Remeber How Thou Received

[Intro Music] Long live the king in the Lord. We open the door. We open the door. We open the door. He’s jumping up the stairs. Little hope in the eyes. He brings us the faith of light. We rejoice, we rejoice. He brings us the faith of light. He brings us the faith of light. We rejoice, we rejoice. He brings us the faith of light. [Speaker 1] 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 on Family Table Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] Today, we are looking at something very, very important as we start up the year. Somebody asked me a question. The person said, "Sir, God promises for long life, is it not for Christians?" And the person asked me, "God promises for long life, is it not for Christians? Is it not for Christians?" I said, "Yes. I said yes." "But what about sometimes you find that some believers die very young and they are Christians? 25, 35, 31, even 16." He said, "So does it mean that God promises?" I now said anyway, I said, "What do you mean by long life?" He said, "Long life. God promises for long life is that we want to live long, we want to die at a very old age, something like that." I said, "But Jesus never lived long if that is the definition for long life." He said, "No, no, that's Jesus is special. Jesus is special." I said, "Who can be more special if we talk of God's promises for long life other than the Son in whom he is well-pleased?" What was God's testimony about Jesus? He said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I'm well-pleased. Hear ye him." I said that promise, what do you think it should apply to more? Now the person was confused. I now said something. I said, "Yes, God's promises for long life is for the believer, but please understand long life in terms of God's eternal purposes and plan. At the point in which our purposes expire, then we don't have need again of the body. So our purposes determine how long or how short we stay. The purposes of God for our lives determine how long or how short. And it's important for us to know that the purposes of God, they can by no means be interrupted." Do you know what that means? It means that, the Bible says by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie—what are the two things? What are the two things concerning God's counsel for our lives? That is serious. Who knows where it is in the Bible? Brethren. Brethren. He said by two things, I'm quoting scripture, in which it is impossible for God to lie, God wanting to show the heir of promise that his counsel for their life cannot be altered. These are scriptures that must not leave you. I will give you the homework. I won't tell you where it is. Go and look for it, but I will quote it. He said God made a promise and he also confirmed it with an oath. Having nothing greater with which he can swear, he swore by himself that his counsel for our life can never be altered. What it means is that your days, God's to fulfill, God has committed himself to fulfilling your days. What that implies is that until you are through with the purposes of God, nothing can kill you. It is not death that kills. It is not sickness that kills. It is not accident that kills. They are just means; they are not the killer. These are things we must realize. That is why some people go in an accident, you see the car somersaulted 300 times, they will come out unscarched. Have you not heard that before? And somebody else, they just hit the person small, and before they get to the hospital the person is dead. Some people enter into sickness, they stay on that sickness for months, and after some time they will come out again and they will be alive. Have you not seen such before? And some, they just had a headache. Before they could do anything, the person is dead. The point I'm making is that we don't need to fear all these instruments or means by which people die. They are not the things. God said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?" Two sparrows. They are sold for a penny. He says yet one does not fall to the ground without the consent of your Father. He says, "Fear not, you worth more than many sparrows." You know what he's trying to say? He's saying two sparrows, they are sold for one penny. What does that imply? There's no value placed on one. You have to bring two for you to have the lowest monetary value. Yet, one doesn't fall to the ground without God's consent. That is, even what men don't value cannot die except God want it to die. How much more human life that has value? How much more human life that has value? He said so fear not, you worth more than many sparrows. He said even the hairs of your head, they are numbered. All of these give us assurance that we don't need to fear death. But we need to be certain that death will come when it will come. However, we have assurance as scripture that until my purposes expire, I cannot die. And I'm telling you, if your walk with God is indeed a walk with God, somehow as your day draws near, you start getting prayer. Even though you don't know which day exactly. It's just like the coming of the Lord. You won't know the actual day. But will it take us by surprise? [Congregation: No.] All this [unclear: ombo la wo soma, ombo bi ole loru, ombo o fe re de], it's not talking to Christians. I hope you know. Are you aware it's not talking to Christians? [Congregation: Yes, sir.] Who is not aware it's not talking to Christians? He says the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, "peace and security," sudden destruction will come upon them all of a sudden. He said, "But you, you are not of the night that that day should take you unawares." We don't know the exact day. But if the coming of the Lord takes you by surprise, you will not be raptured. As the day draws nearer, if