Love ( the Foundation of Holiness)

[Narrator] Church fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May ye be blessed as you listen. [Singing] For Jesus, let's come what may, the Holy Spirit, I will obey. I will live for Jesus, day after day, day after day. I will live for Jesus, day after day. I will live for Jesus, let's come what may, let's come what may. The Holy Spirit, I will obey. I will live for Jesus, day after day. [Speaker 1] Almighty God, we express our thanksgiving again this evening. Lord, what a privilege that we are called sons and daughters of God. Lord, we thank you for adoption. We thank you for redemption. We thank you for sanctification. We thank you, Lord our God, for purpose, for bringing us into your eternal plans and counsel and bringing us into this state of blessedness in Christ. Lord, we express our gratitude again this evening. We say, accept our thanks in the name of Jesus. Lord, we are gathering again to you this evening again for our discipleship class. We are committing ourselves into your hands: our brethren who are online, our brethren on Mixlr, our brethren on Telegram, Lord our God, everyone connecting with us from whichever location, we who are physically here this evening. Lord, our eyes are on you. Meet with us all in the name of Jesus. Lord, speak to our hearts. Lord, give light and direction. Instruct us, O God, in the way we should go. The Bible says, "Where is the man who fears the Lord? That man will he teach in the path that he should go. His soul will dwell at ease and his seed establish upon the land." Lord, let your instruction come to us this evening in every area of our life where we need it. As we consider the topic "Love, the Solid Foundation for Holiness," Lord, we pray, as we start this series this evening, Lord, we are asking: inspire our soul. Grant inspiration to the speakers. Lord, let there be enough bread for the eaters. Let men eat and be satisfied. Thank you, eternal Father. Blessed be your holy name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We are looking at a very important topic again today and a continuation. Please always bear in mind that we are in a series. Our concern is holiness unto the Lord. We have examined the dynamics of holiness, and we have been looking at different Bible characters on this matter of holiness, this matter of godliness, this matter of uprightness. And last week we saw a woman who followed godliness par excellence, and we saw the consequence of that pursuit. A woman who could discern the way of God and key into the things of God. And what we are saying, particularly this year, is that God is calling the church to holiness. And my prayer is that as the Shunammite woman saw what God was doing and keyed into it, may we key into this matter of holiness. That all that God is intending for our life—spiritually, materially, circumstantially, financially, otherwise—look at how the story of that woman changed in every wise. May we have a change story. May there be a visitation of mercy, visitation of peace and goodness, as experienced by that woman in our own lives too. But I beg you, let us key into what God is doing. God is calling us to uprightness. God is calling us to holiness. God is calling us to righteousness. God is calling us to godliness. He is calling us to obedience. He is calling us; he's saying, "Look, I am holy. Be ye holy, for I am holy." It's a call. It's a call. And may our response be correct in the name of Jesus Christ. Today we are pressing on, and what I'm starting today is actually a series. I will start it off today and be seeing how God will help us to go about each segment of the topic. Like I mentioned during the time of opening prayer, I said the topic is "Love, the Solid Foundation for Holiness." And I want to begin this matter—what we'll be considering today will be a what looks like a case study. In fact, that was where the matter began with me, this topic, that was where the matter began. I was looking at the book of Isaiah chapter 58. Let's look at Isaiah chapter 58. It's a very popular scripture; it's a very familiar scripture. [Speaker 2] Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet. Tell my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of me the ordinances of justice; they delight in approaching God. "Why have we fasted," they say, "and you have not seen? Why have we afflicted our soul and you take no notice?" In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure and exploit your laborers. Indeed, you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bond of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and you bring to your house the poor who are cast out? When you see the naked, that you cover him, and hide not yourself from your own flesh. Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, "Here I am." If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations, and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of the Streets to Dwell In. [Speaker 1] Praise the Lord. I believe you're able to follow the reading. You're able to follow the matter what is happening here. What is happening here was a discussion. God was sending the prophet to his people. And what is it that the Lord was raising with his people? He was raising a matter with them. He was speaking to Isaiah. "Raise your voice, raise it loud, cry, shout, speak aloud like a trumpet. Don't make it corner-corner talk, don't make it small-small talk. Talk vehemently with all zeal and passion. Roar like a lion." That what it means to speak like the voice of a trumpet. And what is it to tell the people? Their transgression, their sin. Now, what is this sin? I want you to look through this matter that we're looking at here. The matter here is not necessarily like lust. This is where actually the topic started from and began to build and build, and then it built to other things I was mentioning. When he said, "Cry aloud, spare not, tell my people their transgression, declare their sin to them," in my mind, I was expecting things like fornication, adultery, murder. I was expecting to see some relational sin, relational issues. I was expecting—it was that verse 1 that first caught my attention. The urgency with which God was speaking gave me a clear understanding of something that the Lord Jesus said in the New Testament when he was speaking to the Pharisees. I really would that we see it. I would that we see what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 23 verse 23. That verse 1 was the thing that first caught my attention in the matter while the Lord was explaining the matter of love, the foundation for holiness. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone." There's nothing wrong with the others. I hope you get the point. But there are things that are weightier than some things. Look at how the NLT rendered it: "How terrible will it be for you, teachers of religious law and you Pharisees, hypocrites. For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law: justice, mercy, faith." Look, the matter of justice, mercy, and faith are the nitty-gritty of what we call love. The nitty-gritty of love is justice, mercy, and faith—that faith is talking about faithfulness, faithfulness. Not faith of believing God, but being faithful to people. Justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, there's nothing wrong about that. But you should not have left undone more important things. So, in that Isaiah 1, when he said, "Cry aloud, do not spare," what the Holy Ghost was pointing to me was that, son, look at the urgency with which Baba was raising the matter that he wanted to raise. Look at the urgency. "Do not spare, cry, shout, roar like a lion, talk to these people, declare their sin to them. They have done wrongfully, they have not done well." Because it was something that was a burden to God. No wonder the Bible says, "He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love." You see, the vehemency of that thing is the first thing I want you to see. That the matter of how we relate, how you deal with people—that dealing with them in love is the solid foundation for holiness. Because holiness—you'll see as we go on later—when you talk about holiness, it's, for example, do not steal. Can you go and steal anything from God? If you want to steal, who do you steal from? Is it not from your neighbor? So when you say, "I will not steal," that is being holy, but it's also loving your neighbor. So what I'm saying is that the nitty-gritty of holiness, what holiness is demanding, is a life of love. That's what I'm trying to say. Love, the solid foundation for holiness. No man can ever be holy that does not live in love. It's not possible. It is impossible. And so, I am beginning with a case study. Some things are weighty to God. And the Israelites, they were not seeing these things. And the thing so burdened God because they are the important things. It's not against—in that scripture that we read, they came fasting. They came praying. They came approaching God. But the matter that God was drawing with them is what the Lord Jesus was drawing here. What do you call fast? What are you calling for? What does it mean to fast? What is fast? And the Lord began to expand that matter in that place that we read. Love, the solid foundation for holiness. Love is the foundation. No man can be holy that does not walk in love. He says, "Yet," after he said cry, he said, "Yet they seek me daily." Is it a wrong thing to seek God daily? It's a good thing to seek God daily. He says, "They delight to know my ways." That's also good. To delight to know the ways of God is a good thing. As a nation that did righteousness, they do it as a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God. Now, you can see the interplay on words. I want you to note the interplay on words. Let me read a simpler translation so I can bring it out clear. "Yet they act so pious! They came to the temple every day and seem to delight to hear my law. You would almost think this was a righteous nation." Are you seeing the point now? "You would almost think this was a righteous nation that would never abandon its God." Please note, there's a way to abandon God. I want to show you how we abandon God. The way we abandon God—"As a nation that would not abandon its God, they love to make sure of coming to me and asking me to take action on their behalf." [Imitates speaking in tongues]. All those kind of prayers—you jump, you do, and it looks like, wow, this brother is spiritual. Spirituality is more than that. There's something—as we go on, you'll see. What is the depth of spirituality? It's beyond some—it is not wrong to be dynamic in prayer. I'm a dynamic person in prayer. I can shout to pray, I can cry aloud to pray, I can pray and pray three, four hours and still praying. So don't think I'm against the matter of praying. But I'm trying to make you understand something that spirituality is something deeper. It's something deeper. What gives prayer a meaning is deeper than just the act of praying. Am I making sense to you? What gives prayer a meaning is deeper than the act of praying. It's deeper than the act of praying. There was an act of praying in here. There was an act of not just praying but with fasting being added to the prayer. And yet God is saying they abandon their God. And so, the Holy Ghost was pointing to me that, son, look at the urgency with which Baba was raising the matter that he wanted to raise. Look at the urgency. "Do not spare, cry, shout, roar like a lion, talk to these people, declare their sin to them." Then they were asking a question. "We have fasted before," they say. "Why aren't you impressed?" Are you getting the point now? "We have done much penance." You know what is penance? To punish yourself, punish yourself. Not that when you do something wrong, you say, "I will not—because of this thing, I will not sleep today night because I've done wrong." You are afflicting yourself. People do that a lot. You see that more in Buddhism, and I think Catholicism too practice it. In Catholicism, they also practice penance, where you afflict yourself because of some thing, you want to pay the price for your sin. Christ has paid it all. It's just better