Remain Steadfast and Immoveable

Churchies and 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 Truth Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 1] The first Saturday in the month of March, we are looking at another important topic under a very important topic that I actually tag as "Remaining at the Duty Post." But you can also tag it an exposition of 1 Corinthians 15:58. "Remaining at the Duty Post" or an exposition of 1 Corinthians 15:58. 1 Corinthians 15:58 reads... [Speaker 2] Should I read it? [Speaker 1] Yes, please. [Speaker 2] 1 Corinthians 15:58. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." [Speaker 1] Yeah. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." Remaining at the duty post. Remaining at the duty post or an exposition of 1 Corinthians 15:58. We want to look into this scripture this morning. We want to look around it because of something that the Lord said in Matthew 24. If you look at Matthew 24, look at what the Lord said in Matthew 24:12-13. Are you there? [Speaker 3] "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that endure unto the end shall be saved." [Speaker 1] Exactly. He said, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Iniquity shall abound. Every time I remember this incident where we were on the queue to buy fuel. We all queued and the line was going well. After some time, the line stopped moving. Some men were entering to the other side. They were buying. They were entering to the other side, entering to the other side. The line was not moving. After some time, the men who were on the line said, "What type of nonsense is this? What is the meaning of this? In that case, no more line. No more queue." Before you knew, what was looking very organized became almost a big confusion as people were busy pushing, pulling, carrying buckets. What happened? Because iniquity abounded. The love of many to maintain queue waxed cold. Love for orderliness became nothing. Everything that man want is anarchy. So, that is why we are looking at that scripture. Let me go back there. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast. Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." If you look at that verse of the scripture, verse 58, the first word is "therefore." Any other translation that have a different thing for the first word? Mine say, "therefore." [Speaker 3] "With all this going for us..." [Speaker 1] With all this going for us. So, it means there is something that he has been saying. "With all this going for us." "Therefore" is a conjunction but it is a conjunction that places what follows on a premise of what was being said. It is premising what is about to be said on what had been going on, what the person has been saying. Now, what led to this matter of "therefore"? Go up a little to verse 47. "The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." This is not a political statement. This is a reality that will take place. We shall be changed. "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore..." With all this going for us. What are the things that are going for us? We shall put on immortality. Corruption will put on incorruptible. Vulnerability will become what is no more vulnerable. All of these are going for you. We will be changed at the last trump. We will be taken. When we would have put on incorruptible and immortality, then death would have been swallowed up in victory. Then we can look at death and say, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" We can look back at that and say, "Where is your victory?" The strength of the sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law. But there is a Jesus that is constantly giving us victory. He say, "Therefore, my brethren..." What is he trying to say? He is saying that when we stand against sin, don't forget that the sting of sin is death. Death is the wages of sin. Now, do you know what the Bible is saying? Sin, the worst that sin could do was to kill us. Is there anything higher than death? What is the highest thing that sin can do? Death. So, the highest thing sin can do, the greatest that sin can do against us is what it has done, and what is it? Death. Now, the Bible is saying that when we stand, Jesus gives us victory. To live above sin is it not? Now, when we stand in opposition to sin, when we stand in opposition to evil, what is the greatest thing that sin can do? It is to kill. When you stand in opposition to sin, that no, sin you cannot do anything here, evil you cannot prosper here, I stand against you. The highest it can still do is death. It can't do anything more than that. What did it do to Stephen? Death. What did it do to Jesus? Death. What was the highest to Isaiah? Death. That's the highest. When you stand against sin, when you stand in opposition to evil, when you say no, evil will not prosper, when you say no, this is where God stands and I refuse to stand in any other thing, I will stay where God stands, I will stay where God stay, I will represent what God represents, the highest sin can do is to do what? It is to kill. But the Bible is saying that that highest thing that sin can do has been conquered. The highest that sin can do is death, but