you're truly walking with the Lord, deep calls unto deep. You start having a premonition. You start having a consciousness. We have that with one of our sisters in our own fellowship. She died last year. As her going draws near, certain burdens began to come up within her. She began to do what she has never done all her life. She began to prepare. She began to fast. She began to do several things within a short time. She began to weep and cry, telling men, "Look, remove every debris. The Lord is coming! The Lord is coming!" It was just the following weekend that she left. Certain things cannot just take you unawares. Let's deepen our walk with the Lord. Let's move in. Let's move closer. Let's draw in. Don't let us be artificial Christianity, no. Let us be Christians of depth. Christians that dig inside, that go inside. The bombardment from the world and the push from the world is drawing us to be at surface. People hardly ask you today, "How deep are you digging?" People ask you more, "How are you making it? What are you doing now? You've finished, what of your PhD?" The world is drawing you more for things that are external. I'm not saying these things are in themselves wrong. But the believer should understand that our kingdom does not belong here. As much as we need these things, they are just means to an end for us. They are not end in themselves. And so, beyond all of these things, we draw, we draw. There's something more valuable. Do you know that everybody has the tendency to be careless? Do you know that? But the wisdom is this: our carelessness shows up over things that are priceless in our lives. Everybody has the tendency to be careless. We all have the tendency to be careless. It doesn't matter. But what I want you to sit down and understand is that our carelessness, they manifest, they show up over things that are priceless in our lives. Things that don't have value. Things that are not precious. When something is precious to you, your careless trait will not show up. You will be diligent with it. You will be careful with it. When you see yourself being casual with certain things, it is because to you, it has no value. Everybody has the tendency to be careless. But the wisdom is that, check men who are careless with things, it is things under which they have not put a price. If you have put a price on something and say, "Wow, this price is massive. This thing is precious," you will notice. Look at the way some of you handle your phones, your Android phones. You always want it to be with you. You always want it to be careful. "Where's my phone?" It is because of that. But check, you may not be doing like that with your biro. All I'm saying is that out there, the world, our environment is not pushing us to go deeper and deeper and deeper in the Lord. It is more surface and artificial. But let's understand that we only occupy this thing that people are putting so much of their energy on for just a while. I am not this body. I only live inside it. When this body drops, what you see is just my remains. It's not me. I have moved ahead and will leave this body. So this body is not the focus. We transcend it. I'm an eternal being. That is the reality under which we should live. We are not mortal beings. It is this body that is mortal. We are eternal! We cannot die! We only transist. They say, "Ah, brethren, see, this brother have died. Ah, look at him." It's not him. He only left that tent and will be there just for a while. Nobody will be there permanently. We'll be in it for a while. But the way the world is acting, we have placed so much priceless price on that tent, that the thought of leaving it terrifies us. Because all our investment is on the tent and it's in the tent. It's not on ourselves. Invest into yourself, not into this tent. Invest beyond the tent. Because the tent is just a food for maggots. Maggots will eat it. But after you have transcended out of this thing, that's the reality. What have you invested into yourself? Who are you outside this thing? If we put down this thing, and we drop the certificate, we drop marriage, we drop children... We came here naked, we're going to go back naked. After we drop all of them, who are you? Wisdom, the man that will use this body as a means to an end, because he will drop it. That's the essence of it. He said, "Sacrifice and offering thou does not desire, but a body have thou prepared me." It's just a prepared thing to serve God. If that is not the primary thing you use it for, oh, you're an unfortunate person. It was just prepared, it was given you for service while you are here. That is the primary purpose of life. And that's why Ecclesiastes said something. He said, "Hear the conclusion of the matter." What is the conclusion? Fear God and keep his command. For what? This is the whole duty of man. Man doesn't have any other duty. If as I'm pursuing my first degree, it's not with the fear of God, I'm a fool. I can pass chemistry 101 by cheating. Then I'm a moron. My duty is not to get chemistry 101, it's to fear God. Do you understand what I'm saying? If I'm living my life, I'm trying to get a job, and I'm changing my age and lying to get it, I'm a fool. My duty is not to get job. My duty is to fear God. So as I'm getting the job, I'm asking myself, "Is this in the fear of God?" If I'm running around to get sister because I want to marry, I'm not wise. Because my duty is not to marry. My duty is to fear God. In getting the wife, did I fear God? Our duties transcend achieving and getting and obtaining. Our duty is fear the Lord. That's our whole duty. That's our whole duty. And so, as calendar changes again from '16 to '17, it's important for us to get something clear. If the purpose of God has expired in 2016, I would not have been here in 2017. Do you get the