounded? But I want to illustrate what He's saying here in a very simple way. Many times, I don't know what you may be struggling with. Maybe you are struggling with fornication. You are struggling with pornography. You are struggling with masturbation. I may not be able to mention so many, but I'm just using my own life. Things that we struggled with, but today we are free and we are completely free. Maybe you are struggling with lying. Maybe you are struggling with anger. I don't know what you may be struggling with. Whatever you may be struggling with as a matter of sin, please, the matter is not: [Singing] "Give me grace to follow, abundant grace to follow, give me grace..." That's not the matter of that problem. Do you know why? The reason is because there is no grace we want to give you. Grace had been given to you. Am I making sense to you? I may not know how best to bring this thing down because it may take me time. But what I want you to understand about your life in Christ, when the Bible says the grace of God that bringeth salvation has appeared, not will appear. And when you look at verse 17 of that Romans 5, verse 17. "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more they who received..." Please, is it written? Those people who received, it's not that they will receive grace. What has happened to them? They have received. It says, "they which receive abundant..." You have received it. It is not something they will be given to you. You have received it. The grace to stop masturbation has been given to you. The grace to stop lying has been given to you. The grace to overcome anger. All those things you are talking about sin is not what God want to do, it's what God has given. But do you know why you are not experiencing it? You are not experiencing it because that grace is a person. You can never operationalize grace beyond the level to which you know Jesus. The more intimate you become with Jesus, the more the grace find expression. The less you are intimate with Jesus, you remain a church person. You keep saying [foreign language]. That's where you will be till you will die in your sin. But the more you begin to know Jesus intimately, the more you are knowing Jesus. Jesus is the grace of God. But it is intimate knowledge of Jesus that make grace to become operational. Am I making sense to you? Grace had been given. What did I say? "Grace had been given." When you are saying, "Give me grace to follow," if you could hear God, let me tell you what God is saying. [Singing] "I have given you grace to follow, I have given you grace to follow, I have given you grace to follow, take your time to know Jesus, I've given you grace to follow, I've given you grace to follow." You are complete in Him. If you don't know Him, you can never be free. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." Truth is a person. I think I've left number two. I go to number three. It is in the crucible of personal private suffering that grace is born, thrives, and triumphs. Hallelujah. And to do that very, very quickly so that I don't take a lot of time. Let's look at Job chapter 1 and 2. We will not read that; we are familiar with the story. We all know Job, we know the story. What happened? He was doing very well and then one day there was a discussion between God and Satan. What was the discussion? "Have you seen my servant Job?" And then on and on, what was the next thing? "He's serving You because You are giving him a lot of things." And then God said, "Okay, go, go and do whatever you will do." And then he went. After Job went through that experience, everything, Job became a better person or not? He became a better person. The extent to which he knew God then, he was thinking that he has a right, and not that he was an object of mercy. "God, if You know, come out, let us argue it together. I've not done anything wrong. Oya come out." By the time God came out, "Tell me where the foundation of the earth is." He said, "I don't know." "Can you feed lion?" He said, "Ah, [foreign language]." "Can you send wind on errand?" "Ah, Baba I cannot." "Can you send thunder to go and do something, then they will come back to answer you?" Job said, "I cannot." "Can you feed the birds?" God said, "So you don't even know creation, you are talking about creator." Job said, "[foreign language] sir, [foreign language] sir." And what happened? He became a better person. It was in the crucible of personal private suffering that grace is born, grace thrive and triumph. I tell you another person again: Jesus Christ our Lord. We are talking about grace today, is that not? Grace because we call the Friday before Easter, what do you call it? If you have a son that died in the midst of his ministry at the age of 33 through the greatest injustice, the kind that is in Nigeria, and they kill him like that without anything he did wrong, will you go to your diary and write "Good Day"? Will you go to your diary and write the "Good Day", that day that he died? Is that what you will write there? Is it a good day? It was a bad day. Why do we call it Good Friday? Are you making sense of what I'm trying to say? It is in the crucible of personal private suffering that grace is born, that grace thrives and that grace triumph. Hallelujah. What the Chaplain wrote towards the end, it is in that that grace triumph. You will notice that you are calling it Good Friday because it was that day that grace was born. Am I correct? But look at how it was born. How was it born? Somebody didn't do anything wrong. They just framed him up. When they framed him up, the people that he saved, he thought they will say, "Give us Jesus." What did they say? "Give us Barabbas." To his very eyes, the multitude he saved... it did not end there. They turned it again, turned it again. "Crucify him." The man said, "I did not find anything wrong." They said, "No, crucify him." They want to kill him again. Look at the process. After serious weeping, after blood was coming out of the body, he carried a cross, he fell down. He carried it again, he could no more carry it. Somebody have to pick that cross for him. When he got to where he was almost dying again, they put his hand this way, they put that one this way, they took the drill and nail it. That was not enough, they put him up. He said, "Give me I'm thirsty." Look at what they... that was what gave birth to grace. So I don't know what you see... the reason why I'm saying this thing is that look, grace is born, grace thrive and it triumph in personal private sufferings. So I don't know what you may be going through. There may be some personal private suffering. There may be certain things that you are going through. There may be certain things that you... there are some you may not even be able to share with people. But you need to understand what the Bible is saying. Look at it in the life of Paul. 