Remember How You Have Receive

[Music] [Speaker 1] Let us conclude our discussion on the secret path to rest, particularly the implication of that path for our lives as disciples. You know, what is the implication of that for our lives as disciples? And we raised several issues. But just before I capture what we said last week, I like this aspect of asking individuals if they have something to say. Maybe something that was of blessing to them, something that maybe in the course of the week became clearer, or something that they want to share with us as a way of testimony relating to the topic: The Secret Path to Rest, implication for our lives as disciples. Is there anybody that has something to say? [Speaker 2] Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. I was so blessed last week. I learned that you cannot do anything by our own power, that everything about us is centered around God. We need God, even the least thing in our life. We still need God, that God is in control of everything. So, I learned that it is always good to totally rely and depend on God, because it is only in Him we can find the rest we are looking for. [Speaker 1] Thank you. Even the least thing. That is one major thing last week. Even the least thing. Okay, second person. [Speaker 3] Yes, so what I learned and seeing it from the scripture for the first time in that passion is the fact that we cannot keep ourselves. You said as far and me as perfect as Adam was, he couldn't keep himself from falling. Wow. And I was looking at his state at that time. He was a perfect man that could decipher the heart of God, the mind of God, even while he was sleeping and woke up and really knew this is what God did. As perfect as he was, he couldn't keep himself from falling. And as you would have thought, that is a man, that is a human being. But even as powerful as angels were or are, they cannot keep themselves. They still fell with Lucifer. It really caught my heart. It made me to know, oh, every step I must depend on God. I must look unto Him. It may look perfect to me, like the Bible says that the way of a man is okay in his own eyes. That is true. But seeing these two examples made me to know that as I see it as good, may not mean it is good. So many things that are good are not godly. So that one really caught my heart. [Speaker 1] Thank you. Any other person? Okay. [Speaker 4] In fact, the two major things that were captured last week has been said already. King Asa depended on God when he had a major battle. Bible says King Asa called upon the Lord his God, and God delivered him. But on another occasion, it was ordinary the king of Israel that was to come against him, and he felt this one is a walkover. I don't need to call God on this one. Why do I need to call God? I know what to do now. He just took money out of the king's house and sent it to the king of Damascus and said, "Please, king of Damascus, look, let's have an agreement together. Go and break the agreement with Baasha, king of Israel, so that he can go away." And so that one agreed with him, and he decided to break his agreement with the king of Israel. So the king of Israel could not fight again, and so he went back. Asa felt, "Okay, I am through with that project." Only for God to tell him that, "Asa, when did it become you taking step by yourself? I thought in everything you will call me. The Ethiopians, were they not a great almighty? You called me, I delivered you. Why didn't you call me again for this one? This time you have done foolishly. From now on, you will be having war." And that was the end. He just felt it was a small project. I don't need God for this one. And honestly, many times we miss it like that. [Speaker 1] Over time, I have also come to notice that it looks like it is only marital matters that is a major matter for prayer in Christendom today. Generally, it is only when people want to marry that it looks like there is a will of God. But in terms of their business, their career, their location, they just calculate, "Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja." They just give calculation and they move. They just calculate like that and they move. But when they now want to marry, "Oluwa mi, ni gbagbo eleyi, Baba." And then God must now do something very... but that is also many times too people miss the will of God because they have not gotten themselves used to God. And so when it comes to the marital junction, it becomes a very difficult thing because you are not used to Him. Something that was so critical for us last week was that we should be careful. Acts said in the book of Acts, "It is in Him we live, we move, and we have our being." Our being is in God. It is so important for us, every breath, every matter, and that is the impulse of pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. "Father, please help me. God, please I need You. Lord, please direct me. Lord, please go with me." You want to pray. You have just woken up for the day, you want to pray. "God, please help me to pray." Every thing calls for dependence on God. And I said something last week that every time remains so much with me. The fact that there was a day I was holding a bunch of keys and for another five, six minutes I was looking for that key, and the key was in my hand. And I was looking for the key. "But I was holding this key now." I searched my pocket, I was searching. It was later I said, "Ah, look at the key in my hand." On that day, I just saw that, "Ah, cursed is he that trusts in man," I am telling you. We are so pitiable, so vulnerable, so weak. How can you be holding something and you are still looking for it and you are searching? No, man, man cannot keep himself, honestly. He cannot keep himself. And the other emphasis was