Love, the Foundation of Holiness 3

[Background music] [Speaker 1] The 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 you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] Lord, we thank Him again for this privilege again to gather. We look to Him for another time again in His presence to learn from His word, to fellowship together. Our brethren who are joining us on Telegram, our brethren who are joining us on Mixlr, we say good evening to everyone. We trust the Lord again that as we all come together, we who are here physically, reaching out to you out there, also listening here, we trust the Lord that it will be a time of refreshment in the name of Jesus Christ. Let us have a word of prayer as we begin this evening. Everlasting Father, to You be glory, to You be praise, to You be honor. We thank You for the privilege of fellowship. We thank You for the privilege of scriptures. We thank You for the privilege of prayers. Our Father, as we gather unto You this evening, we pray that Your Spirit will work within us, among us, we who are here, our brethren connecting with us from everywhere they are, and it will be a time of refreshing in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray, let there be seed for the sower. Let there be bread for the eater in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Eternal Father. In Jesus' most holy name we pray. Amen. Last week we had our sister spoke to us on Esau. And the connection to that topic is we must not lose sight of the glory that is ahead. We must not lose sight of the glory that is ahead. A lot of things were said last week Monday by our sister. And one thing that really came out to me from the things she said, one very important one I want us to note is no matter how skillful you are, no matter whatever you may be doing, no matter how gifted you are, giftedness, skillfulness, prowess, proficiency does not replace integrity. There is a place of skill, of gift. All of those things, they are important, but they can never replace integrity. We should be careful not to be so skillful like Esau. The Bible says he was a skillful hunter. He could hunt, he could catch game, he could do all of that. He was very skillful. There was so much prowess in what he was doing. There was so much proficiency for Esau. But alas, he lacks discipline. Discipline, he lacked that. So, we should be careful in the way we live our lives as Christians. So many things are surrounding us today. We should be careful. Discipline, integrity, they are things that cannot be compromised in our lives. If we do, then you can be sure that giftedness, that calling of God, that skillfulness upon your life will take you nowhere. It will take you nowhere. It needs to be coupled with discipline and integrity. And don't forget our focus for the year is: "Be ye holy for I am holy." Everything we are doing this year is a call for believers, for all of us as Christians to remember that He who called us is holy, then we must be holy as He is holy. The second thing I want to call our attention to from what our sister shared last week that came out to me so well, I want to read that aspect from here. The Bible says, "Then Jacob said, 'Swear to me as of this day.' So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob." And the Bible says, "And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright." [Genesis 25:31-34] Our sister made reference to this last week. And she said we need to note that by that act of Esau, Esau despised his birthright. I don't know whether you catch what that implies. What that implies for us is that when you come to chapter 27 of Genesis, we were told that Isaac wanted to bless the children. And who did Isaac call? He called Esau, being the firstborn. "Let me bless you." And was Esau ready to receive that? Was he ready to receive it? He was set to receive it. Did he go on an errand to bring the good meats that the father would enjoy? He went to bring it. When he came back, when he was told that his brother took the blessing, he was weeping. He said, "My father..." So when he went out, he really meant to come and collect it. The emphasis our sister was trying to make us see last week was that when Esau did what he did, he didn't know that what he did was for real. He thought it was for joke. He thought it was for joke. Because if he knew it was for real, he would have told his father, "No, you can't bless me as the firstborn. I've given it to my younger brother." Are you understanding me at all? And when the Bible was to talk about Esau, what the Bible told us about Esau was that none of you should be a godless person like Esau, who for a morsel of bread sold his birthright. As far as heaven is concerned, it was not the deception of Jacob that passed the blessing. No. No. What passed the blessing was the morsel of bread. It was not the deception. It was not what Jacob... No. The blessing had been passed. So when people say that Jacobbed his brother, the Jacobbing was not on that day that he collected the blessing. The Jacobbing was on that day when he used food. And at that point, Esau had every reason to say, "You must be stupid. A food that belongs to me, that belongs to my father, you are asking me to give me your birthright to eat food? Get away and let me go and cook my food." Are you a serious person at all? So I guess Esau thought he was joking. I just want to