Sc 7 April 2018 New Creation Realities

[Speaker 1] We thank God again for this first Saturday in the second quarter of the year, the month of April, as we gather again for our usual Singles Club. Who can still remember the topic we took the first Saturday in the month of March? [Speaker 2] At the Duty Post. [Speaker 1] At the Duty Post. Yes, that was it. Remaining at the Duty Post, or being steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of God. And we looked at it extensively. Can we have recall from that? Does anyone have anything to say as a recall from that class? Something that was a blessing to you, a word that blesses you, something you can still remember. Not something you are struggling to remember, but something that blesses your heart that you can still remember very well. Anybody like that? Anybody? Okay. [Speaker 3] Just one thing. We only endure after we have done the will of God. [Speaker 1] Yes. We say we are enduring, we are waiting for God, after we have done the will of God. Don't say you are waiting for God if you have not done His will. Waiting for God, enduring, waiting for Him and patiently, saying you are enduring something and waiting for Him, it is after you have done the will of God. After you have done the will of God. If any man have not done God's will, waiting is not possible. We saw that in Hebrews actually 11. It says, "having done the will of God, you now have need of patience." Having done it. So sometimes because you have done it, you may not get results quick-quick. You may not get it sharp-sharp. But having done it, you now need patience. Because definitely the Lord can never forget the faithful in the land. God can never forget the faithful in the land. It's something that blesses my soul too much every time I remember that God can never forget the faithful. The eyes of the Lord are on the faithful in the land. He cannot forget them. He cannot forget the faithful. So having done the will of God, let me read some verses in Psalm that establish this matter. I just want to read some of them. Psalm 31:23. It says, "O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth" those who do His will. If you look at Psalm 101:6, "Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me." God's eye is always on the faithful. So don't think that if you have done God's will and you are waiting, God can forget you. It's never possible. His eyes will be on you. His sight will be there. And eventually, He will reward you. He will reward you. So let's be at the duty post. Let's stay there as we try to move on today to take a look at another important topic again today. And it relates to our redemption in Christ. It relates to our redemption in Christ. It relates to the possibilities that God gave or that God made possible, that God has given us in Jesus Christ. Things that we need to realize, something like the blessedness of the life of the redeemed. And so let's look at the topic: "New Creation Reality." New Creation Reality. The reality of the new creation. If we have time, we will look at three of them. If we don't have time, we will look at just two. My mind is to look at two actually, New Creation Realities. Something that is real, something that is there. In other words, how will you know something is inside a freezer? You were not there when they just brought something. How will you know that it has been inside a freezer? [Speaker 2] It will be cold. [Speaker 1] If it is cold, it will mean that it was inside a fridge. It will not be freezer. But if it is frozen? If it is cold, "Ah, this thing was inside a fridge." If it is frozen, "Ah, this thing was inside a freezer." It cannot freeze in our town. Okay, cold. Okay, because of our town. Okay, that can also bring that reality. But if you know that something is frozen, it must have been put in something that is a freezer. "Ah, this thing." So the realities of being in a freezer is that the thing freezes. Do you understand me? It freezes. So when we say New Creation Reality, we are saying that if actually there is a new creation, especially a young man has been regenerated, there are some realities. There are some things we will see that "Ah, this person is a new creature. This person is born again. This person..." They are realities. That is also what we mean by New Creation Reality. The reason why it becomes so important to talk about New Creation Realities today is because sometimes you just wonder what really it is by some of the things we begin to hear today and we begin to see today. We are seeing so many contradictions today and so many things that you begin to wonder that, "No, certain things are the new creation realities." And the first one we want to look at in the New Creation Reality is one: A new way of living. A new way of living. A new way of living. Please, let's look at something in... we will check so many of the epistles to bring it out from many of the things that Apostle Paul said. But let's begin with this one in Colossians. Let's go to Colossians. A new way of living. There's a new way of living. Now, we want to read Colossians chapter 3. We will just begin to read from verse 1 so that we can get what he's trying to say very, very clearly. Let me read from the NLT translation. NLT says, "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ," We are looking at new creation reality. "Since you have been raised to a new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven." Heaven even has realities. "On the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God." Don't forget what we are looking at: New Creation Reality. Be marking the word "real," "reality," "real life," "actual life." Be marking the... that's why I'm reading NLT deliberately. "Since you have been raised to a new life with Christ, set your sights on what? The realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you have died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these things, the anger of God is coming." Now, it says, "You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world." "You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world." Please, I take it again from above. Verse 5. "So put to death..." Who is doing that putting to death? Who is putting to death? Whose responsibility is that? Me. Me. It's my responsibility. It says, "put to death." I am to put to death earthly things lurking where? Within me. "Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world." Now, because of these things, the anger of God is coming. Now, verse 7. Let's try different translation. NLT says, "You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world." Another translation? [Speaker 4] In which you also once walked when you were living in them. [Speaker 1] "In the life