to live right than to be bringing penance. They do much penance, "And you don't even notice it." "I will tell you why." Isaiah is crying aloud. "I will tell you why." I know one thing I want to see in this place, one thing I want you to make a prayer in this place is that, Lord, every time I'm in error, Baba, tell me why. Don't leave me in darkness. Lord, every time I'm in error, in my mistakes, in my slidings, Lord, don't leave me there. Tell me why. Call my attention. Point it to me in the name of Jesus. Thank you, eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. He says, "I will tell you why. It is because you are living for yourself even while you were fasting." Are you seeing something? What is the demand of Christianity? Christianity says what? If any man would be my disciple, let him deny himself. Let him forget himself. Let him forget his own interest. Is that not true? Lose sight of himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Now, what is the problem of these people? He said, "It is because while you were fasting, your focus is yourself. You were concentrating on your interest. You were living for yourself." So I'm trying to make you see something—that a self-life is an anti-God life. A self-life is an antichrist life. A life that is self-centered is a life that is anti-God. A life that is self-oriented is a life that is antichrist. And a life that is antichrist cannot be talking of holiness. It's not possible. It is impossible. And that is why the Bible says the wrath of man cannot produce a righteousness of God. What it's trying to say is that anything that is of self can never bring about what God wants to do because self is anti-God. Anything that is of self—somebody slap you, you want to reconcile, you slap back. You want to—but you know what will happen again? Evil cannot stop evil. What will only happen? Evil will only multiply. Anything that is of self can never bring about what God wants to do. Anything that is self-centered because it's anti-God. So I want you to note a very serious thing. That there is—holiness sits on a foundation, and that foundation is love. It sits on a foundation, and that foundation is love. Now, he says, "It is because you were living for yourself even while you were fasting." He now began to mention each of the things that has to do with self. Each of the things that does not represent walking in love. And he began to reverse what it ought to be. Look at what he says. He says, "You keep right on oppressing your workers." You keep right on oppressing your workers. You keep right on oppressing your workers. They do not connect their career, their job, with the matter that we are talking about. They were fasting. They were praying. But God was looking at how they were relating with their workers. And so the fasting was not having a meaning. He says, indeed, verse 4, "What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling?" Are you seeing something? Talking about how you live for yourself. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? He says, oh, I like the way this translation put it. He says, "This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me." I think that's the Amplified. The facts are that you fast only for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness. Fasting as you do today will not cause your voice to be heard on high. So they were shouting on high, but what happened to their voice? It can never be heard. And I want to tell you, we have been mentioning something consistently since we started this matter of holiness—that no man can live holy without God. Is that not what we have been saying? That's what we have been saying. No man can live holy without God. Now, if God will not hear your prayer, so how do you become holy? How? "Lord help me"—no response. "Lord, Holy Spirit guide me"—no response. "Holy Spirit lead me"—no response. "Holy Spirit this"—and, "Lord! As I move out today, I overcome every temptation"—Baba did not answer. So how do you overcome temptation? How do you have victory? He says, "This kind of fast will not allow your voice to be heard." What I'm trying to make you see is that holiness rests on a foundation called love. And what the act of walking in love is to do cannot be replaced by prayer. Mark my words. It cannot be replaced by—that's what we are seeing in this place. They are trying to replace with prayer. They are trying to replace with prayer. No. God said no. No! It can't do it. Everything has its proper place. You must put them in place. And when you put them in place, wow! What will happen to your voice? It will be heard where? On high. May we be heard on high. There are men like that. You know those kind of men? I always pray in my life—every time I read that scripture, it has been my passion and my prayer in life. You know God was talking to Israel, and God said, "Ah!" He said, "Look, these people have sinned against me." He said, "Even if Moses, Daniel, prayed for these people, I will not hear them." Why did God say even if these people pray? Why did God mention those names? Because they were men which—whose voices are weight. They are not low voices. When Job says, "Father!" what happens to heaven? Heaven responds. May God make us men. May we be people. But I'm showing you the key to these things. They are not the big-big-big-big things you are thinking about. And that's the mistake the church is making today. I was speaking somewhere, I said, "Why is that church losing leadership based on their charisma?" That church will die. Charisma is nothing where character is missing. That's the mistake we are making today. We are underplaying walking in love. We are replacing it with charisma, with gifts, spiritual gifts, with some charismatic dynamics in people's doing. The one who pays tithes regularly is the one that the church give attention to. We count membership by people that pay tithes regularly. Is that not what he's saying there? You will tithe even your smallest income, but you forget justice. The man who is just is not seen as spiritual, is not seen as more spiritual than the man who pays tithes. Am I