point I'm making? If God bring me into '17, it is because of what? There is still something to be done for him. The purpose can finish in '17 and it may transcend again into '18. But the focus is not talking of time, time, time. It's focusing on the purpose, to understand it, to know it, to follow it. The more you understand it, the more you know how much time you have left. Do you understand it now? Do you know that as you're pursuing that purpose, he said, "Look, my meat is to do the work of him that sent me, and to do what? And to finish it." Now note it. As he was moving and was moving, and the purpose was expiring, was it not clear to him? It was clear. At Gethsemane, prayed, said, "Look, the person who will betray me is coming. The purpose is getting over gradually." He said, "Look, the Son of Man will be delivered to sinners and they are going to kill him." And eventually he was delivered. He knew that by time they got to Pilate and they are going around the judgment, and they are turning it and they are turning it, but Jesus wasn't expecting that the judgment will turn for justification. No. He wasn't expecting it. He knows that even though it's going to be injustice, wickedness will prevail. So it did not perturb him. He submitted to it. You say, "Ah, but that is only about Jesus." It is not true. Let me show you some other men. When Jacob was about, I want to take you back to ever before grace appeared, when Jacob was about to die, did he not know? He called his sons, he said, "Come, let me tell what will happen in the latter days." And when he finished blessing them, what did he do? He gathered himself together and he left. But what I want to show you about Jacob is that no matter how scattered your life is, you can still walk with God. Jacob was a very scattered man. He Jacobed his brother, he Jacobed his father, he Jacobed Laban. Laban too Jacobed him. But even at the end of the day, Jacob was made Israel and as a prince he prevailed with God. So it doesn't matter how scattered... that is why I believe in people. I believe so much in people. I believe there is no life that God cannot put together. But look at how it went. Leave that man, let's come into the New Testament. What did Paul say towards the end? In fact at a point, he said, "Ah, I long to be away from this body." Did you read that about him? He said, "And that would have been better." He said, "But for your sake, if I stay here, I'll be able to teach you more." He said, "So what will I do now? Do I tell God that I should be coming or because of you I should wait?" And he start even dealing with death. Death that we are speaking to every Christian. I want to see how men who walk with God handle death. He said, "I don't even know which one I should choose. Which of them will I choose?" Brethren, let's be practical with today's Christianity. The kind of things that we are doing today with Christianity. When we are not made to see our whole duty. When it looks like we have other duty apart from our whole duty. The Bible explains why... okay, let us pray now. "Not my head, not my blood." And that is not a wrong thing to pray, for God to preserve us. He asked us to ask or else we'll not receive. Is that not true? So the prayer is not a wrong thing. But what I'm saying is that, look at the intensity, the tenacity, the spirit, the fervency with which that prayer is prayed, with when you tell men, "Pray so that we can understand the words of God." "Father, in the name of Jesus, we need to understand your purpose in the name of Jesus." But you say, "Brethren, it's like somebody will die. Now we need to pray that nobody will die." Check whether people will not get phone. You will hear, "Ah! Father!" You will see those kind of things. So it is not the prayer that is my problem. I'm only saying that we become negligent and careless over things that we don't value. That's why the prayer can be, "Father, I want to know you in the name of Jesus." Okay, look at it. You are texting with your phone. We become negligent and careless because the price on it is not much. I don't want to criticize the need for us to pray for preservation. I hope you get the point I'm making. But I'm talking of what's your attitude? What's your intensity? What's the thing you pursue? See how you pursue them, you will know what actually you worship. So the point I'm making is that as we trip again from '16 to '17, I want to just announce to you, like I told them on Monday in discipleship class, that the Lord is saying, if your purpose has expired in '16, there'll have been no need to bring you into '17. It is not because you did not live long, but it's because your purpose has expired. But if you've crossed into '17, it's because the purpose still remains. That's the way to look at life, and that's the correct way to see it. It is important to know, just like my brother said, that it's about our salvation. Jesus actually died to give us eternal life. He didn't die to give us mortal life. You don't obtain salvation for a mortal life. You obtain salvation for what? Eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." If we have eternal life, then there would be no need for Jesus to die. What I mean is that ever before he came, men have been rich. Have men not been rich? Ever before he came, men have been living for 120. Men even live for 930, 969. Is that not true? Men have been living for 120, 140, 160. Men have been marrying, they've been giving birth, they've been going to school. Is that not true? But God gave his Son to men who have all of these before. They have all those things. But with all those things, there was no eternal life. What was bothering God about man is not that man was not rich. It's not that man was not educated. It's not that man was not marrying. It's not that