you once lived." Yes. "Among whom you also once walked, when you were living in and addicted to such practices." Okay, when you were living and addicted to such practices. Any other translation? [Speaker 2] It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. [Speaker 1] It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that. So you will notice that he's calling some things a past tense. He's calling some things a past tense. Do you get it? Some things are past tense. New creation reality. A new way of living. There is a new way. There is a new way of living. I'm saying these things today because I had an encounter somewhere as somebody was talking about the sinning saint. It's becoming a general thing today, on and on and on. People begin to talk more about this thing, that you know, when somebody newly got born again, he's still a young convert, some things may still be there. So we still give the person time. The person will still stop all immorality, stop all... Look, there are some realities we need to understand. There are some things we need to teach Christians. That just must be clear in our Christian faith. The Bible did not say in this place that you used... your life is still in them and you are getting out of it gradually. Please, is that what your Bible reads? Is that what your Bible reads? What did your Bible read? It said, "You used to." "You used to." It's a past thing. "You used to." "You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world." They are new creation realities. Now, it says, "But now is the time to get rid of..." He began to mention some things again. Anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, dirty language. Now, verse 9. "Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off the old man and all its wicked deeds." So what happened? What happened that make us new creation? Verse 9 says, "Don't lie again to each other." It says, "Put away..." Verse 8 says, "the time is come to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, dirty languages." Verse 9 says, "Lie not to one another, seeing that you have rid of the old man with his deeds." It says, "Don't lie to one another, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked ways." You have stripped it off. You have stripped it off. What is that supposing? What is this supposing? It's no longer there. It's no longer there. You have stripped it off. We are saying this thing today because sometimes I went into one of these youth programs. Okay, you were in that program with me with Caleb. This program where they say a night vigil, singles night and all of that. While that program was going on, there was this girl who sat like this, a young man sat this way, and then another young man at the other side. You know in my usual characteristic style, when I enter a place, you don't even know who that person is. I was just in my normal sandal, top, and trouser. So you will just confuse me for anybody within the congregation. So I just sat down. I was also looking at some things that was going on. And then the young man pulled the girl to... the girl pulled herself away. Then the young man pulled himself a little closer to the girl and then tried to put his head on the girl's chest. The girl moved away. At a point, the girl now sat comfortably for the young man to do that. But at that point, inside the church! At that point, I now called the girl. She didn't know I was there and I happen to know her. I just called her by her first name. She looked back and I said, "Will you leave that seat immediately and go elsewhere to sit down?" The young man now felt ashamed, now quietly went and then... You see the point I'm making? I'm talking about new creation reality. New creation realities. There are certain things that should make you to know who is a believer. The reason why you find sisters in the hand of wrong brothers, brothers in the hand of wrong is because there are certain things we have stuffed our head with which are not correct. Certain things that you, you know, that's why I'm saying that if you say something is inside a freezer and it is not froze, or let's say a fridge, it is not cold, and they say, "No, it's inside freezer." The thing is warm. *Wọn ni inú freezer lo ti wa l'áti àná kọ̀. O dẹ̀ wọmù. Wọn ni inú freezer, ah tàbí àtijẹ́ta ni wa, we have put it there since the day before yesterday. O dẹ̀ mú dání o gbona. Wọn ni ẹ o tutù, o kàn rí bẹ́ẹ̀ ni.* You see, we don't need to deceive ourselves about the realities of the Christian life. You will hear them say, "Actually, he got born again two years ago." I want to use the normal language now so you understand me. "Actually, he's a believer when I got born again when I was in secondary school. He was born again when I..." But that is... we are saying that there are some realities. There are new creation realities. Certain things must be real. There are some real things. And the first thing that we are saying about new creation reality is a new way of living. There is a old way and what? There is a new way. You can't say it's a new creation when it is still the old way. It's a new creation because there is a new way. The Bible keeps emphasizing this that you have stripped the old way. The Bible acknowledges that there are two ways. That there is the old one and that there is the new one. The Bible affirms and the Bible affirms that the man who have entered into the new creation reality is a man of the new way. It's not a man that combines the new and the old. We see certain things would be clear about Christianity. He said, "You were there." I like that version, it says, "Sometime, it was, there is a difference in time." The Bible did not talk about carryovers. You know you can be in 500 level and carry 200 level courses. I hope you get the point I'm making. Not as a student like that. It's in some university, except you register all the lower courses you can't register the higher one. So if you have carryovers, you first take all the lower ones. It is after you have taken them that you can now put some higher ones. I hope you get the point I'm making. You know some university server work like that, that there is no way you can put the new one first, first put the lower ones that you have failed. Christianity is not like that where you talk of multi-level Christianity. Is that what we should put it? It's carrying both old level, it's carrying new level, it's carrying you know. What the Bible talks about is a new way of living. And so if I look at my life and it is not a new way, I should query my foundation. I should query it. I should, if it's why am I still, why am I still lust, why is there... no, the new creation reality, I can't be in the fridge and still be warm. It's either that fridge is not working. Am I correct? That fridge was not working. If it had been there, it's not working. And the question I want to ask you: Is it possible that the power of God is not working? Is it possible? It's not possible. So the problem is with the person. Because he says, "Get rid." That is, as you become born again, there are certain things that you resolve. They are not things you don't have the, you don't have the ability again. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? It is not an issue of inability again. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? For example, you know the dumb cannot speak. Even if you want to speak, [vocalizing] he cannot because he's dumb. Now, what he's saying is this: one time you were living there, you were in the old life. So even if you want to stop it, you can say New Year resolution, but it may not stop. You get the point I'm making? That's why you see some people, New Year resolution, before second of February, the resolution they have been broken several times over and over and over. They will now say, "Ah, *mó f'ọlọ́run mò*, I cannot stop this thing *jàre*." What he is saying is this: he say, "Get rid." He's saying that the new creation reality gave the believer a what? A what? Power. John 1:12. Can we all read together, or can we chorus that off hand? Yes, "for as many as received him..." some people are just being like this. Let's go there. Let's all go there. Not all of us knows it. "Wait, wait." No, we want to read together. We want to read together. John 1:12. Are we all there now? Are we all there? Can we go together now? "But for as many as received him, he gave them power to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name." Do you see it? What did He give them? What did He give them? Formerly, what he's saying is that one time even if the dumb wants to speak [vocalizing] he will not be able to talk. But that point where he believed, what happened? The tongue was what? Was loosed. The tongue was loosed. So if he's still doing [vocalizing], it's because he doesn't want to speak well. I don't know whether you are understanding me. If he is still doing [vocalizing], it's a lie. It is because he is still not willing. He still wants to enjoy that, there is something he's enjoying in that stammering. Do you get it? There is something there that he's enjoying. Maybe when he was stammering, you know he cannot talk well, let's just give him those things. Don't let us argue with him. It makes him to win cases. Do you understand? Maybe when he was stammering, he makes people to give him money. Maybe when he was stammering, it makes people to favor him. So when we now loose the tongue for him to speak well, [thinking] "Ah, if I talk well here now, that kind of favor I used to get..." [vocalizing] so that he can still get those favor. Do you understand me? The Bible is saying that when the believer don't expect... don't live the new life, it is no more the issue of inability. It's a issue of unwillingness. He's not willing. There is still something he's enjoying. There is still a benefit he wants to maintain. He received power to live a new life. So the first thing about this thing is what? A new way of living. He said, "Get rid of. Get rid of." Strip, you have stripped yourself of it. You have stripped yourself of it. You have stripped yourself of it. There are things we should not find. And that was why when one of my daughters in Lord had a challenge some time ago and telling me that there is this friend that she had, and the boy is a Christian from one of the fellowships, very, very active in his fellowship, no problem and all of that. And then later on along the line she was calling me and telling me how the boy was unnecessarily free with her body. "Ah!" And I asked her again, "Did you say he's a Christian?" She said, "Yes sir, he's a Christian." I said, "No, he's not." She said, "But actually sir, it's not as if it's... like that thing too is a struggle for him." I said, "No. If it is still a struggle for him, then he's a sinner. He's a sinner." What we are told in the Bible is that they received power to become. He didn't say they might. He said they received. There are certain things you must believe because the just live by faith. Until you live by faith, you will never be just. You will remain unjust. To be just is to take faith and agree with the word of God then you will experience it. The just live by faith. It is by faith. The word of God says this and then you key yourself into it and you have the realities in your life. He didn't say they will receive power. He said, "For as many as believe in him, he gave them..." I like one translation, one translation says, "He gave them right." What translation is that? NLT. "He gave them right." I hope you know there is a difference between right and power. The real word there in the Greek is *exousia*, which means right, authority. Authority. What King James translates as power. Maybe I should explain what that meant. Now, if a trailer is coming, a trailer... how many of us can just enter the road and stop it? Not even *okada* ok? But do you notice that if a trailer is coming, a trailer is coming, and then you put on the uniform of the traffic warden, and then you do like this, what happens? The person stops. You know if you put other uniform and you are wearing mufti, you can't enter the middle of the road and do like this. Because even the *okada* man will clear you off the road. But once they see that cloth, they know you are carrying a right to stop. You can stop them. That is why if you see people who does not wear uniform and they carry torch and do like this, "Stop, stop" on the road, what do you first think? It's armed robbers or whatever. Rather you speed up. But once you see uniform and everything, what do you do? Say, "Ah, these ones they have the right to stop me." There is a right. You have already seen that they have the right to stop you. So you too, you already... once you see them, what are you doing? You're already slowing down. You are slowing down. What He gave us is the right. You see, once sin, the sinful life, the demons, the spirit of lust, once they see us, they already slow... they know we have the right. That's what it means. When you say, "It stops," and that is it. It stops. It stops. That is what He gave us. Say, "This thing oh, I'm getting rid of this one." It stops. You get rid of. So you should understand the new creation reality. The first thing that it offers us is a new way of living. These are the days... I can still remember, when we think backward to when we got born again, when we think backward to the 80s when we started, when we became born again, I can still remember that at that time it has not become as corrupt as