death has been swallowed up in victory. Jesus has conquered death. So, why do we need to fear death? The highest it can do is to kill. He said, "So, my brethren, with all these thing going for you, let us remain steadfast, unmovable." The highest it can do has been conquered. Nothing to fear again because the dead in Christ will rise. The thing that death thought it has done, sin thought it has done that yes, I've dealt with that foolish boy who was trying to promote holiness in this place. We have removed him. We have eliminated him. He's dead now. And they think that's the last. You will rise up and you say, "Okay death, continue now." At last, we will rise. At last, on the long run, by the time we get to the finishing line, the finishing line is not at the point where we die. The finishing line is ultimately when we all rise up to face judgment. That's the finishing line. At the finishing line where everything will indeed end, we will tell death, "Where is your power?" So, the Bible is saying that we need to understand that the reason why we must stay at our post, the reason why we must be steadfast, the reason why we must be unmovable, the reason why we must retain whatever God has told us, the reason why we must persist in whatever we have heard from the Lord, the reason why we must represent what we know God is showing us, the reason why we must take to what God has revealed to us, the reason why we must persist in what God has instructed us to do is that the highest that death can do, that sin can do when we oppose sin, is death. But death has been swallowed up in victory. God is saying that, look, my children, you have all of this going for you. Immortality will still put down this mortality to immortality. Corruption will still put on incorruptible. Vulnerability will become what is no more vulnerable. Look, all of these they are going for you, so remain steadfast. Remain unmovable. Remain there because you have everything going for you. You have everything working for you. So, there is a basis why you must remain unmovable because ultimately, the highest that sin can do has been conquered. What we want to discuss today, don't forget the topic, we are either exposing 1 Corinthians 15:58, but more importantly the topic is "Remaining at the Duty Post." Remaining at the post. In order to expand the post, now, let's look at it. It says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmovable." What does it mean to be steadfast? What does it mean to be steadfast? Another word from another translation, "steadfast," any other word? [Speaker 3] Standing firm. [Speaker 1] Standing firm. Any other word? [Speaker 4] Consistent. [Speaker 1] Consistent. Any other word? [Speaker 3] Stand your ground. [Speaker 1] Stand your ground. To be steadfast is to stand your ground. Which ground are you standing? On which ground are you standing? It says stand your ground. Then unmovable. What does it mean to be unmovable? [Speaker 4] Rigid. [Speaker 1] Rigid. Yes. Another word for unmovable? Somebody's unmovable. Indefatigable, unrelenting, unswayed, not giving in, not chickening out, determined, resolute, not afraid, established. I was looking at the US soldiers in their fight with ISIS. You see these people, so that they will not move from where they positioned themselves to fight, those ISIS fundamentalists, they took rope, they bind themselves, bind themselves, bind themselves. So, they remain in that position having tied yourself. You tied yourself together just carrying the ammunition. They tied themselves inside a hole. They now use ammunition and they kept on shooting, shooting, shooting. Even when the American soldiers were advancing, they were coming close, they didn't move. Okay, they will meet up there, they will kill that one there. They didn't move. They continued so that they will not be able to run. They tied themselves. For a cause that leads them nowhere. Do you understand me? A cause that leads a man nowhere. They were so unmovable, they made themselves that even if you want to run, there's no way you can run. And they tied themselves there. It is fight to the last. I'm talking about our resolution for what we believe in. Our resolution for the truth we know. Our resolution for what has been revealed. Our resolution for what we know is the word of God, the truth of God. Our resolution for righteousness. Our resolution for holiness. Our resolution for uprightness, for purity. Our resolution to stand against sin and to stand against evil. The Bible says, "Be ye steadfast." Our resolution waiting for what God has said, for His promises. God said something and I'm waiting for God that He will do it. Our resolution. The Bible says, "Be steadfast. Be unmovable." Be steadfast, be unmovable. Now, not only that, the Bible now added something. Always doing what? [Speaker 3] Abounding in the work of the Lord. [Speaker 1] Abounding in the work of the Lord. What is the work of the Lord? Who can tell what the work of the Lord is? What is the work of the Lord? What is the work of the Lord? Nobody is talking. What is the work of the Lord? Nobody is speaking. Okay, let's go to John. I want to show you something in John. Jesus was