what our sister said. It is the Lord is our keeper. He is the one who keeps us from falling. He keeps us. And I believe He will raise me. I don't know what you believe. I believe that He will raise me on the last day. He will raise me. I believe that He who has begun the good work is also able to finish it. And in our lives, it will be so in the name of Jesus Christ. And we move on today. I just want to call our attention again to another important thing in the life of a disciple, a disciple of Christ. Another very important issue in the life of a disciple. As simple as it is, I notice that it is something that the Lord considers very, very serious. Very, very serious. I want us to go to the book of Revelation, chapter three. It was the message to the angel of the church in Sardis. I will read it and then from there we will pick out our topic. Revelation 3:1-6: "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." We want to consider the topic that I will pick and am picking from the verse three, where the Bible says: "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard." And we are looking at, you know, "Remember how you have received." How you have received. We are looking at this in the life of the believer, because of the issue that the Lord, the matter the Lord raised with this church. This is a church that, of course, known of God, recognized by God. If not, God will not be sending a message to these people. So they are known of God. They are recognized by God. The seven churches that the messages were sent to were churches, were entities, people, individuals that Heaven recognizes. For God to be sending a message to anybody and say that, "Look, take heed, remember how, remember this, remember that," that person is somebody that God recognizes. And so these people, this entity or a group or a people that are recognized by God. And in this recognition, the first thing I want to call your attention to in the message to this church is that verse one: "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, but art dead." Do you notice something here? If you look at some of the earlier churches, before they were told what they had done wrong, they were first commended for what they did right. Do you get what I am trying to say? But this church did not have anything that was done right. There was no commendation before the admonition. There was no commendation. The first thing, "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, but thou art dead." The first thing Heaven was to tell them was that, "Look, people look at you as a believer, but you are not a believer." I don't know whether you get the import of what I am trying to say. It is like saying that people look at you as a disciple, but you are not a disciple. People look at you as brother, but you are not brother, you are "bro." People look at you, and the reason why they looked at him as such, or the church as such, is because the church was once like that. I hope you are getting the... because what He said is "repent." It means they were once like that. If they were not once like that, they would not have been somebody recognized by God. So the first confrontation is that, "Look, everything about you is just camouflage. Everything about you is just impression. You are a very pretentious person, but you are not real. You are so pretentious, it looks like you are, but you are not. And I know your works." And the point is that as much as the Lord knows the work, I don't know one Christian drama that I watched one time. A Christian drama, a brother... can I remember the sequence very well again? Okay, a brother was having a secret sin in his life, so he died. But he was a very fervent brother in the church and had affected so many lives. You know, it is possible that you are affecting lives, but you are not departing from your secret sin. That was the case of that brother. So when he died, they were... they first showed the, you know, people came, condolence book was opened, and then people were writing, "Brother this, this, this, may my life be like his own." You know the option that some of the things we say based on what we know about the person. Their attention was just that if you had known how he ended at the other side of eternity, you wouldn't be saying what you are saying. But so many commendations and then when they got... when the church was to do the burial and whatever, so many things were said, "Brother this labored, brother that labored, he did that, he did that." But when they showed the brother on the other side of eternity, it was a different story. "But you did this, but you did that, but you did that, but then eventually the brother woke up. It was a dream." And what exactly happened was that the brother was in a secret sin and God had been speaking to him. So God was using that dream to speak to him that, "Look, if you don't repent, this is how you will end." So the point I'm trying to bring out is that it should give us a lot of concern that the person with whom we have to deal knows our work. I don't know whether you understand it. Say, "I know your work." I know it. Others may not know it, but I know. I know your works. And the record is that "thou hast a name that thou livest, but thou art dead." What I want to bring out of that is the fact that your works, the exact estimation of your work is before the Lord. He knows it. In Hebrews chapter 4, he said there is nothing hidden. Everything are bare, naked before Him with whom we have to deal. The person we are accountable to. The Yoruba call Him *Adajomajebjo*. What does that mean? It means you don't need to explain yourself for Him to judge. Why? Because He was ever present when you were doing whatever you were doing, so you don't need to explain to