correct today? If you're in a church and you're not paying tithes, they say, "Where's your tithe card?" You didn't pay this month, you didn't pay that month. Who are you? You're not a committed member. You're not committed. Am I—did the Bible say we should not give our income to God? No. He was questioning them about something that you have given emphasis to what you should not give emphasis to. And you have underplayed some weightier things. And that's the point here. There's a weightier thing about our life. The light, the light. I want you to pray. I want you to pray. The spirit of prayer is coming again. Can we just pray that, God, my light will break forth? My healing will break forth. My light will break forth. This 2023, my light, my healing, my light, my healing, my light is breaking forth. He says your light will break forth. My light will break forth. I will be light in darkness. I will be light to this generation. A light to this generation. My light is breaking forth. I shall respond to the word of God. I shall respond to the truth of God. In the name of Jesus, my light is breaking forth in the name of Jesus. Then your light will break forth like the morning. Your healing shall spring forth speedily. And your righteousness will go before you. Hallelujah! Hey, look at what he says again in that place. He says the glory of the Lord shall be what? Shall be your rear guard. Let me tell you what that means in a simpler translation. He says, if you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward. Hey! I am going forward. I am going forward. I am going forward. I am going forward. I am going forward. Above my generation. Above my equals. I am going forward. Where men say there is no way, the Lord told Moses, "Why are you crying unto me? Tell them to go forward." In the face of opposition, I am going forward. In the face of hardness and drought, I am going forward. I am not sinking. My life will not sink. I am going forward. In the face of economic necessity that we are facing today in Nigeria and not only Nigeria but even globally, my confession for me and my house: I am going forward in the name of Jesus. He says your godliness will lead you forward. Your godliness will lead you forward. Godliness will make way for us. It will make way for us. No matter, no matter—there will be way even when people say there is no way. There shall be way for us. There shall be way in the name of Jesus. The Lord will make way for us. As a people, the Lord will make way for us. He says your godliness will lead you forward. Your godliness will lead you forward. And the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Hey! You know when you are going, you cannot see your back. Oh! Even in battle, go and check all the weapons, all the armor of the believer, is there any on the back? But when we walk in love, protection will be at the back. Protection will be there. They say, "Watch your back." The glory of God will watch our back in the name of Jesus. The glory of God will watch our back. He says the glory of God will protect you from behind. The things I cannot see, areas that I cannot even see, things I don't know can kill me, things I don't know can destroy me, I'm just going my own. I don't know that danger is there, that death has been prepared. Our life will escape. Because behind is what you cannot see. Behind is what you cannot know. If an enemy is coming from behind, you will not run. Behind is a dangerous one. Everything about your protection is in front. But I see godliness, I see walking in love working out something for us this year. I see it working out something for us. Even in your ignorance, you will escape. Ah! In areas I don't understand, you will stand for me. Lord, you will be my undertaker. You will mediate for me. You will be my mediator. Lord God Almighty, you will give men for my ransom. You will give situation for my ransom. Lord, I shall be ransomed. I shall be ransomed. I shall be kept. I shall be delivered in the name of Jesus. I will not be disgraced, I will not be ashamed, I will not be naked. From behind, that that I cannot see, everything that I cannot see that is designed as a trap, that is designed to bring me down, everywhere I'm even ignorant, I don't know, I'm just going my way, everywhere I don't understand, oh precious Father, there shall be deliverance for me. The glory of God, the glory of God will protect me from behind. I shall be kept from behind. In the name of Jesus. Thank you, Father. Oh, blessed be your holy name, Lord. Thank you, Almighty God. Thank you, Jehovah God. Thank you, O Lord again for another time in your presence this evening. Thank you, O Lord for the fellowship of the Spirit. Thank you for the working of your Spirit. Thank you for your presence in our midst. Thank you, Lord for helping us again this evening. Thank you for what you have begun. Lord, we know you will continue, and the blessings that follow, Lord, we know we will get it because your word is yea and amen. Lord, the consequence of this sowing of love, we will reap it because that is the true word of life: whatsoever a man sows, that he will reap. Lord, help us to keep sowing love in the mighty name of Jesus. Because this is our path of godliness. Anything we reap, we will reap it in hundredfold. We will reap it by all that you have spoken. Our voice will be heard by you. You will guide us even from behind. Lord, our godliness will go ahead of us. Lord, we can't count all. All the blessings that follows, we refuse to be distracted. We refuse the devil, we say the devil, you have lost in this matter because our God is mighty and he will work it in us. He will work it through us. The good pleasure of his will. Thank you, faithful God. In Jesus' unfailing name we pray. Amen. Let's share the grace. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forevermore. Amen. 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. Amen. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! 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 Barry Joy Filling Station along Ilesha 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.