defining the work of the Lord. John 6:28-29. Who is there? If you are there, please read. [Speaker 3] "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." [Speaker 1] So, what is the work of God? To believe in Him who He has sent. So, when the Bible says, "abounding in the work of God..." [Speaker 3] Maintaining the faith. [Speaker 1] Maintaining the faith. Yes. He said "abounding in the work of God." God just defined the work of God. So, what is the work of God? He said it is to believe in Him that He has sent. So, how do we abound in the work of God? [Speaker 3] To keep believing in Him that He has sent. [Speaker 1] Believing increase. Yes, he said believing in somebody. He said believing in Him who He has sent. So, how do we abound in the work of God? If the work of God is to believe in Him that He has sent. That is the point. Jesus did certain things. Jesus said certain things. Jesus proclaimed certain things. Jesus raised men to go ahead and preach certain things. Then He left, He said, "I'm coming back." And He said the work of God is to believe in Him that He has sent. What is the work of God? How do we abound in the work of God? The work of God, to abound in the work of God is to continually, consistently, you keep representing everything Jesus said, did in His lifetime. Everything He said, everything He did. When He was leaving, what did He tell the disciple? What did He tell them to be doing? What was His proclamation? To abound in the work of God is to remain in that thing, is to persist in it, is to continue in it, is to increase and increase in it. It's to represent all that Jesus represented. It's to preach what He preached. It's to say what He said. It's to agree with what He agreed with. It's to disallow what Jesus disallowed. It's to do what Jesus did. It's to hold to what He said we should hold to. Then we need to abound. He said that the work of God is to believe in Him that He has sent. Every time we are not representing Jesus, we are not abounding in God's work. To abound in God's work is to constantly represent Jesus. He said unmovable, unshakeable, abounding. What we should be increasing in is that consistently we are looking at what He said, what He did, and we are representing it, we are affirming it. Because you must understand, evil and sin, what is the primary thing they want to do? It is to destroy that which Jesus represents. Everything that sin and evil want to do is to destroy what Jesus represent. It's to make sure that what Jesus represent does not stand. That is why He build philosophy in men that is against the gospel. If the gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those whose the prince of this world has blinded their eyes so that they will not believe the gospel. So, what the prince of this world is doing is to make sure that men don't enter into what Jesus represented. To abound in the work of God is to keep promoting, is to keep saying no, this is what Jesus represented, this is what He represented. And as you try to do that, you will find yourself standing against sin and evil. And the ultimate that sin and evil will do is to kill. But you can keep abounding because you know we have a lot of things that is going for us. We know that mortality will still put down mortality to immortality. We know that corruptible will put on incorruptible. We know that if it means that we die in the process, at the last trump, we will rise. In the twinkling of an eye, our life will be changed. We who are dead will rise. We know that when we are changed and we have put on that, we will tell death, "Oya now. Oya, since you say you kill, where is your victory now?" We know that we will laugh at last. We know. There is a knowing. The point I'm making is that I'm showing you something that the Lord is saying. A physical illustration is coming to my mind now that can represent this thing a little more. The last era of the government of the Mimiko-led administration in Ondo State, workers' salaries were not paid. For somebody like me, close to about five, six months were not paid. Several other civil servants too, some six months, some seven months, and all of that. But what do you notice all over the state? What would you have expected ordinarily when salaries are not paid? Ordinarily, what would you have expected? In regards to the job and the employment, should people still keep such employment or throw it and pick another one? People should ordinarily, "Ah, one month, two month, three month, four month, five month..." But do you notice that there was no massive throwaway of appointment letter? Everybody still kept the job. Why? Everybody was just managing, managing. "Anyway, we will vote him out. Another government will come." And the one that was coming was saying that, "Ka to're k'olu 'ba wole o, a san owo h'o. Salaries will come. This, that." And everybody was, do you notice that through that thing, nobody threw away the job. Everybody still kept, everybody still hold to the job, even with trek to their offices. People that could not go five days changed to three days, but they were still going. They were going, they were still down there. They were complaining, "Ah, no food," but