Him. "You see what actually happened..." He was there when it was... He was an eyewitness. So as we try to look at this topic, "Remember how you have received." The first thing I want to tell us as disciples, as followers of the Lord, is for us to know that whether people commend you or they don't commend you for good works, and whether people discover you or they don't discover you for evil works, the Lord knows your work. He knows it. He knows it. You know, it is something that as disciples should make us not to live like them that sleep. It makes us not to live carelessly, not to live anyhow, because we have an understanding that day after day, as we live each day, somebody is taking cognizance of our work. Somebody wants to give a reward of whether good or evil for our works. You see, it is not only about the believers, because if you look at something in Ecclesiastes, let's see something there. Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 14. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Do you get that? God will bring every work to judgment. The works here that God is bringing to judgment is not only about believers, it is about every man. But what I am saying is that as if the Lord wanted the church to know that, "Look, you can't be living carelessly. I know your work." You know, it's not only the work, He should have just made a general statement that, "See, I know the works of all men." But that was not the matter here. He said, "Look, I know..." There is this personal understanding that the Lord wants a disciple to have. Yes, God will judge all men, that is true. But in your personal walk, God wants something to dawn on you that on a daily basis, somebody is taking cognizance of my action. Somebody is taking cognizance. This thing that I'm doing matters to God, whether good or evil. He knows it. He takes notice of it. His eyes are on it. Others may not live as such, but it becometh of a disciple to understand that the Lord knows his work. And that soon becomes a consciousness. And why should that be a consciousness? Is that the Lord... that is where we are going today. The actual topic we are looking at: "Remember how you have received." You see, the Lord measures our work, our actions against what we have heard. I don't know whether you understand that. It is take heed how you have received, what God has told you before, what God has instructed you about, what God has spoken to you, what God has given you instructions about. That's what you are to take heed, remember how you have received. Why must we remember these things? And I said that the Lord looks at our works, our actions against what we have heard, like what we have received. I said let me amplify that a little. Maybe I should amplify that with an example, with two people who said the same thing but received different judgment. I can't remember which topic we were considering and we were looking at the life of Zechariah and the life of Mary. The angel came to Zechariah and said, "Your wife will conceive and she will give birth to a child. Zechariah, your prayers have been answered, your wife will do this, your wife will do that." And Zechariah asked, say that, "Ah, is this the right time that God is now coming to us? Now that we are very, very old. How will this thing be?" He queried the veracity of the message that was brought by Gabriel. What was the consequence? He said, "Okay, me Gabriel, that stands before the Lord, I brought a message and you are querying the veracity. Okay, until this thing comes to pass, you become what? A dumb man." That same Gabriel went to Mary and delivered also a mind-blowing message, that "you are going to have a child." And what did Mary also say? She said, "Ah, how will this thing be, since I don't know a man? I don't have a husband." What did the angel say? He said, "Look, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of the Highest will overshadow you. And this thing that will be born of you shall be called the Son of God." Please, what did Gabriel do in the case of Mary? He was taking time to explain to her how the thing will be. It was the same question that Zechariah asked, though, that he was punished. Why? Zechariah had received so many things. He was a priest. And at his level of receiving, he was expected to understand the impossible. Because he had received so many things. But he did not take heed to how he had received. And he was punished. Mary asked the same question. This is just a virgin. She is not in the rank and file of somebody like Zechariah, who was a priest. And when she asked the same question, she was dealt with based on how she had received. And what was she told? They had to explain to her, because she had not received such a thing before. So she was made to receive the instruction for such a thing now. If subsequently such thing is to happen again, and she is querying it, she will now be flogged. That is why Jesus said, "To whom much is given, much will be expected." And I want to display this matter to you based with the example of our fathers. I keep telling believers, this example of our fathers, please go back to these stories. Read them, read them over and over and over again. They are the shadows of what is to happen to us. Those things, they were written down for our learning so that we wouldn't do what they did. That's the primary reason why they were written down. It's always good, many times I see the Lord by His spirit taking me to those fathers in so many things. I mean, He will take me back to them again because they are the foreshadow of the New Testament disciples. They are the foreshadow. They were told, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." How were we saved? We were saved by the blood of the covenant. Isn't