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9 to 10. In the life of Paul, you may not get the thing very well yet, maybe you go to verse 7. Go back a little. Just go back a little. It says, "And lest I should be exalted above measure..." Let me take it in NIV. "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me." Are you seeing what God was doing? God gave Paul so much revelations. God began to see that this bro may become... he may begin to feel that I'm no more man. I need to keep him in check to make him know that he's still a man. Because man at his best is still man. Are you understanding me? God wanted to make Paul still remember [foreign language]. Don't think [foreign language]. [Foreign language]. [Foreign language]. You are just still a man. But so that to help him, God gave him a messenger of Satan. It was God that arranged the suffering. When God arranged the suffering, Paul began to pray. "Hey! Father! [sound] Hey! Jesus! [foreign language] Baba!" He prayed and prayed. The first time, God answered. We don't need to take it away, let it be there. He said no, [foreign language]. "No! Baba!" He went on and on. God said, "Sorry, this matter cannot be taken." By having sought the face of God thrice, what was now God's answer? Go back to that place that we are going. He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." "Most gladly therefore, I would rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." You know what the Bible is trying to say? He's saying that for so many purpose in your life, God will arrange different crucibles. What is crucible? Let me look like big English for some of us. Crucible in chemistry is a metal container that you use to heat chemicals. For blacksmithing and goldsmithing, crucible is a metal that is surrounded with plate, it's a container. You will put those gold inside it. You will now heat it so that you can shape it. So you know what God always do for our life? God arrange crucibles. Crucibles of personal private suffering. If God want to deal with arrogance in your life, he know the one to arrange. If God want to deal with your anger, when you say "God make me, make me," the making is not easy. When you say, "God I want to be meek," oh don't worry, I will make you. You will be meek. When you say, "God, I want to be like Jesus in my life," so that they can slap you and you say "Okay, God bless you." There's a process of making. You know what God will arrange? A crucible of personal private suffering. Are you getting the point? So God arrange crucibles for our lives. But you know the beautiful thing about it? I'm looking at time which is my final words. Many things we don't notice about these crucibles. If you see it in the life of Paul, it was to keep him so that he will not go out of the way. Is that not? So what does God do? What does He do? Final words. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13. Look at it. "There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." Have you heard people say [foreign language]? It's a lie. Don't let them tell you, "Ah, this one is strange." It's a lie. Anything happening around our life, they are common. I'm looking like a lecturer, he's working in Akungba for 15 years after I left school there was no job. I was not gainfully employed. And every time I asked God, God said, "There is a time. Wait." After 10 years I say, "Baba," he said, "I say you should wait, I'm coming." 13 years! "God, when will I leave secondary school?" He say, "Wait." Then God made a statement one day. He said, "Until your time to leave comes, nothing can take you out. And when your time comes, nothing will keep you in." It was at the 15th year of teaching in secondary school. I did not understand then that God was raising generals through me in secondary school. It is now that I look back and I see generals that we have raised by that process of discipleship in secondary school. We are still doing that today, oh. But we are no more teaching there. God said, "Son, your time is over now. I'm changing your mission field. I will change your mission field now to high institution that I told you when you were serving." So when God said that when I was serving, I thought, "Hey!" as I just finish like this, I will just enter. 15 years. Am I explaining something to you? Am I making sense to you? Crucibles of personal private suffering. That is where grace is born. That 15 years was a life-changing thing for my life. It took me round so many thing. It makes me understood so many thing of waiting and doing... but I want to show you something about it that there is nothing... God use different things. For some of you, it may not be job. It may be marriage. It may be children. It may be anything. It could be anything. Are you understanding me? Are you following me? Abraham did not understand this matter. He was struggling for plenty children. As far as God is concerned, it's only one. When he alternated and he got Ishmael, we are still suffering it today. It was one so that because God told him. God said, "Through your seed, not your seeds. Your seed." Pointing to Jesus. It was to give birth to one, so that one will point to Jesus Christ. God wanted him to mirror Jesus. But he didn't understand it. Look, we are created for His pleasure. Tell yourself, "I am created for His pleasure. I am created for His pleasure." And when God is through with me, my life shall be glorified. That is the reality of it. Different crucibles. Prepare for your own. It is the way God makes His men. He raise them by different things. So there is no one anyhow it comes. I know a brother that his