they were going. They were going. Why? Because there is a hope that one day the whole money will come together to become one. That one government will come that will just pay them in arrears and they will gather the harvest. So, do you see that men remain steadfast, unmovable and they were abounding because they knew that their labor will not be in vain. If they knew that the labor will be in vain, they wouldn't have remained faithful. So, what kept them on was a hope. A hope. Do you get the point I'm making? There was a hope that the labor is not in vain. And mind you, the hope that kept them on is that their hope is in a mortal person whose life is in His nostril like this. Men were enduring, they remain steadfast, putting hope in mortal men. Now, if we can believe that our hope is not in vain in a mortal man, how much more should we hope when God says that, "Just remain steadfast. Just remain unmovable. Keep doing what I ask you to be doing. In Me, your labor is not in vain." Is there a reason to continue hoping? Is there a reason to persist? We have every reason why we must persist. We have every reason why we must continue laboring, persisting, being there, standing with what Jesus represented because we know that the person who said is not in vain, He will come and He will surely come. That is one line. I take you to the second line. The second line I'm showing you in this discussion about your duty post, I'm talking about your duty post, is that He says, "Be steadfast, be unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." As much as your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Now, this scripture is talking about the ultimate reward. Is that not? But I want to ask you, brethren, in the workings of God, the reward that God brings, do you notice that it is not often the ultimate? There are rewards in time and here. Do you understand me? What I'm saying is that the reason why God says we should remain steadfast, unmovable, abounding in the work is because ultimately He will come. But in the way God operates, in the way God deals with us, you will notice that there are several material and physical rewards. God don't wait only till the ultimate to reward us. There are reward physically, there are rewards. There are rewards for uprightness, there are rewards for sincerity, right here and here. Are there not rewards? There are several rewards. I give you a good example. The promotion of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, was it in heaven? Was it not something physical? When Joseph became second in command to the king, was it when Jesus came to bring him back to life? When he stood against sin and evil, was it not in time? It was in time. When they took Paul to prison, and Silas, flogged them, flogged them, flogged them and threw them into the prison, and they were inside the prison, and they were still by their duty post. Instead of weeping and crying and doing whatever, what were they really doing? Paul and Silas, they sang, they prayed, and the Holy Ghost came down. A pastor was demonstrating that, just trying to create a graphic and dramatic something. Of course, he said he was just trying to, it's not that that was what he saw, but was trying to create a drama out of it. That the gate when they were just singing, and they were singing and singing and singing. God was so impaired that, "Uh huh, even inside prison." God was doing good, God was doing good. The earth just began to earthquake. That all led to the earthquake. Anyway, was trying to make it dramatic. But the point was that, was it when Jesus came that they got the victory there? Was it not in time? Was it not here and here? That an earthquake came, that all the chain of the prison were off? And the people who threw them into prison was the one begging them again, "Please, please, we are sorry. Just... and this people, they gave their life again." Was it an ultimate reward? No. It was here, it was in lifetime. It was here and here. They were rewarded. They met with goodness. They met with favor, they met with mercy, and it was expansion for them. Do you get the point I'm making? What I'm saying is this, God wants us to hope, God wants us to be steadfast in representing what Jesus represented because He say ultimately I'm coming. However, God wants us to keep abounding in the works of the Lord, He wants us to persist, not in His operation with us, He does not always wait to ultimately reward us. There are reward here. I'm saying the much more reason why we must remain steadfast and unmovable is that there are also physical and material reward in this life. There are physical and material reward. However, get this matter. However, the physical and the material reward in this life, they are tied, mark my word, they are tied to always abounding in the work of the Lord. What did I say? The physical and the material reward, they are tied to our always abounding in the work of the Lord. They are tied to it. They are tied, they are... you cannot separate it. And a good scripture that will help you is Galatians 6:9, where He says, "Do not be wearied in well-doing. In this season, you will reap on one condition, if you faint not." Once