Strenth in the Inner Man 180121

[Singing] Gloria, gloria, in excelsis Deo. Gloria, gloria, in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Gloria, gloria, in excelsis Deo. [Speaker 1] Church assemblies and fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home for all. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] Mystery. And he was saying that he has written about that mystery before. Now, it now says, "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." So, if you look at this scripture, it is not as if the apostles and these prophets were better Christians. Rather, it was because at that time when the other prophets were there, it was not yet time for those things to be revealed. But now it is time to know the mysteries. I hope you are getting it. We're talking about season. Now, he said but something happened about that mystery. It was revealed by who? By the Spirit. We'll go to Ephesians 3:6. What is the mystery? What is that mystery? "That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ through the gospel." So, the mystery is that it is not going to be only Jews that will share in that promise of God, but this time around, it is going to be Jews and Gentiles. So Paul was made a minister to the Gentiles. I hope you get what I am trying to say now. That is why he now said in Ephesians 3:7, "Whereof I was made a minister." So Paul was a minister to the Gentiles while Peter was to the Jews. We are going somewhere. I want to show you something about this strength in the inner man. "According to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power." Ephesians 3:8, "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. Now look at the next thing. To the intent that unto principalities and powers in the heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:12, "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by faith of him." Ephesians 3:13, "Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory." For this cause, he does not want them to faint. For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Look at what he said in Ephesians 3:16. What do you see there? Look at your own translation. Please look at your own translation. What do you see in verse 16? Can we read together? "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit" where? In the inner man. I want you to get the background to this matter. That if a man will not faint, then the Spirit of God must do something where? In the inner man. If the Spirit of God don't do that in the inner man, you will faint. Paul realizing the matter. Please, I want you to know that Paul realized that this matter is not only a matter of teaching; it is a matter of prayer. It is to pray to the God of heaven to do it. That is, it is a response of God to prayer. No matter how much you are teaching a man, the Spirit of God must still do something inside. Or else, the man will be knowledgeable, but he will not be spiritual. You be saying, "How does it work?" Let me explain it to you. Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. What did he say? He said, "Ye err, not knowing the scriptures," that is one, or "the power." So there are two things about the kingdom. There is the place of the scriptures, there is the place of the power. There is the place of knowledge; there is the place of power. You can know so much but don't have the power to live the life. And that is why you will find out that sometimes intelligent knowledge of scripture is a different thing from having the power of God to live the life of the scripture. It is a different thing. If there is any challenge or among the challenges the church is having today, it is that we talk so much about who God is, but we live less that life of God. When it comes to the reality of it, the reality of living that life. Imagine that you want a promotion and suddenly somebody came around and did something. And after much struggle here and there, here and there, you want to get the promotion. Somebody was standing there that you will not be promoted. You get to know that it is this person standing. Will you be able to love that your enemy? Yes, you ultimately got the promotion. You got the promotion despite what the person did, but you will notice you will be telling yourself, "Mo ti mo ota mi" [I have known my enemy]. "Olorun a gbesan mi lara e" [God will avenge me on him]. What it says is that when it comes to the reality of living the life. Or you are driving and then somehow, somewhere, somehow, somewhere, somehow, somewhere, somebody just look at you and say, "Look at you. Look at him. Very, very stupid man." Look at him, a stupid man. He does not even know what he's doing. He cannot even understand what he's doing. You will notice that if somebody just do that and say, "Look at him, stupid idiot behind the steering," are you likely to say, "The Lord bless you"? The reality of the life. Somebody was speaking to me recently in the course of the week. And the person said, "Sir," we were discussing along something and then we were talking, we were walking down, we were talking, we were discussing, and then hear what the person said. He said, "Sir, can't God just give we husband permission to deal with our wife first so they can know that, look, this matter, look, because it's like sometimes this that 'husband love your wife' don't make them live straight?" I said, "Why do you say so?" He said, "That woman is behaving foolishly. Maybe because he thinks I'm a Christian mummu. I just want to ask you, Daddy, whether I can. Look, sometimes when you show madness to them, their head will be straight." I'm trying to explain something to you. That it is when it comes to living the life that believers are failing because there is no power of God. I was saying that a man could have so much knowledge of the Bible and yet have no power to live the life of scriptures. And so when we don't, when you notice that even though Paul was a teacher of the word of God, Paul was somebody the Bible says that he said daily we are preaching to every man, presenting the truth to every man. But when it came to this matter, it was beyond presenting the truth. He said he did what? He bowed down his knees. He had to cry to God for God to do something in their inner man. There must be an introduction