it? They were baptized into Moses, we were baptized into Jesus. They were told, "The Passover lamb, don't break the bone." Isn't it? Why? Jesus' bone will not be broken. They must observe the seven-day of rest, and if they don't observe it, God will kill them. Jesus said, "Come to me, I am the Sabbath. If you don't come to Jesus, you will never have eternal life." So you see this? It's good to always look at them. To look at them because they give us clear examples of how our journey will look like. They are a good shadow. They are like the negative of the reality that we are going to. Do you understand what I am trying to say? They are the negative, we are the printout. You know those things that they used to say, "Go and wash the negative." These days, such technology has been overtaken by new technology. You first go and wash the negative, then you look at the negative. You check it, you check it. "Okay, now you talk of soft copy." Look at the negative. Say, "Okay, this one will be good." Then you now go and print it out. They are like the negative while we are the reality. We are the real image. If you notice what happened at the final judgment that came upon them when God said, "I swear by my name you will not enter into that rest." Go and notice what God said before He made that statement. He said, "Moses, come out from among these people. Let me kill them as one man. For how long will they believe me for all the signs that I have shown among them?" So what was God expecting? What was God expecting from them? That from what they have received, they should take heed to how they have received for their subsequent journey. When they were to go and spy the land and they saw giants and they saw themselves as grasshoppers, what was God expecting from them? "Ah, if God could part the Red Sea, Pharaoh and all his chariot, we don't need to fight. God killed all of them. Ah-ah, if God just by the raising up of the hand of Moses, we finish those Amalekites. No problem, these people will finish them." That was what God was expecting from them. They should take heed to what they have received. That was what God was expecting. But instead of that, only two people said, "Since God is with us, we were able to... we are able to conquer them." The others said, "God has brought us here to kill us." And God said, "Okay, just as you have said in my ear, that's what I'm going to do to you. I will kill you in this wilderness. And I swear to you that you will not enter into this rest." Why? They did not take heed. But look at what God said. I want you to notice this thing. He said, "Your children that you said will die, they will be the ones to..." Why were the children spared? Because as at when those things were happening, they had not received. They had not received. So the children could have cause to fear. They could have cause to say, "Ah, what will happen now?" because they don't know what God did at a particular time. They did not have all those pictures. They could not have it clearly. Maybe some of them have not even been born by that time. And maybe those who have been born, they are still ignorant. Just as everything that we are saying here now, when Enoch will be ten, you want to ask him, "What did you learn from Family Tent Discipleship class?" He will just be looking at you that, "Family Tent? Where is Family Tent located?" Or you want to ask Esther. Except they continue here until they are maybe adolescent and teens, they will not even remember what is Family Tent. Am I correct? Yes. So at this time, those younger ones have not received anything. They have not received. So God could not... God was measuring them based on what they who and what what they have received. The fathers have received and received and received and received. And so God measured them based on what they have received. And that was why He said, "I have not found any of their work... I have not found it perfect. I've not found this perfect." And so God swore, in His wrath God just said, "Okay, I swear you will not enter into my rest." That is why we are looking at this thing. That's why we are looking at this matter. Take heed how you have received. Take heed how you have received. Watch how you have received, what you received and how you received. Watch it. Because God is going to measure you, deal with you, relate to you against what... against how you received, the things you received. He's going to look at your life against that. And when God was looking at this church, please look at it. Let's come back. I believe I've been able to amplify what I want to say from the examples of those churches, those examples of our fathers and then Zechariah and Mary. Now look at something. He says, "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, but art dead." You have a name that you live, but actually you are dead. I know your works. I know it. Others may not know it, but I know it. I'm looking for how to bring out what the Lord... okay, I will use an example to bring this thing out because sometimes even when you say it the way it came to you, it was you who understood it the way it came to you. You understand? But I'm looking for a way to also bring it out that you will be able to understand it. I want to use another example when he says, "I know your works." When God told Saul, "Go and destroy the Amalekite." What is it that Saul received? "Go and totally destroy the Amalekite." That was what he received. Isn't it? What was there with him? Nobody. But that was what he received. Did Saul arise to go to that battle? Did he arise? He arose. Isn't it? Went to the battle. Good. Did he fight the Amalekite? Yes, he did fight. How people... sorry, he did fight. Now the fighting went on. Okay. Now when the fighting was on and