lay an emphasis. Let us be careful. Let us be watchful. Esau never saw that it was a critical moment in his life. Many times, there are critical moments in our lives that we will not know that something is already lost. We won't know that something is gone already. Just like when a young man lies on the bed of fornication. "Ah, I enjoyed it." But something has gone. Let us be disciplined. Let us be watchful. Let us be careful. Let us be sober. Like joke, like play, like play, like play that you think you are doing sometimes, you might be losing a great treasure. You might be losing a great treasure. Let us be careful. We thank our sister, we really appreciate her for that last Monday. And we'll be moving on this week as I continue, I'm taking a series. The series is: "Love, the solid foundation for holiness." We have looked at episode one, we have looked at episode two. Episode one and two was centered on how God rates the good works that come from love. That was the center of episode one. That was the center of it, of episode one and two, the first two series of this theme that we are looking at. We were looking at Isaiah chapter 58. And we saw that indeed what God called fasting, what God called correct Christian living, is good works. Good works. Good works. Giving your bread to the hungry, not cheating your brother, not taking advantage of people, being sincere, not accusing people falsely, not being a backbiter, not being a gossip. All of those things were the things we mentioned that people who live like that, they experience greater breakthroughs in life. And we saw the life of Cornelius as a very good example. That was where we closed the meeting two weeks ago. So we'll take it from that point today as we look at Titus. From Titus, we'll go to Peter. Love. I'm trying to make you see from the Bible that nobody can live a holy life that doesn't take time to grow in love and knows the word, is to grow in it. Why are we growing in it? Why is it a growth and not "God give me love"? Why is it a growth? The Bible says for the love of God, Romans chapter 5:5, has been shed abroad in our heart. So it's not that God should give you love. No. At the point of your being born again, the love of God had been shed upon your heart. But you need to grow. You grow in grace, you grow in love. Anybody who is not growing in love can never grow in holiness. That's the point we are making. Holiness and love, they are so connected together that anybody who does not grow in love can never, never grow in holiness. Can never become sanctified. Sanctification is actually a life of love. When you say a sanctified life, it's a life that has grown in love. That's the point we are making. Sanctified life is a life that has grown in love. That's the point we are making. Holiness is actually a life of love. When you say a sanctified life, it's a life that has grown in love. That's the point we are making. Love is the solid foundation for holiness. Love is the solid foundation for holiness. Let's see something in Titus. Titus, that should be chapter 2. I want to read from verse 11. Titus 2 from verse 11. The Bible says, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age." I'd like to take that in the NIV translation. "It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passion, to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, this present age." By grace upon our life, the reason why we receive Jesus Christ—Jesus Christ is the grace of God—the reason we receive the grace of God is so that we may live how? How should we live? Godly, uprightly, in this present world. So, grace is for this world. And it is not that you will be feeling grace. We have received grace. The grace of God has appeared. Jesus is the grace of God. I've explained this severally under various other teaching. Anybody who truly gave his life to God... if you have given your life to Jesus and you are sure you did that, the truth is that it becomes an unbiblical praying "give me grace". Jesus is that grace we receive. The thing is you grow in that grace. He says the grace of God has appeared. And that grace is Jesus Christ. Now, the purpose of that grace is to make us do something. What is it that it's making us to do? He said it's helping us to do what? To say "No" to what? Ungodliness. Another translation, NLT, says, "It instructed us to turn from godless living and sinful pleasure, so that live in this present world self-controlled, right conduct, and devotion to God." Now look at the next thing. That's where I'm really going today. We are looking at love, the only basis for holiness. Anybody who does not grow in love can never be holy. That sanctified life is a life of love. When you say "I'm sanctified," what it means to be sanctified, to be separated unto God, is to be separated to the life of love. Now, he says verse 13 and 14, where I'm going today. Now, the grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness to live correctly in this life. Now, look at Titus 2 verse 13. What does it say? It did not stop there. What is it helping us again to do? As we live that life, what are we doing? We are "looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." [Titus 2:13] So, grace is making us to say no to ungodliness, to worldly lusts. And at the same time, it's helping us to live godly, uprightly in this present world. As it's helping you to live that way, it's