son was bedwetting. He was fully grown, he was still bedwetting. Oh, I don't want to tell you stories. But the day deliverance came, he has learned what it means to tolerate... because God give us things according to His purposes for our lives. Are you understanding me? Now, there is no temptation that overtake you but such as is common to man. But what? God is faithful. What will God do in His faithfulness? Who will not... remove that word "suffer." Today English: "allow." Who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able. If you are tried beyond what you can bear, God ceases to be faithful. If you are tried in life beyond what you can bear, it means God is no more faithful. Are you listening to me? So if something is coming, "Ah, Rebecca cannot take this one, she will go out of the faith. It is Bisi that can take this type." "Bisi cannot take this one, it is Bode." God televises the kind of trial we go through. It's not just anything can just happen. No, not just anything like that. Am I making sense to you? Anything cannot just happen to you. Tell yourself, "Anything cannot just happen to me. Because my life is in the hand of God." He's faithful. He knows what Kolade can take from what Wale can take. He knows what Bisi can take from... so He's faithful. He televises, He's guiding it in His faithfulness. That is the faithfulness of God. God is around you. Tell yourself, "God is around me. He's all over me. Because I am precious to Him." That is the reality. It's not sweet talk. Do you know why I'm precious to God? What gave me value was the blood of God. If you remove the blood of Jesus, I'm valueless. So I'm precious to Him because it was Him that gave me value. The sheep and the shepherd, who have greater interest? The sheep or the shepherd? So let me tell you, God have more interest over your life than you. Am I making sense to you? The day God made me realize that, I stopped worrying. God has more interest over your life than you. "Ah, [foreign language], [foreign language]." Baba is there. He's televising it. How does He do that? Look at it. He will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able. But what? "With every temptation also do what?" Scientists in the house. Every magnet has how many poles? How many poles? The North, the South. Listen. For everything that comes your way, there are two poles: the negative and the solution. With every trial, there is a what? There is a way of escape. For every trial, there is what? There is a way of escape. So as God is bringing it, as the North Pole is coming, He's coming with what? The South Pole. I'm showing you the ways of God. Every trial comes with what? A way of escape. So that what? You may be able to bear it. So listen. If people say they are tried and eventually they did not escape, what is the problem? That is what I'm concluding with. I want to beg us. Christianity is not activity; Christianity is a relationship. If you are not knowing God personally, these things they will not be real in your life. You must be able to access God personally for yourself. God should be able to... you see Paul, he prayed, he prayed, he prayed. There was a relationship. God said... I told you my case. I prayed, after 10 years. People were saying, "Ah, [foreign language]." "Maybe it's a family curse. Most you know you came from a polygamous home, maybe and maybe." But as I talk with the Lord, the Lord said, "I said wait for Me, I am coming." So who was behind my matter? God. When they said, "Ah, you know you came from a polygamous home." I just smile. I said I even grew up with my stepmother. I said don't worry, that is not the matter. God is the matter. [Singing] "Who is behind my matter? God is the matter." I hope you are checking. We have checked. God is the matter. Are you understanding me? There must be a personal relationship. There must be a way to hear God. Because there is a way of escape. I'm telling you there is a way of escape. At the 15th year, the Lord spoke to me again. Said, "Son, go and resign." And I went to my employer. I said, "I'm resigning." He said, "To where?" I said, "I don't know." "Ah, [foreign language]. People don't do like that. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." May your life not be managed by crowd. Are you getting the point I'm trying to bring out? The point I'm making is that there must be a personal relationship. There must be a way to hear God. Because there is a way of escape. I'm telling you there is a way. When God is through with you, you will come out as pure gold. Let us pray. You will come out as pure gold. Talk to the Lord this morning. Talk to the Lord this morning. I don't know what you are going through. I don't know what you are going through. But don't just be a church person. I'm a member of Chapel of Faith. No, it's beyond that. I'm a child of God. I have a relationship with Him. Don't just be a church person. Be a God person. Somebody growing in grace. Somebody who have been purchased by grace. You notice the first things that we must be saved. Please read that Chaplain's Corner very well. You must be saved. You must be a child. Talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. There is grace to overcome sin. There is grace to triumph. There is grace to move on. I am moving to my next level. I am moving on. I am moving to that place. I am getting there. I am getting there. I will get there. I will get there. I will get there. I am going there. I may not have gotten to where I am going, but I am not where I was before. And I am getting there. Because there is a way of escape. There is a way of escape. I will escape. I will escape. And I prophesy over your life: you will escape. You will escape. You will escape. You will escape. In the name of Jesus. This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a 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, 5:00 PM; adolescents 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 outreaches, and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp, by the first bridge, Ile-Ife community, opposite Very Joy filling station along Igede 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 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all. [Choir continues singing]