the victory was won and the people said, "Please, our king, we want to take some animals and whatever and whatever." And Saul said, "No, no, no, you don't need to take animals. You may not need to take animals." They said, "Ah, let us take some now. Look at the animals!" And Saul said, "Okay, okay, okay, okay. You can take a little for..." "Baba de Baba! We appreciate you! Father, father, father!" and then they went and carried and Saul was looking like a good king. Was he not a good king? Was he not a good king? He was a good king. A generous king. Because he had said, "If you touch that thing, you will die with it. Did you hear me? If you touch even one chick of a chicken, if you touch it, I'm going to kill you with that chick." And he gave command, "Kill everything! Destroy the whole thing! Nobody should touch anything here!" How will he be described? "Omanyiokunrin lara o. Enia buruku ponbele ni. Wicked man! Ordinary... after we fought and God delivered us all from this kind of wicked person. May God give us a generous king." So Saul wanted to be popular. Do you understand me? And I don't know why he spared Agag. I don't know the one for that. You understand me? We don't have the story. But because he said the people wanted to, that's why I'm referring to the fact that to please the people he did what he did. For that of the king, I don't know why he spared that king. Maybe for political alliance, it will be very, very good for extension and expansion of my kingdom. I don't know why he spared Agag. But he later said that the people wanted so he allowed them. So he wanted to please the people. While he was pleasing the people, brethren, Saul was a good disciple. He was rich in good works. How will you rate him? Was he not rich in good works? He was rich in good works. He was a kind man who normally seek the welfare of those that go to battle with him. Isn't it? But I know thy works. What make that work not to be good is that if you place it based on how he received. That's why that work is a bad work. He was told, "Totally destroy." So when He said, "Thou hast a name that thou livest, but actually thou art dead," it means that it is possible to still carry on with so many things that make people describe you as a wonderful Christian. It's possible to still be doing a lot of things that people will look at you and say, "Wow, thank God for this brother." Not brother Shon that is seated, though. People are saying, "Oluwa sheun, Oluwa sheun for you." But the issue about the work is that when we place it against how you received, you are a dead man. You are a dead man. That is what the Lord was trying to make this church understand. When He said, "I know thy works," it means your works in relation to the instructions that we have received as disciples. Let me give you a good example of something. Something happened one day and it became a matter between the believer, the believer, the unbeliever who was the offender, and then I was trying to mediate. So I just encouraged the believer. I said, "Look, the way this thing is, you are a disciple of the Lord. And the Lord has said that even those who despitefully use us, we should do what? We should pray for them." "Ah, Bro. Wale, no problem. O rishirishi adura lowa." I said, "Bro, it is not in this sense. And you know it." No, no, no, no, no. I said, "Bro, it is not in this sense." What I'm trying to make us understand is that whether we are dead or alive is that work in relation to what we received. It is not in relation to how people see it or how it appears to them. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? I give you another example. Somebody gave this example. Something happened between a disciple and the bus conductor, the bus driver. And the brother got so angry. He said, "Look, Jesus apart, me and you today!" and then the whole thing went and went and went and then some felt, "Yes, taba yen ti poju, bo se de pelu ehen lo da." That's the estimation. Didn't he know alive? Isn't he still alive? But in relation to what he has received, is he alive? He is dead. The matter of "I know your works, and that thou hast a name that thou livest." It is important for us as believers to have a clear understanding that the person who judges us is the Lord. You see, Apostle Paul said something that honestly should make us consider our lives very well. He was talking about he that judges him being the Lord. I want us to see something in First Corinthians chapter four. First Corinthians chapter four, I want somebody to read from verse three, verse three and four. First Corinthians chapter four, verse three and four. "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord." Do you get that? Do you get that? What is Paul trying to say? What was he trying to say? Can we read that thing in the NLT translation? NLT. Nobody have that? Let me open NLT Bible here so that maybe it will bring it out a little clearer. First Corinthians four, verse three and four. "As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don't even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn't prove I'm right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide." It is the Lord himself who will do what? Examine me and decide. It is the Lord who will examine me and decide. Why? Why is it the Lord? Because He was the one who gave instruction. We received from Him. He said, "Take heed how you have received." That's what He was telling that church. That you have a name, people are celebrating you. People are thanking God for you. People are saying, "Oluwa sheun for this brother." Not brother Shon that is seated, though. People are saying, "Oluwa sheun, Oluwa sheun for you." But actually, why it may not be bad... are you understanding me? It may not be bad for people