now making you to do something. What are you doing? It's making you to set your eyes on what? On eternity. Is that not? On eternity. He says "looking for the blessed hope". So, when a man does not live with eternity in view, it's a man who is not growing in grace. I'm going somewhere, please. We are going somewhere. I'm talking of something about grace. When you see a man who is not looking for the blessed hope, he wants to take a decision, he's "no, how does this affect my relationship with God?" He's acknowledging God in everything, because he's looking for a glorious hope. His concern is not the elementary things in this life. His concern is not the material things of this life. His concern is that he's looking forward. And when I say that, when you notice that you are not looking forward, your focus is not fixed on the time to come and you are living for that time to come, it's an indication that you are not growing in grace. You are not growing in grace. When he said "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ," so when you see a man who his decisions, choices, values are dominated by what? By the things of this life. What do you know about that man? It's a man who either have not received grace or what? He's not growing in grace. Now, he now says, when he said that, he said "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ," verse 14, look at what Jesus did. Please, look at what Jesus did. Look at what He did for us. Look at Titus 2 verse 14. Look at what Jesus did for us. Why did He die for us? Is it to redeem us? Is He our Redeemer? He is our Redeemer. He's telling about the purpose why Jesus died. Jesus died, He gave Himself for us, to do what? To redeem us from every lawless deed. Is that true? When a man still live a lawless life, a man is not disciplined, a man's life is not godly, a man's life does not have proper conduct, it's a man who have not encountered Jesus. Or it's a man who does not know what it means to have encountered Jesus. Talking about lawlessness, about just living anyhow. Just, just acting anyhow. Your conduct, you cannot comport yourself. You are just living anyhow. Now, look at where I'm going. Look at where I'm going. That connects with where I'm coming from in Isaiah. Because I want to connect Isaiah into the New Testament and then go to some more serious thing this evening. I trust the Lord that I'll be able to lift on those things. About four fundamental points this evening about this our looking for the coming of the Lord. Because the issue of holiness, the matter of holiness, is about somebody who is connecting with eternity. Any man who is not connecting with eternity is not talking about holiness. When we see a man who is not connecting with eternity, holiness does not matter to him. It doesn't matter to him. The way you know a man that's connected with eternity is that holiness comes. And when I say holiness, I keep saying this thing. Holiness is about our conduct. Holiness is not about our position. I've said this at the very beginning when we were expanding the matter of holiness. Righteousness is a position that we got in Christ. Righteousness is a gift. I tell people I am not a sinner. I became righteous because Jesus died for me. Jesus died and rose again, and by that I obtain righteousness. So, positionally, I am not a sinner. I'm a righteous person. That is my privilege, that is my inheritance in Christ. But I inherited that righteousness... the Bible says "those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." [Romans 5:17] So, righteousness came with abundance of grace. The implication of that righteousness is that you received grace to have holy conduct. So, anybody who is positionally righteous and does not have holy conduct... conduct now has to do with what you do every day, everyday living. That person's life is a contradiction. That person's life you can say is a spiritual bastard. Something is fundamentally wrong with that person. They go together. They grow together. They come together. It's a single package. It's not separate package. Now, I'm talking about conduct. Now, he said from every lawless deed to live for Him. Now, look at what it now says. He says who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself what? What do you find for Himself? Look at your Bible. What do you find for Himself? His own special people. Please, what is special about these people? Look at what follows. They are zealous for good works. Are you seeing that? What is special about us? What? He said we are zealous of good works. I take that to you in another translation so that you understand it. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin because He made us righteous. Is that not true? To cleanse us and to make us His very own people. What do you know about these people? A people that are totally committed to doing what is right. They are a people that are what? Totally committed to doing what is right. I take that to you in the Amplified translation. "Who gave Himself on our behalf that He might redeem us, purchase our freedom from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people to be particularly His own people, people who are eager, enthusiastic about living a life that is good and filled with beneficial deeds." There's this enthusiasm, there's this eagerness, there is this life, there's this thing that characterize these people. That's what characterize them. That is where we are coming from. In Isaiah. You see everything we have been reading in Isaiah. So you say that what Jesus actually died to make us to be is what? A people who are totally committed to doing what is right and beneficial deeds. That's what He died to make us to be. We are not made to be people who tell lies, to people who commit fornication, to be undisciplined, to do exam malpractices and say the grace of God covers it, to live lawlessly. People don't respect authority, despise parents, despise authority, indiscipline, live anyhow in the name of Christianity. That's not Christianity. Christianity don't raise people who are lawless. People who don't have proper conduct. Christianity don't raise those kind of people. And that's why when people say "I'm radical for Jesus," I want them to define the radicalism. If radicalism mean living anyhow, that's not... you are not radical for Jesus, you are radical for the devil. Radicalism is doggedness to live the Bible life. Doggedness you say "No! This is what the word of God says and nobody can move me from what God says. I am who God says I am. I am what God says I am and nothing can change my mind about that." It's just like when they were asking Martin Luther, the great reformer. When he was brought to the Diet of Worms... Diet of Worms simply means that he was brought before like Peter before the Sanhedrin. And he was asked that, "Look, you have said some things against the Pope, against the church. You have said something against it and you need to reverse it. You need to change that thing that you said." You know what he told them? I'm trying to paraphrase what he said. He said "my decisions, my words, they are bound to my conscience. And my conscience is bound to Christ. And because Christ cannot be changed, my conscience cannot be changed. So what I've said too cannot be changed." That is radicalism. Radicalism is not that you are fighting in the street, you are doing that, you say you are radical for Jesus. You live godless life, you do any kind, you say, "No, you know we are radical for Jesus, this and that." You despise authority, live anyhow and then say you are radical for Jesus. That's not radicalism. That is foolishness. We are talking about people who are committed. That's radicalism. You are bound to these things to living right. Now, that's why I keep trying to make you see something. There's a connection between doing what is right, doing what is beneficial. It's tied in Isaiah to what? Loving your neighbor, not cheating your neighbor, remembering the poor. All of that. It's talking about good conduct. Now, how does these things, how do they come together? Look at what the Bible says. Let's go to 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter 4. Let's go to 1 Peter 4 verse 7 and 8. 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7 and 8. "But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers." [1 Peter 4:7] The end of all things is at hand. What does that mean? It's near. But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. NLT: "The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore be earnest and disciplined in your prayers." NIV: "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." Are you getting that? Be clear-minded and self-controlled. Now look at the next verse. We are going somewhere. What do you see in the next verse? NKJV: "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins." [1 Peter 4:8] Brethren, the Bible is saying that the end is drawing near. We agree that the end is coming soon. What is the first instruction? Be clear-minded and be watchful to prayer. What is the second thing? And that second thing, is it coming as the second or as the primary thing? It's coming as the primary thing. When the end is drawing near, what the Bible says you should do? Don't just have love. He says do what? Have fervent love, fervent one for one another. Because love will cover a multitude of sin. What is that telling you? That it becomes almost clearly, practically impossible for sin to be taken away without love. Sin cannot be taken away without love. What is the basis of our sin being taken away? "For God so loved the world..." If there was no love, we will still remain in our sin till today. If it was not fervent love that Jesus had for us... a love that could make somebody, those who offended Him, He came for them. They were busy despising Him, reproaching Him, shaming Him, insulting Him. He was still dying and He was going to the grave to bring gift for them, to free them. The Bible says "Look, you need to get something clear. Where there is no love, sin cannot be taken away." Anywhere there is no love, there will be sin. That's what you should know. There will be sin. He says "have fervent love, fervent love one for one another." Because love will cover a multitude of sin. What is that telling you? That there's a connection between loving your neighbor, not cheating your neighbor, remembering the poor. All of that. It's talking about good conduct. Now, how do these things come together? The Bible says what Jesus actually died to make us to be is what? A people who are totally committed to doing what is right and beneficial deeds. That's what He died to make us to be. The first thing that almost took me off my feet in realizing is that son, all that I am, the most important