this. I can still remember then that deliberately you will see companies, employers of labor, you know what they will do? They will come to the church. They will approach pastors. "Please, do you have any graduate for this that is your member? We want honest people so give us your member." They will just come to church. They will be looking for honest... they will come to church. Because there is an understanding that there is a new way of living. Today even if you meet a pastor, you still need to sense his life over some time before you can know whether he's truly a child of God. You still need to evaluate his life. You pray, you look at him, you study him, you test him with some things, you look at, you look at what he does, you look at his horse and his chariot, you check his private life before you can now say, "Okay, okay, this person actually had an encounter." Why? Because there are two categories of people now inside. There are those who never had the encounter. There are those who had it but like I explained about the dumb man, you know they used to pity him, they used to let him enjoy something, they used to give him things when he was dumb when he was talking. So he still wants to enjoy. So when he gets to some places, in order to get people's sympathy, he'll do like that to get that sympathy even though he can now talk. There are those who still find pleasure with sinful things. Not as if they cannot say "No," but they still enjoy the pleasure of sin. The pleasure of the old life. It still gives them some ways. Life still makes them escape being punished, so they enjoy the... they still enjoy that escaping. They don't want to own up to truth and be punished and tell themselves whatever I know I cannot tell people that I'm doing I will never do it. That would mean leaving a lot of things. So they don't want to leave those things. They would rather want to be doing it and then tell a little lie to still continue with that thing. There are those who still find pleasure in sin. Even though, that's why it says, "Get rid of it." By now, that should be a past, you should not find any pleasure in that again. You should know that no, I'm in the... there is a new life. The new creation reality. And the first thing about this thing is what? A new way of living. A new way of living. I left that night, after I have rebuked the girl and the boy walked off, I kept asking myself, "What are the kind of youth we have in the church today? What kind of youth do we have in our fellowships? What kind of youth?" This person, I know this other person very well, very active in the church. The one I'm talking to you about, about my daughter had a challenge, that was one very, very active. Because I had to go so much into the case, I had to call the young man's pastor. And he's telling me that, "Ah, no, he's a very active member." He says he's a strong person in the ushering team. And I said, "Sir, this is what happened. I want you to call this young man. His life is not correct. He may be active in your ushering team, but his life is not correct." I had to call his pastor. See the point I'm making is, you see, look at your life. There are realities. The reason why we are saying these things, I had a revelation. The revelation, you know, when I was through with the revelation, I was heavy inside me. And I want to share the revelation with you. I was praying one of these days in the morning, and the Lord gave me this revelation. I saw pipes, household pipe, what you use to lay water pipe. You know water pipe, you have them in different form that they use for plumbing. You have the one quarter, you have the one inch, in terms of wideness. You have two inches, you have three, you have four. This now is about three, but made of... the plastic one, you have four, depending on the size. That one on the floor, that is four. And you know what? And I just saw the pipes on the floor. I saw the various pipes on the floor. When I saw the various pipes on the floor, the small ones, the big ones, I noticed that some of the narrow pipes, the one that they use for supply... you know if you look at the pipes they use for supply to bring water in, they are the smaller ones. Either the one inch or the one quarter. That's one they use to bring water. While the one that takes dirty out, if you look at your bathroom, they are the two inch pipe, then for the toilet is the four inch pipe. Do you understand me? So I was just looking at some of those small small pipes that they use for bringing water. They are now on the floor, they stood like this. Some are very high away from the floor. Some, they are bringing water, but they are close to the floor. Very close to the floor. So I was watching, I was wondering, "Lord, what is this?" I'm looking at it. Then God now began to speak to me. He said, He just went to scripture. He said, "Broad is the way and wide is the gate that leads to destruction. Many are those that walk in it. Why narrow is the way and straight is the gate that leads to life. Few are there." That in the light of what I have just shown you, in any household or even household, these are the various pipe you will have. He said, "Do you notice that the wider the pipes, they are meant for waste?" Broad is the way. The two inch pipe carry waste water. So there are several people, they are carrying waste water. They are all inside the church, but they are in the broad way. What is inside them is waste water. Some are broad enough to carry solid waste, the one you use for toilet. That's what they carry, solid waste. Some liquid waste, but they are all waste pipes. In my house, there are waste pipes. Their ways are broad. Their ways are wide. Their ways have not been narrowed down to life. It contains all kinds of things. It contains all kinds of waste. You find all kinds of things there. You find rice, you find beans, you find this, you find that, you find all kinds of things inside the waste pipe. He said some lives are like this. He said, "But note son, look at the pipe from outside. If you look at the pipe, the waste are not outside." They will all be pipe outside. If you look at them, they are all the same thing outside. But what they carry inside differentiates them. He said they are all looking common, they are all looking the same, they are all pipes. But there are men who what flows into them is waste, deadness, stinking things. They are all there. They are there. They look broad, they look big, they look good. When you put the small and the pipe, they look they occupy more space. But inside these things are deadness. He said there are some that are narrow. Narrow is the way of life. They seem to occupy small space. They seem to be inconsequential. Their life seems not to be what the majority