to say that. But please be sure. Be sure. Watch to check the celebration vis-a-vis how you have received. There are things that will be happening in your office and people say, "You know shebi Nigeria la wa, nkan to ye ke se gangan niyen yen. It doesn't mean anything." I didn't want to do it, but you said everybody felt it was okay, so it was just okay. Was that how you received? Was that how you received? What did you receive? Because everybody said, "You see, bribery is just motivation." Does that make bribery to become motivation? Everybody is saying, "It doesn't matter. Look, Abraham gangan fe paro, ko si... don't take it too serious. Irole kankan ko she nkankan nkan kekere." "I was just trying to condemn myself too much. I'm even too hard on myself. Once in a while I should be telling a lie. It does... after all, look, the brother who said that, is he not the president of the fellowship? Everybody knows." And then you now begin to measure your life. Was that how you received? What did you receive? That is what we are talking about. It was to this church, "I know your works. You have a name that you live, but actually you are dead." And the deadness of the matter was that He was telling them, He said, "Look at what follows in verse two: Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before me." That thing may not bring it out very well. Let me read that thing for you in the Amplified version, that sentence, so that it can come out a little clearer. In the Amplified translation, that same thing that I just read now: "Rouse yourself and keep awake, and strengthen and invigorate what remains that is on the point of death, for I have not found a thing that you have done, any of yours, meeting the requirements of my God." "I have not found a thing that you have done meeting the requirement." And what is the next thing that He was told? He said, "So, call to mind the lessons you received and heard." Call to mind. So what makes it not to meet the requirement? Because it is not according to what they have received. There was a lesson. There were teachings. There were things you received. And when God wants to deal with your life, it is on the basis of how you have received. When God wants to check you out, it is on the basis of instruction that you have been given. What brought us, as I try to bring this matter to a close that we are discussing, I want to ask you this question: What brought us to this point that we are today as humans? Check it out with our father, Adam. In Genesis chapter two, verse 16: "And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may eat freely, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die." After that instruction had been given, verse 18, it was not good for him to be alone. God made a help suitable for him. But in making that help that was suitable for him, how was she made? She was made as an extension of the man. He was not entirely an independent creature, although a new creature, but not an independent creature, because Adam said, "This is the bone of my bone and the flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, she was taken out of man." So she was an extension of the man. He said he made them male and female. Now this mystery, as at this point, I don't know how much Adam understood this mystery, as at this point. But there came a point in their life. How did we get to where we are today? It is what I want to show you, so that we can always evaluate our life and learn to live correctly. And learn to be watchful and be careful. That's what He says, "Look, watch! Take heed how you have received!" Don't neglect those simple, simple instructions Heaven normally gives you in your quiet time. Sometimes you are in the church service or in the fellowship and something comes to your heart, "This is not right about you." Don't joke with these simple, simple instructions, because your life will be measured based on these things. Adam was told, "Don't eat this thing, for the day you eat it you will die." Okay, they came to a point in their life that Satan came, deceived the woman. The woman ate it. For you to know that the woman don't have a full grasp of what was really said, when she was when Satan said, "Did God say you should not eat this thing?" she said, "God said we should not eat or touch it." God never talked about touch. It's about do not eat. If you eat you will die. Okay, the woman took it and ate. When she ate, what happened to her? Nothing. Why? Because she was not an independent creature. She was a creature that was an extension of the man. As long as the man don't sin, the woman cannot sin. Because as by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, so sin passed unto all men, for that all have sinned. So even though Eve ate it, if Adam did not eat it, Eve cannot become a sinner. That was the mystery. Okay, Adam got there. What did God fault Adam for? He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife." If when she ate it and nothing happened to her, began to interplay with Adam, "Kilo je? What? Relax. You said if we eat this thing we will die. Am I dead? Am I dead? Are you sure what you are holding to is the truth? Relax, eat, nothing will happen." "God said if we eat this thing you will die." "Forget! If it is actually true, why am I still alive? See all the glory of God is still flowing in me." Or was the glory not flowing? So if actually it is a sin and actually we will die, this thing that you are shouting, "You will die, you will die, you will die," this thing that you have believed, it's a scam. Relax a little and make it in Nigeria. All these "holiness unto God, you must be righteous, you must be upright," you will not break even in business. A little lie, a little smartness, a little *oyayow*, a little