man was not spending calendar days. That was not what was bothering God. What made God to do that something that we call unmeasurable love—you cannot measure the love—what made God to go through a death so gruesome, what made God to go through all of the suffering and all of those things was not because men don't have mortal life. Men have mortal life. They've been marrying, they've been living for 20, 40, 300 years, for 960 years, all of those things were going on. But yet, God saw that these ones, they are perishable. God had to take a step. In spite of all those things, the life of man was vacant. It was nothing. And so God took a step to give eternal life. It's important for us to realize, look around you today. The richest, they are the holiest? Look around you today, the richest are the holiest? The most educated are the ones whose work with God is surpassed most? Can we down it now to our nation? Who is the richest among us in our own nation? Who among us have been termed among the richest in our own nation? In our own nation, can we name some of them? Dangote? Any other one again that we know? Okay, let's just use one person as the richest. He has no rival. Okay, he's in Africa too, but he's still Nigerian. Let's look at our own Nigeria. How do you describe him in terms of your Christian faith? The point I'm trying to bring out is that, did he need Jesus to get that one? Did he need Jesus to get it? So why do you think you need Jesus to get it? Why are you thinking that way? Don't let people fool you. You don't need Jesus to get that. That is not why Jesus died. You can get that without Jesus. Those things, they are just what we call gift of providence. God makes it to his creations, they are just creational gifts. So whether you fear God or you don't fear God, as long as you work hard, you do this, you will get them. You don't need Jesus for it. You must understand that actually, God loves his creation. He's a God of love. He makes it to rain upon both the wicked and the good. You must get these things clear. So even the wicked, the wicked say, "God, I need a wife, I need a car," God will give wife, will give children, and their children will do well. Have you not seen such things before? So if you're thinking of doing well, doing well, that is actually thinking of Jesus, then you're a fool. All those things have been before Jesus went to the cross. I'm trying to show you what you need Jesus for and what you don't need Jesus for. I'm trying to show you how we received. What happened along the line? I really don't know that suddenly the essence of Jesus now is to make money. The essence of Jesus now is to be most educated. The essence of Jesus now... how the thing shifted, I did not know. But I'm only showing you. The reason why some of you are trying to do your devotion very well so that God can make me pass. Even if you don't do it well, you will still pass. There are people who say, "God, there is no God." Are they not passing? Check your footer, have you not seen some doing well? They have been graduation. So what are you saying? Don't do your devotion, don't do anything, you will still pass. God gives it to both the wicked and the good, he does. So if that is why you are doing your devotion, you are praying, "I want to be in fellowship so that God can make me pass," you're a fool. There are higher things to pursue with Jesus. There are higher things! That is what I'm trying to make you remember. Suddenly we've forgotten. We've forgotten how we received. There's a need to remind ourselves again of how we received. So that you don't think that God is somewhere carrying a stick in his hand, "You, okay, you did not do devotion today, okay you, I'll make sure you come out with second class." If that is what you are thinking about God and you are following God, please forget it. If you leave God, he can still give you first class because he's giving it to those who... he gives it to rain upon both the good and the wicked. He does. So whether you don't do it or you do it, people, that is not why Jesus went to the cross. He went to the cross to give eternal life. If anybody is not truly following him, what the person will not have is eternal life. It's not mortal life. You have mortal life. If you carry your book, leave Jesus, carry your book, read very well, do all the test, get there, you will pass. So don't think that is why you are pursuing God. We should get this very, very clear. Rather, what I need Jesus for is this academics that I want to do. How will I do it in a way that is godly and upright and in the love of God? That is what you need Jesus for. But if it's to get the A and the B, it's not about Jesus primarily. That is a God factor. It's a providential gift. If you understand this thing, I am saying that Jesus died to make us godly. He died to raise a people to himself, a peculiar people that says no to ungodliness. That say no to worldly love. You don't need Jesus to get a wife. But you need Jesus that when you are dating, it is pure and it is holy. That's what you need Jesus for. But if it's to marry a lady, you don't need Jesus. It's a providential gift. Unbelievers, are they not marrying? But what is the difference? It is not in holiness, it is not in righteousness. They cannot keep the whole duty of man, which is to fear God. That's the difference. Because when I enter campus today, and they say we are following Jesus and doing everything, and we don't see a different relationship from what is obtained among unbelievers, so we know these ones, they don't know Jesus. They don't understand the essence of Jesus. You will always get a lady to marry without Jesus. The reason why you're a follower of Jesus is that when we look at how the relationship went, we will see the fear of God. That's the only