you faint before the time of reaping, you will not reap. Or another one is Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, let everybody read verse 35. I want to be sure of the verse. Hebrews 10. [Speaker 3] "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." [Speaker 1] Thank you. Now, what did the Bible says there about the reward? He said recompense of reward. What did He now say about the reward? In the next verse. He say you need endurance. You have need of endurance, when? After you have done the will of God. Do you notice it? The only time to become patient is after you have done the will, not before you have done it. You have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you must have abounded in the good works. After you have done the will of God, you now have need of patience to now obtain the promise. I'm showing you why you must abound. That the reward, there are physical, material reward in time. There is an ultimate reward, that is what God points us to. But in dealing with us, God is a Father. He understand that we have need of some thing in this life. And so, God don't always operate from the ultimate. God put some things in between as encouragement for us. But those things that are in between, they are always tied to after you have done the will of God. They are attached to your not being wearied in well doing. Now, let's look at Old Testament and New Testament to quickly prove that. Abraham was waiting for a promise of a child. What did God attach the carrying out of that promise? What did God attach it to? No, no, no. The physical, I'm talking of when God want to physically reward us here, the physical fulfillment. What did God tie it to? He tied it to hospitality. Some people were walking, he didn't know that they were angels. He didn't know. Bible say he entertained angels unaware. He didn't know they were angels. He just saw three men. "Ah, why will you be outside? No, come and stay, come and eat now. Come... no," they said no. He said, "No, don't go." It was when they were eating, they said "Where is Sarah?" Bible now say the Lord said. At that point, they begin to realize that they were not dealing with ordinary men. It was to ordinary hospitality. You see, there was a good thing, there was a will of God, there was something. You must abound in the work of God. Just find out it's the same thing for Lot. Abraham have prayed, prayed, prayed, prayed for the sake of Lot that Lot will not die, so that God will rescue Lot. When the angels got there, they didn't know that they were angels. He didn't know. If he know that they were angels, will he be trying to protect angel? No, he was trying to protect the men. He didn't know they were angels. He said, "Oh, it's getting dark. Ah, big visitor." He had learned that from Abraham. I'm showing what God normally tie physical visitation to, physical thing. Why we must abound in the work of the Lord. And just that night, an angel showed up. Of course, when He showed up, light shone around, light had shone around, all the crops, all everything just left their road. Of course, the Lord of Host is speaking. There cannot be any physical barrier. And then woke up Peter. "Follow me." What happened to all the doors? They opened at their own accord. The gate at its own accord. And Peter was going, whether bodiless or bodily, we don't know. But there's nothing impossible with God. Because nobody was seeing him. The captain, the prisoner, everybody just go and they were... he was not seen. Until Peter got to where he was going. And when he knock the door, a Rhoda came to the door, said, "It's Peter." "Ah, ghost ni," because they didn't to tell you that they didn't even expect that there will be such reward. They were not even thinking that it's going to be such quickly. What I'm saying is that it's not only ultimately that God will give victory over death. There are also in the operations of God, there are material, physical reward along the journey to give us encouragement. But if God have done nothing in between, God want us to wait ultimately. But God don't wait that way. And that is what should give us more reason why we should persist, why we should continue. And He went back to meet them. He said Peter's at the door. "Peter, Rhoda, if you want to talk, know what... know the correct thing to talk. This is a serious prayer time. know what you are... you know the correct thing to talk." I just wonder how they would have looked at her. "Ah, are you sure Peter? How, where, when, how?" But it was Peter. And Peter narrated how God gave him victory and he went to hide somewhere. And eventually all the soldiers, because there was nowhere anybody could have come out out of that place. They killed all the soldier for conspiracy and whatever. He said, "I will give men for your sake." Did God not give men for his sake? God gave men for his sake. It was not ultimately. It was not when Jesus came. It was in time. It was in time. I'm trying to make you see why we must abound. But why we must abound in good works? Because the encouragement that God has for us in time is tied to the abounding in the work. We must remain steadfast, we must remain unmovable, that's