thing was that I loved before I could redeem. All that I am... call me anything you want to call me, but the most important thing about Me was that I loved. It was on the basis of that that I redeemed. Where there is no love, there can be no redemption. It was love that brought redemption. All you will say about God, that aspect of God that makes redemption, pardon, that took away sin, is what? The love of God. If there was no love in God, the sin of humanity will remain. Eternal condemnation will remain. What took, what brought life and took eternal death away was what? For God so loved the world. There's a great connection. We are peculiar people. Our peculiarity is that we have been cut out by God to be committed to doing what is right. That is what makes us peculiar. That's our peculiarity. What is peculiar to us, that is what it is. And the reason why we are like that is that we are looking unto eternity. It's about looking unto eternity. Then we need to realize that looking unto eternity there, it's about the coming of the Lord. Then we need to prepare for that eternity. And in preparing for that eternity, the Bible says we must have one important thing we must have is fervent love. Love is the solid foundation for holiness. No man can be holy that does not love. Where there is no love, there will be sin. It was love that brought redemption. Look at Hebrews chapter 12. 12 verse 14, 15, 16. That connects us back to what I opened with at the beginning. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." [Hebrews 12:14] Now, if you look at that matter, he now says, for you to know that there's a connection between 14 and 15, verse 15: "Looking carefully lest any of you fall short of the grace of God." [Hebrews 12:15] Now, he said you should follow peace with all men and holiness, without which you will not see the Lord. He now said, in following that holiness, what must you be looking carefully at? You must be watching carefully lest you fall... because without grace, you cannot be holy of course. That's where you get your proper conduct. Without grace, the proper conduct cannot come. Is that not true? He said "looking carefully lest any of you fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled." Are you seeing something? I'm trying to show the connection why the Bible says one important way to prepare for His coming is through fervent love. Because without holiness you cannot see the Lord. Now, while you are trying to be holy, you need to watch that you don't fall short of grace. Now, what is about this coming of this falling short of grace, is that you can come short of grace when what spring up? When bitterness spring up. Bitterness is a grace extinguisher. Bitterness extinguishes grace. Bitterness cuts you short of an ability to live a holy life. Bitterness dabble you into sin. Bitterness makes you do all kinds of wicked conduct. He says bitterness springing up. What will it cause? It causes trouble, and by this many become defiled. Bitterness is a troubler. Something that will trouble you out of holiness is Mr. Bitterness. Mr. Bitterness has a way of troubling you out of holiness. It will... you know how it causes that trouble? It will cut you short of grace. It will extinguish grace in your life. Bitterness is a grace extinguisher. If you have wing to fly before, it will begin to cut your wing. It will cut it. Wing that normally soar up before, when you want to go like before... when Samson said "I will go like before," you want to go like before, nothing will pop. Because it cut it. By the time you want to go like before... you know when a man is looking to carry his parachute to fly and he does the thing, does the thing and he's already falling from the sky and parachute is not coming up. You know the way that man will fall and the way that man will die. He will not be cut short suddenly. May we not be cut short suddenly. So, one important thing about why we must have fervent love is because it's an antidote to bitterness. Bitterness is a defiler, it's a troubler. Look at Matthew chapter 18. At that time, I'm reading from verse 1, the disciples came to Jesus saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then Jesus called a little child to Himself, set him in the midst of them. They are looking for the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. More about Jesus, more about Jesus. More of His saving fullness. More of His love who died for me. They wanted to know the greatest. So, Jesus took a child and set him in the midst of them. The greatest in the kingdom. He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." [Matthew 18:3] Little children, what do you notice about them? Innocency. Is that true? Simplicity. Is that true? These are two things that characterize little children. Even when they are doing wrong, they don't know that they are doing wrong. Am I correct? I gave you the example of a child. After a newly painted my car, a child took Coke, the lid, the cover, and he was scratching the car. You know what it means to be using the cover of Coke to be scratching the car? You know what she was writing on the car's body? And as she was doing that, I came and I saw the child. The one that is more elderly ran away. But the little child continued what she was doing. And I said, "Stop it!" "Die! Die!" She still want to continue, telling you that... there's innocence. I'm talking