difference. You don't need Jesus to have children. The only difference we will see is that we will see that these children, they are for signs, they are for wonders. That's the only difference. I'm showing you living beyond the mortal life. Living beyond the mortal life. We have reduced the essence of Jesus to what? To having mortal life. And I feel the Lord ringing again in my spirit. It is not because of mortal life that God bring you into 2017. If your purpose had expired in '16, you will not have entered 2017. It is not because you did not live long, but it's because your purpose has expired. But if you've crossed into '17, it's because the purpose still remains. That's the way to look at life, and that's the correct way to see it. It is about his purpose. It's about keying into it. It's about entering into it. It's about following, it's about understanding it. That is what we need Jesus for. That is what we need Jesus for. The Bible says that Jesus has broken the wall of partition that separate between us and him, he took away the enmity thereof so that God and man can be one, they can talk again. So that as many as are led by the Spirit of God are actually the sons of God. So they can fellowship again, they can talk and say, "Okay God, I'm living it, what is it that you want me to do now? Okay, leave this one, this other one." That is the essence of Jesus. He came to break the wall of partition. He said we justified by faith, we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him, we have access into this grace wherein we stand. He said by a new and a living way, he has made a new way for us through what? Through his blood. So that having torn the veil that is separating us from God, we can have access unto him. That is what we need Jesus for. That's the essence of Jesus. That's the absolute essence. But this why you are tenaciously doing everything is so that you can live mortal life. It's so unfortunate. That is why several believers have remained very superficial and artificial. They don't appear as men who have eternal life because they have reduced eternal life to what? To mortal life. As long as they have A in chemistry, A in physics, A in that—ah! God is good! He has done me well! Even if you don't serve God, people are having As, do you realize that? What I'm saying is that, have you ever read once in scripture that heaven rejoices that a man build a new house? That he got a car? Have you ever heard such rejoicing before? Have you ever read one? And then the heaven opened and God was pleased because somebody had first class. Is it that God don't give this thing? Do you know why it does not bother God? Because they are providential gift. You don't need to be in fellowship with God to have those things. You don't need to be in fellowship with God for those things because even his enemies, he's also giving them. He's not giving his enemies? So what is better that you have done for him that he wants to rejoice over as he's your child? Then you've made first class. And so? His enemies have that too. That does not show you are his child. There are better things to prove his children because his enemies too have all of those things. And ever before Jesus died, people have been having that and they are still having it. So that is not the core joy of a Christian. Yes, we make us happy, but it's not the core joy of a Christian. If that is your core joy, then it's so unfortunate. That is not the core joy! The core joy of a Christian is, "Abba, do you know that I'm growing in godliness? Do you know that now I can hear God better? Do you know that I was able to preach and somebody got born again?" That is the core joy of a believer! Do you know that there was this brother that was not living well, and as I prayed the Lord gave me an insight into his... that's fellowship with him. And I went to meet him, and we discussed it, and he confessed to it, and today he's restored. That is the joy of a Christian! That is what sums up our core joy. And the core joy is that we have eternal life. Our joy is not that we have mortal life. It's not the core of our joy. We are happy if we have them because they are good. But that is not our joy. That's why you never see the Bible says heaven rejoices that somebody build a house or buy a car. But the Bible says there is joy in heaven over one soul. That tells you the focus of God. When eternal life is on. Note that the kingdom of God is not eating and in drinking. Does that mean we should not eat and drink? Don't we eat and we drink? Because we need to take care of the body. But he said that is not in it. So don't think I'm saying that when you get to school don't read your book again, go and throw away your book, that's not what I'm saying. I left my department as the best student from my department. God willing, I should be through with my PhD this year. I'm going for my external defense. So for you to know that I'm educated. I'm only trying to get you to understand that I'm saying that this is not our joy! Several men who don't know God have top-class PhD. So that you think the heaven is now rejoicing, "Hey, my son PhD." Not why God will rejoice. God rather what God will check is, did he tell lie in writing this final term? Did he write anything that he did not do in the field? Look at the work God wants to check that will give him joy. That it was obtained by godliness and uprightness. "Ah, he kept the whole duty. I was recognized." That is the one that God rejoices over. Whether you got PhD, God is just... forget about it. That's nothing. That's nothing. Let's remember how we received. What we received was eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have eternal life." That is what we received. That is what we got. There was nothing more that we received apart from this.