true. But we must also abound in the works of the Lord. Because that abounding has reward. It has physical, material reward that are here, that are right, right here, that we must abound and wait for. And we can, but it is after we have done the will of God. Joseph, do you think that God could do anything? Could God have brought out Joseph from that prison without reference to his good work? Could God have done that? He could have done it. But God did not work that way. While he was in prison, he was blackmailed. You will be thinking that he will just fold himself there and not abound again in good works. That boy was in prison, blackmailed into that place, but he was still abounding in the work of the Lord. He knew God had given him a gift. He knew what God wanted him to do with his gift. And he saw men who were down. "Why are you down? Come on, cheer up." "We had a dream." He was using the gift that God had given him, even though he was blackmailed into that place. And he interpreted the dream. And everyone went. He said, "Ah, please help me mention to Pharaoh that I was there." That person forgot. But when God eventually want to come and bring a reward, what did God do? Was it not the reference to that good works? I'm showing you that God, the physical and the material reward, they are attached to your abounding in the work of the Lord. You must remain there. You must be there. You must be at that place. I don't know whether it was in the foundation class that I was giving this case of when I had no food again in school. It was one of our meeting here that I give that testimony. The visitation is tied to, is tied, is tied to it, that material, the one that God will bring in between before ultimately He will come and now conquer death. It's attached to this thing. We must remain steadfast, unmovable. That's true. But we must also abound. Mordecai, could God not have saved him through Esther alone? Is it not possible for God to save Mordecai through Esther alone? Is it not possible? God could have just spoken to the king, just changed his mind like he changed out of Nebuchadnezzar. But that was not what God did. Rather, God want him, there's a good work that have not been rewarded. Is that not? The king could not sleep, and then God moved his mind, moved his mind, moved his mind, there's a work. That's why I tell people, if God want to visit you, where are your records? Where are your records? I'm talking of abounding in the work of the Lord. Abound in the work of the Lord. Is there a record that God will need to make a king not to sleep? God will need to make somebody not to sleep that because there's a something that you must be rewarded in time as an encouragement to keep you going. You know, even though in the whole of the book of Esther there was no "thus saith the Lord," there was no "Lord," there was no "Jehovah," there was no "God." Will you say God is not present in all of that thing? That's why I tell people, it's not only when you hear "Thus saith the Lord!" No. How much is our life embedded in the things of God? It's so important. Our daily life can be so embedded in the things of God because we are careful how we live. That man was just a gatekeeper. There was no "thus saith the Lord," but say the king could not sleep and they begin to search. But you know God was working because somebody was faithful to God. Somebody was abounding in the work of the Lord. So, God was working in that physical situation. God was busy working, God was doing something in the physical situation. God was working because the person too was what? He was faithful to God. He was faithful to God. And God was working. Even though there was no "thus saith the Lord," God was working. Working in all and working through all. So much so that Haman came very early, God have worked much more earlier. You know if the king have said, "Okay, we'll see what we'll do by next tomorrow," or even by the end of the day, "I will call some meeting." But right then and there, the king wanted to reward, right then and there because if it's not right then and there, something else will overtake that reward. And right then and there, God also arrange it. It was the man who planned to kill him that also quickly entered that morning. And before he could make request, the king made his own request first. "What can be done?" And then quickly answer the king's request. When he was through, he didn't bother to make his own request again because his request would not be necessary. If the king has honored somebody, you cannot request for that person that you want to kill him. So his request was no longer necessary. I'm just showing you how God can work in sequence of time. Sequence of time. I want you to mark my word. Mark this thing as I'm telling you today. It is impossible for God to forget the faithful. It is impossible for God to forget the faithful. I tell you, be faithful to God. In secret and in open. Be faithful to God. Be faithful. It is impossible for God to forget the faithful. God remembers the faithful. It may look like things will turn, everything will look... look, there's God. There's a place for the faithful in the heart of God, in the workings of God. God don't forget the faithful. So, there is a place of steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of God. When it looks like it doesn't make sense, is it relevant? What is the benefit in it? It continued. Just continue. Steadfast, unmovable. Steadfast, unmovable. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. I showed you another one. Herod killed James. He saw that the thing pleased the Jews. What did he do again? He took Peter. Bible said after he took Peter, put Peter in prison. But this time, the church arose. What was the good work? Did not Jesus talk about prayer? Say, "Ask and you will receive." So they entered into the place of prayer. That what Jesus represented. And they began to ask. They prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed. Vigil was going on. Peter must not die. Did God respond to the good work? God responded. I'm talking of abounding the work of the Lord in the face of suffering, abounding, continue. What does Jesus represent? What does Jesus stand for? Abounding in the work of God. And just that night, an angel showed up. Of course, when he showed up, light shone around, light had shone around, all the crops, all everything just left their road. Of course, the Lord of Host is speaking. There cannot be any physical barrier. And then woke up Peter. "Follow me." What happened to all the doors? They opened at their own accord. The gate at its own accord. And Peter was going. Whether bodiless or bodily, we don't know. But there's nothing impossible with God. Because nobody was seeing him. The captain, the prisoner, everybody just go and they were... he was not seen. Until Peter got to where he was going. And when he knock the door, a Rhoda came to the door, said, "It's Peter." "Ah, ghost ni," because they didn't... to tell you that they didn't even expect that there will be such reward. They were not even thinking that it's going to be such quickly. What I'm saying is that it's not only ultimately that God will give victory over death. There are also in the operations of God, there are material, physical reward along the journey to give us encouragement. But if God have done nothing in between, God want us to wait ultimately. But God don't wait that way. And that is what should give us more reason why we should persist, why we should continue. And eventually all the soldier, because there was no where anybody could have come out out of that place. They killed all the soldier for conspiracy and whatever. He said, "I will give men for your sake." Did God not give men for his sake? God gave men for his sake. It was not ultimately. It was not when Jesus came. It was in time. It was in time. I'm trying to make you see why we must abound. But why we must abound in good works? Because the encouragement that God has for us in time is tied to the abounding in the work. We must remain steadfast, we must remain unmovable, that's true. But we must also abound in the works of the Lord. Because that abounding has reward. It has physical, material reward that are here, that are right, right here, that we must abound and wait for. And we can, but it is after we have done the will of God. Look at this text, look at what the Bible says here. Psalm 101:6. "Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me." Do you see it? What did God say about His eyes? His eyes is on the faithful of the land. God knows everyone in the land. I want you to notice. In the land, He say in the land, in the land, on earth, His eyes is on the faithful. God cannot forget the faithful. Go and mark my word. Only look as if everything, it looks as if will anything work again? We looked as if, ah, things may not be better, it looks as if. Mark my word, God cannot forget the faithful. His eyes are on the faithful in the land. His eyes is on the faithful in the land. Look at Psalm 31:23. "O, love the Lord, all you his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer." The Lord does what? Preserves the faithful. And fully does what? Fully repaid the proud doer. Yeah. The Lord rewards the faithful and fully repaid the proud person. I'm just showing you this scripture so that you can... there's one more scripture I want us to read. Let me see if I can quickly get it. Psalm 18:26. "With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward." Other translation, what's other translation? What's as much as as possible? 18:26. "To the pure, you show yourself pure. But to the crooked, you show yourself shrewd." I hope you get what is trying to say in that place. To the pure, what does God do? If you are also froward, if you are perverse, what does God do? God also show Himself to be what? I'm showing you that God has two side. He say He preserve the faithful, His eye on the faithful. Men who remain steadfast, men who remain unmovable. He shows Himself faithful. He shows Himself pure. He shows Himself good to them. And to the froward too, men who are not steadfast. Run here, run there, run here, run there. Easily movable. Neither here nor there. God also show Himself what? He also show Himself froward. shrewd. crooked. Too. And know how to also show you that you cannot outsmart Me. Bible say He take the crafty in