wants to follow. It seems not to be the what other, not the norm, not the normal things. He said, "But inside this one, what is bubbling out is life. That's the water that you see coming out." That's that water, fountain of life. Water is coming out of it. He said, "But look a little again." He said I should look at those two pipes again. I look closely again, those two other pipes that were even bringing water. I saw that one was high away. He said one was very high. Then one was close to the ground. Then I noticed that that one that was close to the ground, as the water drops, dirt from the ground touches the water, enters the water. Do you understand what I'm trying to say at all? The pipe is close to the ground like this, so as the water is pouring out, dirt too is jumping inside because it's so close to the ground. Do you get it? So the dirt seems to enter and contaminate it to come out, it seems to be a kind of enter. And then I saw the other one that was high away. As the water drops, the dirt could not come to touch the water. And then the Lord was speaking to me. He said even among the narrow ones, there are still men whose affection is not on things above. Their affection is not there. Although they are in the narrow way, but their affection, they still have attraction, they are still so close so that the principles of the world sometimes intertwine with them. They are still mixing with the fountain. It's still... they are here but they are... they need to rise away so that there will not be any contamination. I'm describing this thing, I don't know where you fall. Everybody knows their life. Where exactly are you? Where do you locate yourself? Check these things and observe it. Check, observe it. Where do you fall in the revelation? And that's why we are discussing New Creation Reality. That's why we are looking at it. The first thing about this thing is what? A new way of living. A new way of living. If truly there's an encounter, if really you are in the new creation, a new creation indeed, that's the other one. What does that mean to be a new creation indeed? You know, it's different from a new way of living. There's a new creation indeed. There is something about them. But we couldn't get to that today because I always want us to stop for twelve. My time is saying something close to twelve and we have not prayed. We still need to take our entertainment or come be through for twelve. But can you, did you get what we are discussing this morning? Please, don't let anybody fool you. Don't let them fool you. You see, when we got born again, when we started, I began to experience God at age 17. And by age 18, I was already what you will call, if you want to permit me to use the language, I was a radical. I mean radical. I was querying everything that was... I mean I was already challenging my church leadership because I was in the Anglican system. What I cannot find in the Bible, I will challenge my priest. "Sir, this one that you said, look at what the Bible says, sir." You know we were... And when we started then at the age of 17, doing... I'm telling you, if you celebrate birthday, you are a sinner. That was we were defining holiness to... you know what we were? We thought holiness was to the point that your trouser must not have gutter. There was no gutter on my trouser. I mean that was we were so passionate about separation. We wanted to be separated from sinners. We wanted to be completely different. Do you understand me? We were once we were doing this one, we wanted to be different. We were passionately wanting to be different from sinners. We were thinking that some normal social things, we were calling them everything, sin. Everything was first the word to us. Then, if you wear jeans, you are not going to heaven as far as I was concerned. Why? I'm serious. That's why I say that it's good to have zeal without and then gradually you begin to remove excesses. Excesses. Because when I was before I became born again, virtually all my clothes were either jeans or velvet. Virtually all my clothes. This type of jeans, dirty jeans, that type of jeans, it is velvet or jeans or that, you know, and then dark bowl. And the walking style was different. There's a way we walk that you know that we are big boys. You know there was a carriage. And when we became born again, we thought the jeans and the velvet made us sinners. And we everything that was the trace of it, we just wanted to live for Jesus. "Ah, *ko lo pe re o*, let's leave it. Let's go to heaven, the heaven of heavens." And so we were pursuing heaven. But as we began to know God better, there was it was when I started relationship that I began to learn what it means to be... it was my wife that began to modify me small-small. It was when I started relationship that I began to learn what it means to be... it was my wife that began to modify me small-small. And gradually I began to learn, I began to learn from her. I began to see, you know, because at first, when she was revealed to me, you know what I told God? I said, "God, why this thing that is completely worldly? That is stinking, that is going nowhere?" Because for me she was doing birthdays, those things were taking her to hell. She... you understand? So for me those things were taking her to hell. That she was a Christian but I felt that she was not my own type. That these ones, they are not serious Christians. That they are too earthly, they are too close to the world. That I want... On one of the instances God had to call me. "Son, this life is not a sinking sand. She is a solid rock." I said, "God, I can't see it oh." It was life... I said, "Okay," you know I was trying to make analysis. This life. And then the Lord told me that, "Look, happy is the one who finds her. Blessed is the man that retains her. In her right hand is life, in her left hand are riches and life." God began to speak very definite things about her. You see I'm saying this so you can understand that there was a place where we started from. It was better for us. Over time when I could now draw between conservatism, liberalism, and excessive liberalism, it became better to draw lines. It became better. But if you cannot separate yourself from the world first, to begin to now learn separation is a difficult thing. It looks as if they are taking away your liberty. So the point I'm making is, when we came in, our understanding was there is a new way of life. I began with God at age 17, by the age of 18, I was already hearing God clearly. I mean clearly. I know when God is talking. I mean talking, talking to me, talking. You know, we will just dig ourselves into the Bible. You will read the Bible, I don't know what telling some young people the other day. A day sometime, 16 