about simplicity. There's no sense of self. You will see them on the street, going naked, running with their privates all around. "Hehehe!" There's no sense of self, selflessness. Selflessness. Self don't start until you experience puberty. No sense of self. That's what the Lord was drawing Himself toward. But please let's move on quickly. He took a child and then He said "Assuredly you..." then He said... He now tried to explain what He was trying to say from about that child. "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." [Matthew 18:4] So it's about humility. Greatness in the heavenly kingdom has nothing to do with our position, but with our conduct. Humility is a conduct. He said "whoever receives one little child in my name receives Me... whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and were thrown into the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!" If your hand causes you to sin, therefore cut it off; it's better to enter into heaven with one hand than to enter into everlasting life with two. If your eye causes you to cut it off. Whatever will stop you, cut it off. "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I say to you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost." [Matthew 18:10-11] He now gave a parable: What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, what will he do? If one get missing, he will leave the 99 to go and look for that one. If he finds that one, he will be so happy over that one than the 99 that was not missing. Even so, the will of my Father who is in heaven is that one of these little ones should not perish. Please look at what He now says. "Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear you, take one or two that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word should be established. If he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. And again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth concerning anything, it shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven." [Matthew 18:15-19] Do you see what I'm trying to make you see? That once there is an issue between you and your brother, unresolved things hanging in your heart, unresolved matters hanging in your heart, unforgiveness in your heart, whenever you turn to pray, are you praying? You are not praying. That is why after He said "be clear-minded, watching unto prayer," how do you watch unto that prayer? Above all things, do what? Have fervent love. Prayer cannot be real where bitterness exists. Prayer cannot be true where bitterness exists. When you go to the place of prayer, you may be there calling and reasoning and saying all kinds of things that you may want to say. So, one important thing why the Bible says "Look, you must have fervent love for one another," in preparing for the coming of the Lord, is because fervent love is the antidote to bitterness. There's a defiler, there's a troubler, there's a Mr. Bitterness. The way he works around your heart is to cut your life short of grace. Bitterness is the antidote to bitterness. Bitterness is the troubler. We'll close the meeting here today. We'll continue to look at why is the Bible saying above all, the most important thing is fervent love? Why is the Bible saying that? That's what we are trying to explore. The understanding that came to me from scriptures is what I'm showing you. There's a great connection. We are peculiar people. Our peculiarity is that we have been cut out by God to be committed to doing what is right. That is what makes us peculiar. That's our peculiarity. And the reason why we are like that is that we are looking unto eternity. Then we need to realize that looking unto eternity there, it's about the coming of the Lord. Then we must prepare for that eternity. And in preparing for that eternity, the Bible says we must have one important thing we must have: fervent love. Love is the solid foundation for holiness. No man can be holy that does not love. Where there is no love, there will be sin. It was love that brought redemption. All you will say about God, that aspect of God that makes redemption, pardon, that took away sin, is what? The love of God. If there was no love in God, the sin of humanity will remain. Eternal condemnation will remain. What brought life and took eternal death away was what? For God so loved the world. Let's pray this evening. Let's talk to the Lord. Almighty God, we are so grateful for this evening. We thank You for Your word. Lord, we pray, more and more and more and more, may we be like You. May we grow in You. May Your image and Your likeness be perfected in us in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, more about Jesus. More about Jesus. Our eyes on You. Nothing will prevail against Your purposes in our lives in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Eternal Father. In Jesus' most holy name we pray. Amen. [Speaker 1] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and marriage 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 p.m. Adolescents and singles club, every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 a.m. Marriage forum, second Saturday of every month at 10:00 a.m. 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, Ilere community, opposite Very Joy filling station along Idjare 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 0808-338-61136, 0703-361-3848. God bless you.