their craftiness. He also makes them see that look, there's something about it. The concluding line as we close. It is impossible for God to forget the faithful. It is impossible for God to forget the faithful. I tell you, be faithful to God. In secret and in open. Be faithful to God. Be faithful. It is impossible for God to forget the faithful. God remembers the faithful. It may look like things will turn, everything will look... look, there's God. There's a place for the faithful in the heart of God, in the workings of God. God don't forget the faithful. So, there is a place of steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of God. When it looks like it doesn't make sense, is it relevant? What is the benefit in it? It continued. Just continue. Steadfast, unmovable. Steadfast, unmovable. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. I'll show you another one. Billy Graham was interviewed after the 9/11 attack. How could God let something like this happen? And Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful answer. He said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are. But for years, we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government, and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?" In light of recent events, terrorist attacks, school shootings, etc., I think it started when Madalyn Murray O'Hair, she was murdered her body found in 2001, complained she didn't want prayer in our school. And we said okay. Then someone said we better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said okay. Then Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. Dr. Spock's son committed suicide. He said an expert should know what he's talking about, and we said okay. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know what is right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably if we think about it long and hard enough, I think we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with we reap what we sow. Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world is going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. For now, we can send jokes through email and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through our cyberspace, but public discussions of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. What that simply translates to mean this morning as we close is this. As Christians, we have a duty and the duty is to do the work of God. That's our duty post, that we do the work of God. How are we to do it? Steadfast, unmovable, abounding in it. What is the work of God? The work of God is everything that Jesus represented. Anything that Jesus doesn't represent, it's to believe in Him who God has sent. Believe in Him who God has sent. What did He say? What did He do? What did He preach? What did He give? What did He offer? Are there promises? Are there instruction? Are there commandment? Are there counsel? It could be anything. Even the resting on His promises. You know you're representing Him. It's not only instruction. Even resting on His promise that I am with you to the end of the world. When you say He is with me, what are you doing? You are abounding in the work of the Lord. When you rest on His promise, that is what I said that the work of the Lord is so diverse. Everything that represent Jesus. Let us be steadfast. And even in the ordinary small, small things. In our ordinary quiet time. If I look back to the over 30-something years of walking with God, big major decisions of life, they came during quiet time. Not because we were going there to say, "God, speak on this matter." But as we were just in His presence. Just He say, "Wole, note this, note this, note this, note this. You need to be aware that this is going to come to pass in the nearest future. This will happen during service. This will happen like this. This is going to be that." and He'd just be talking. The Bible says the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. God has secrets and God like any other person, you don't tell your secret to just anybody. When you have serious plan for your life, do you just call anybody? Do you even go before the fellowship and say, "Brethren, I have this serious plan for my life. I am planning..." It will be some one or two persons that will know. Your intimate. The same thing. God said, "Will I do a thing without showing it to Abraham?" because he was a what? He was a friend. They shared this intimacy together. And God said, "Ah, it's an offense not to tell Abraham. Abraham should know. Abraham should know. Abraham should know what I want to do. He need to know." There were some things He saw in him. The size of God is a function of the distance from which you are looking at Him. When God looks so insignificant in our life, it's because we are far away. When God look like a noise that just pass in the air, you see distance. Depend on the distance between you stand from this. Depend on the distance between you stand of this. The distance with which we stand in relation to God determines many of these things. What is the size of God in your every day life depends on the distance from which you are looking at Him. Let us pray.