hours. We were looking for God. We just wanted God by all means. By 18, I was already hearing God distinctively. I know when God is talking, what God is saying, I know what... that was why when it comes to choice of course, university, it was clear. Do sociology, go to University of Benin. So it was only one course, one choice. People said, "Ah, no, you should have..." I said, "No, God said one university, this is one God said, all the other ones they are nonsense." "Ah, what if they don't take you?" I said, "Don't worry, God has spoken." Ah, people were wondering, "Are you sure?" That was the same thing when I was graduating I said, "God said I should settle down, I should marry and settle down." They said, "No, it's not time." I said, "No, God has spoken." "How are you sure it is God?" But I have been used to Him. I'm talking of zeal, I'm talking of a new way. There is a clean... something comes clear. There is nothing like... that's why I was saying that day in the discipleship class, are there saintly sinners? If you say they are sinning saints. It should come clear. It should come clear. New creation reality. A new way of living. Go and check your life against all these scriptures that we have read. Go and check your life against them. And make up your mind about what is real. They are realities in the new life. They are realities. The new life is real. It's a real thing. Jesus is real. Holy Spirit is real. Walking with God is real. They are realities. But the first aspect we are discussing today, basic reality: A new way of living. A new way of living. Maybe we should look at only one today. I thought we'll be able to do two. Look at only one today. A new way of living. Maybe in another meeting we can look at the second one. New creation reality. We can look at the other one that talks about a new creation indeed. That's the other one. What does that mean to be a new creation indeed? You know, it's different from a new way of living. There's a new creation indeed. There is something about them. But we couldn't get to that today because I always want us to stop for twelve. My time is saying something close to twelve and we have not prayed. We still need to take our entertainment or come be through for twelve. But can you, did you get what we are discussing this morning? Please, don't let anybody fool you. Don't let them fool you. Imitate God therefore in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Why are we to imitate? We are to imitate God in everything you do as dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual impurity. Please, is anybody carrying Amplified? No, not Amplified. NIV. Do we have NIV in this meeting? "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality." What does that mean? "But among you there must not be even a hint." What we should not hear. Among you there must not be even the slightest. Is that what that word mean? Am I correct in English? "But among you there must not be even a hint. A hint." We should not hear it. Among you there must not be even the slightest. You see, a hint. I don't know what is among us today, whether it is hint. I'm showing you the new creation, you know, a new way of living. A new way of living. Even a hint. Even a hint. How does the message put that? "Don't allow love to turn into lust." Setting top becomes fuels like into sexual impurity. "Don't allow love to turn into lust." Brotherly affection you were calling it, it has become a nauseous affection. There should not be any element of that. But then he says, "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named, not once, once among us today." "Be named among you, as becometh saints." NLT says, "Such things have no place among God's people. They don't have place." So where does sinning saint come from? It has no place for it. Because it's not possible. There is a reality. It has its own reality. He said, he said, he said reading on, let me read through now to around verse 13 where I want to stop. He said, "No place... obscene stories, obscene stories." Some stories... they were doing in church. I don't know whether it is church. I don't know whether it is church or I don't know what it is. The man of God was there, the interpreter was there, the man of God you know, the person who I but I think I guess they must be comedians. I don't think these are Christians. But I don't know the people that were also laughing whether they are also Christians or they are crowds. He says, "Okay, let's go to the book of Ruth now." Luke chapter this verse this. Then he says, "Okay, now the book of Esther." Then the interpreter says, "Let's go to the book of Esther." He said, "Audience, I don't understand. I don't know why it is always women women that we are seeing in the Bible. It was first Ruth and then it is Esther." Everybody was laughing. Is that what the Bible is meant for? Obscene stories. Stories that are obscene, stories that are dirty to hear. Such things are no more dirty to hear. But they should be dirty things. They should be things that disgust. Obscene talk. Obscene talk again, you know, obscene talk in terms of when you listen to some of these *juju* song that they used to sing. [vocalizing Yoruba lyrics] and they say they are singing. You get the point I'm making, it's song. And then you see Christians too having their own way of saying their own obscene talk. Things that have element of corruption. Those are obscene. Those are obscene. You see Christian joking, [joking in Yoruba]. And they say they are Christians. These are things we just joke with obscene things today. These are obscene talks. There is a new way of living. There is a clean life. Obscene stories, foolish talk, coarse jokes. Jokes that are coarse. You see them again inside church. I remember one time that they brought such people to the chapel and it was almost... we were almost divided and scattered over the matter. And the young men came and they said they are "Designer Voices." And they came and they were designing nonsense. They were just say, just say coarse jokes inside the church. Reduce the things of God to things you just laugh at and everyone was just laughing and... I don't know. There should be a clean thing. It was during a Living Praise that they brought those ministers long long ago in the chapel. In fact, that was the last time such ever happened again. Because the resistance with which that thing met after that Living Praise, they knew that no, this thing is not correct. So the point I'm making is, we're talking about new creation reality. A new way of living. A new way of living. Instead, be thankful. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, greedy person will inherit the kingdom of Christ and God. For a greedy person is an idolater. He said, "Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these things." Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these things. "For the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him." How does the message put that? Verse 6. This one says, "Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these things. For the anger of God will fall on all who disobeying." "Don't let yourself get taken in by religious mood talk. God gets furious at people who are full of religious loose talk." You see, don't get... don't let them fool you. Don't let them come with... no, don't let them fool you into these things. Don't compromise the standard. Don't let them put Jesus and Christianity and God and Holy Spirit, and then you say it is correct now. Don't let them fool you. God is furious. Don't be fooled. There is a old way and there is a new way of living. Of living. I'm talking about living, everyday living. Of life, that's what they're talking about. New creation reality. New way of living. "Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these things. For the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don't participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you are light from the Lord. So live as people of light. For this light within you will produce..." look what verse 9 says. Mine says, "For this light within you will produce only what is good, right, and true." Another translation. "For the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth." The bright light of Christ leads your way simply to no more stumbling around. It makes it plain. Things that are true, that are good, that are right. Whatever they do, carry those three characteristics. It is the truth. It is right. It is good. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in worthless deeds of evil and darkness. Instead, expose them. Expose them. You don't need to do anything with them. Take no part in it. Expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them. For the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you the light." So verse 15. Can we all read together? "So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but live like those who are wise." Yes, verse 16. "Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days." Yes, verse 17. "Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do." Do you see? This is what the Bible is saying. So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools. Be wise. Make the best of every opportunity. Don't act thoughtlessly. But understand what the Lord wants you to do. You can see that... Please, these things, are they complex? What I'm talking about, are they complex things? They are plain. Except our ways are crooked. It said, "It is what is plain to the plain." It's obscure to the obscure. That's one thing about the word of God. It's what is plain. Except if you want to begin to give, you want to begin to interpret. Like I was telling you of a young man one time, was given form to fill. He wanted to play under-17 something. And then we were both around 21 or something like that. And he wanted to fill the form and I was talking, we were just discussing because I know him to be a Christian. He said, "Ah." And I said, "Under-17? But you are above that age now." He said, "No. He said the age here, you see there is such what you call the football age. There is the football age, that is for how long you have been playing football." He said, "So when it comes to football age now that it is just about 10 years." That when they say age, name, age, address here, it's the football age. Please, if you carry form, a form, they said bio-data, fill form. Is that thing not plain? Is it not plain enough? It's bio-data asking for the age you were born in playing football. Was there a time you were born into football? Date of birth, football age. It was a time the mother gave birth, then he was born at another time then he was born at... He went for the ball oh, he went for it. He said... I was trying to... he said, "No." He said, "You don't understand." He said, "Because I don't love sports." That if you find out soccer, that you see in soccer there is the... I said, "Ah." I said, "Look, take this thing off. Take it down. For me it's unrighteousness." There's no way you want to argue this thing to me. I remember one time too a pastor was talking about somebody that they were twins. The younger brother was celebrating... the one that was playing football was celebrating... I don't know... I know you are the one telling me. One was celebrating 20-something. The one in football was celebrating 20-something. The one that is not a football was celebrating 30-something and they are twins! I'm only saying this thing, so that we can understand. But it's not only footballers oh. Go and check many of these government workers, many of your brethren that will cut so that retirement age, they will be 80, they will be still reading 55 on government payroll. You cut down the age at the point of entrance. They will change birth certificate. They will go and register another age. They said they misplaced it. Their parents will tell when they were young. Then by the time I was discussing with one, one time, you know what he said? He said age is just a figure. It has nothing to do with us. It's just a figure now. It's just a figure. And you can choose which figure you use. Yes. He said it's just a figure. Age is just what somebody told you. What if your parents have made some mistake? People who excuse these things. You see, we can create reasonable excuse. It may look as if we have excused it. But the Bible says don't let us live as fools. The things of God are plain. They are plain. There is a new way of living. There is a new way of living. And I capture that this way. Please, let's capture that somewhere. Let's look at Titus 2. Titus 2. Titus 2 from verse 11. Can we go together? From verse 11. Let's read. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." That's the new life. It's teaching us to say "No" to ungodliness, to say "No" to worldly lust, to be waiting for the coming of Christ, a peculiar people who are zealous of good works. There is no evil deeds about them. A new way of living. New creation reality. A new way of living. A new way of living. A new way of living. Maybe we should look at only one today. I thought we'll be able to do two. Look at only one today. A new way of living. Maybe in another meeting we can look at the second one. New creation reality. We can look at the other one that talks about a new creation indeed. That's the other one. What does that mean to be a new creation indeed? You know, it's different from a new way of living. There's a new creation indeed. There is something about them. But we couldn't get to that today because I always want us to stop for twelve. My time is saying something close to twelve and we have not prayed. We still need to take our entertainment or come be through for twelve. But can you, did you get what we are discussing this morning? Please, don't let anybody fool you. Don't let them fool you. You see, when we got born again, we started, I began to experience God at age 17. And by age 18, I was already what you will call, if you want to permit me to use the language, I was a radical. I mean radical. I was querying everything that was... I mean I was already challenging my church leadership because I was in the Anglican system. What I cannot find in the Bible, I will challenge my priest. "Sir, this one that you said, look at what the Bible says, sir." You know we were... And when we started then at the age of 17, I'm telling you, if you celebrate birthday, you are a sinner. That was we were defining holiness to... you know what we were? We thought holiness was to the point that your trouser must not have gutter. There was no gutter on my trouser. I mean that was we were so passionate about separation. We wanted to be separated from sinners. We wanted to be completely different. Do you understand me? We were once we were doing this one, we wanted to be different. We were passionately wanting to be different from sinners. We were thinking that some normal social things, we were calling them everything, sin. Everything was first the word to us. Then, if you wear jeans, you are not going to heaven as far as I was concerned. Why? I'm serious. That's why I say that it's good to have zeal without and then gradually you begin to remove excesses. Excesses. Because when I was before I became born again, virtually all my clothes were either jeans or velvet. Virtually all my clothes. This type of jeans, dirty jeans, that type of jeans, it is velvet or jeans or that, you know, and then dark bowl. And the walking style was different. There's a way we walk that you know that we are big boys. You know there was a carriage. And when we became born again, we thought the jeans and the velvet made us sinners. And we everything that was the trace of it, we just wanted to live for Jesus. "Ah, *ko lo pe re o*, let's leave it. Let's go to heaven, the heaven of heavens." And so we were pursuing heaven. But as we began to know God better, there was it was when I started relationship that I began to learn what it means to be... it was my wife that began to modify me small-small. And gradually I began to learn, I began to learn from her. I began to see, you know, because at first, when she was revealed to me, you know what I told God? I said, "God, why this thing that is completely worldly? That is stinking, that is going nowhere?" Because for me she was doing birthdays, those things were taking her to hell. She... you understand? So for me those things were taking her to hell. That she was a Christian but I felt that she was not my own type. That these ones, they are not serious Christians. That they are too earthly, they are too close to the world. That I want... On one of the instances God had to call me. "Son, this life is not a sinking sand. She is a solid rock." I said, "God, I can't see it oh." It was life... I said, "Okay," you know I was trying to make analysis. This life. And then the Lord told me that, "Look, happy is the one who finds her. Blessed is the man that retains her. In her right hand is life, in her left hand are riches and life." God began to speak very definite things about her. You see I'm saying this so you can understand that there was a place where we started from. It was better for us. Over time when I could now draw between conservatism, liberalism, and excessive liberalism, it became better to draw lines. It became better. But if you cannot separate yourself from the world first, to begin to now learn separation is a difficult thing. It looks as if they are taking away your liberty. So the point I'm making is, when we came in, our understanding was there is a new way of life. I began with God at age 17, by the age of 18, I was already hearing God clearly. I mean clearly. I know when God is talking. I mean talking, talking to me, talking. You know, we will just dig ourselves into the Bible. You will read the Bible, I don't know what telling some young people the other day. A day sometime, 16 hours. We were looking for God. We just wanted God by all means. By 18, I was already hearing God distinctively. I know when God is talking, what God is saying, I know what... that was why when it comes to choice of course, university, it was clear. Do sociology, go to University of Benin. So it was only one course, one choice. People said, "Ah, no, you should have..." I said, "No, God said one university, this is one God said, all the other ones they are nonsense." "Ah, what if they don't take you?" I said, "Don't worry, God has spoken." Ah, people were wondering, "Are you sure?" That was the same thing when I was graduating I said, "God said I should settle down, I should marry and settle down." They said, "No, it's not time." I said, "No, God has spoken." "How are you sure it is God?" But I have been used to Him. I'm talking of zeal, I'm talking of a new way. There is a clean... something comes clear. There is nothing like... that's why I was saying that day in the discipleship class, are there saintly sinners? If you say they are sinning saints. It should cost clear. It should cost clear. New creation reality. A new way of living. Go and check your life against all these scriptures that we have read. Go and check your life against them. And make up your mind about what is real. They are realities in the new life. They are realities. The new life is real. It's a real thing. Jesus is real. Holy Spirit is real. Walking with God is real. They are realities. But the first aspect we are discussing today, basic reality: A new way of living. A new way of living. A new way of living. A new way of living. A new way of living. A new way of living. A new way. A new way. Don't be fooled. Don't be fooled by those who give excuses for these things. Excuses for all kinds of things, for worldliness, for lust of the eye they will give excuse. Lust of the flesh, they will give... you will hear them always find some excuse from here and excuse there. Don't be fooled by these people. Don't be fooled by them. New creation realities bring about a new way of living. A new way of living. Talk to the Lord this morning. Talk to the Lord this morning. Ask the Lord to help you. Thank you everlasting Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Bamilarẹ, please close the meeting. [Speaker 7] Our Father and our God, we thank you this morning... [inaudible] amen.