conny-conny, a little dribbling, that is how they make it in business. "Oh, what do you mean? Am I not the pastor of so-so church? I got born again in 1981. I knew what working with God is. So don't think I'm not a believer. I'm a believer. I'm telling you, you can ask other Christian businessmen, that is how they do it." And then you begin to... in other words, the case of Adam. So Adam felt what he had received might not be correct. Or if truly he has received it, the fact before him, "Me that is the person who is supposed to die, is alive." If God is not with this brother, why will his church be growing and his business prosper? Look at his family, his children are doing well. That is the thing that happened to Adam. That was what brought us to where we are today. That was what brought us. Brethren, as disciples, it is time, particularly because we are seeing everything drawing near and getting to a close. Everything is closing up gradually. Eternity is coming very fast. I don't know whether you are realizing it. Everything is closing up. It is high, it is, in fact, it is so crucial for us now to begin to look at where we are vis-a-vis what we have received, how we are living vis-a-vis what we have received, vis-a-vis the word of God, vis-a-vis the truth of the scripture, vis-a-vis what the Lord has said, vis-a-vis His commandment. Let's begin to measure our relationship with our wives, with our neighbors, with fellow Nigerians, in our jobs, in the neighborhood, in ministry, in politics. Let's begin to measure our... measure it. Because it is the Lord that judges us. Saul looked very popular with the people. But he was a dead man. He was a dead man. Because what he did is not in line with what he had received. These are crucial things for us as disciples. How did we receive? What have we received? What is the instruction of the Lord? What are the things you have known? What are the things you have understood? It is important to measure our action based on these things so that men who don't know where we are flowing from may not be celebrating the deadness in our life and we are rejoicing. And sometimes we might be jubilating with the dead among the dead even when we are supposed to be alive. Praise the Lord. I want us to pray as we close for today. Remember how you have received. It's so important to remember how you have received. Look at how you are living and talk to the Lord for your whole life. Let's talk to the Lord. Let's ask the Lord to help us. Say, "Take heed." This matter is just take heed. Remember, evaluate. Don't live carelessly, don't live anyhow. Be circumspect. How did you receive? What did you receive? What are the instructions of the Lord? What are the things you have noted down? It is this vis-a-vis we look at our life. So that men who don't know where we are flowing from may not be celebrating the deadness in our life and we are rejoicing. And sometimes we might be jubilating with the dead among the dead even when we are supposed to be alive. Let's ask the Lord to help us again this evening as disciples, that we may not live carelessly. We may not live anyhow. We will not be seeking popularity among dead men. We will not be celebrating deadness and think that we are making progress. Let's evaluate our actions based on His instructions for our life. Oh Father help us. Help us Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Sister Comfort to close the meeting. [Sister Comfort] We appreciate You so much for the truth You have brought to us again this evening. Thank You for making Your mind so clear to the fact that men may be hailing us that we are alive and God is saying, "This one is dead." We appreciate You, Lord, for laying the truth very clear before us. Lord, accept our thanks in Jesus' name. Lord, we fall back unto You. These are the days of pressure. Spiritual pressure, financial pressure, pressure on every side that want to take our attention away from the truth, that even make the truth so ridiculous to follow. But Lord, we are praying. By Your grace that Lord, You will help us to hold on to the truth even in the face of these pressures in the name of Jesus. Lord, we pray oh God, the strength we need to hold on to the truth even when it seems the truth is not popular, we are asking that Lord You will release upon our lives in the name of Jesus. Thank You for Your son that You have used for us again tonight. We are asking that Lord You will strengthen him. You will keep filling him. You will purify him. You will help his life also in the name of Jesus Christ. Father, we commit this vessel into Your hands, that Lord his days shall be long to fulfill Your good pleasure in the name of Jesus Christ. This voice, oh Lord, that You have raised in our time, it will not be silent in the name of Jesus. Hell will not have the capacity to silence this voice in the name of Jesus. Thank You, Lord, for hearing us pray. We pray even as we go, keep raising these matters in our hearts until it become part of us, until we live by it in the name of Jesus. Thank You Father, for it is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forevermore. Amen. [Music/Outro] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in reaching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission aid. Our regular activities are: Discipleship class every Monday, 5:00 PM; Adolescents and singles club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; Marriage forum second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; Family life seminars, regular school outreaches and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location, Life Camp by the first bridge, Elere community, opposite Rejoice filling station along Ijele road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.