of not just the scriptures but also what? The power. The power. And many times, we don't realize that it is by the power of God that we live the life of God. It is not because we know those things, because there is a power. There is a power. Some of these mysteries are resolved sometimes when you look at, or some of these understandings they are made clearer when you look at, for example, at Peter. Peter stood before the girl, he denied Jesus. Peter stood before the other man, he denied Jesus. Peter was busy saying that he does not know Jesus. But when Peter stood before the highest authority of the land, Peter stood for Jesus. The Bible says Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost. Have you read that scripture before? He said, "And Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit." That tells you that there was now strength where? In the inner man. The Jesus he loved so much, he knew so much, he could not live for him when there was no strength inside. That is what you see Paul doing here. So, the matter I am bringing to us fundamentally today, if I cannot go very, very far in this matter, is that you really need to pray. You really need to ask the Lord for the introduction of this matter that we are talking about. That God, Paul said, "For this reason I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," bowing our knees to him, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Hallelujah. I don't want to go into that for today. You know we are still reflecting on Ephesians, so I know we will still come back to take it but we are looking at some matters particularly. He says, "That he would grant unto you," look at the words, "according to the riches of his glory." Not according to your ability. It is according to the riches of his glory. And what is it to grant unto you? To be strengthened with might. With might. Strengthened with might by his Spirit where? In the inner man. So that you can live the life. Do you know what it is for instance that there is an issue before you between you and somebody in the market? Person just turned and he gave you, "Who are you, idiot?" and you look at the person and then you smile. You say, "The Lord bless you. The Lord bless you. We don't need to fight over this matter." Do you know that you have confused that man? Do you know that the man can get home and on the strength of that action begin to think that, "Hey, aye ti mu mi" [I am in trouble]. "Ha, I slap a man, he didn't slap me back. He said, 'God bless me.' Ha! Am I sure some spirit will not visit me this night? Hey God, have mercy on me oh. God have mercy on me. Don't let me die. God don't let me die oh." And then that man can be visited by the Holy Ghost and become born again on the strength of that heart. But the man give you, "Who are you, idiot?" You say, "Me? Jesus apart! Eh? Look, Jesus apart. I will show you that, eh? Born again is not stupidity." And then you roll your trouser, you roll your shirt, you remove your shoe, "Emi a sise e" [I will deal with you]. And then when you are through, where is the power of the gospel? Where is the inner strength? You see, the life. And please, I want you to know something very well that Paul was talking about the strength of the inner man vis-a-vis not fainting because of tribulation. I hope you are seeing what I'm bringing together. That when there is trouble, when there is adversity, when things are not going as it should be, when there are strain, when there are issues in your marriage, when there is a problem between you and your wife, when there is a strain between you and a fellow colleague, when there is a strain between you and a fellow believer, when there is a tribulation, when there is a problem, when there is an issue, the matter that respond to that and will make men still live correctly is how strengthened they are where? In their inner man. So when you begin to see misbehavior, when you begin to see abnormalities, when you begin to see Christians cursing and fighting, you begin to see Christians stealing and compromising, you begin to see them behaving anyhow, where is the problem? There is nothing in the inner man. So Paul, and that is why I want you to look at that Proverbs, if you look at Proverbs 24:10 very well, you will see how the Bible placed it particularly in the Message translation. That if you what? It is not fail oh. There's a, yes, it is fail, but there is a way the Message puts it. It said if you break into pieces or scatter in a particular adversity, it is because in the first place there is nothing about you. There is nothing. If there was really something about you, that is why I tell people, please don't glory in, don't glory in lies. Don't lie against truth. You see, if not for the way he provoked me, I would not have slapped him. That is a lie against truth. You slapped him because you are weak inside. That is the truth. If not for the way that brother did it, eh? I would have forgiven him on time. The problem is not with what the brother did or what he did not do. The problem is with you. And this thing bears so much, can I also announce to you that one major cause of marital instability today among believers is this matter? Believers are fainting under the yoke of marriage. Marriage is a yoke because you are asked to submit regardless of how the other person lives. And you are asked to love regardless of how the other person lives. It is an unconditional way to follow your role. But many times, you want to submit because the husband loves. You want to love because the wife submits. What have we done? We have reversed the gospel. And you want to have peace in your home. That is a very serious issue. I'm talking about the inner strength. Adversity. This time that we are in, the earth is going into a dry season. When I mean dry, iniquity is abounding, wickedness is taking dimension, adversity, lack, things are taking different dimension. But I keep announcing, I started announcing from three weeks ago, look, there is a man of all season. The man who trusts the Lord and do good is a man of all season. I now told you last week that if you fear God, you can be sure it will be well with you. And I'm telling you today, how will the believer respond? The believer must respond in prayer. In praying for what? Inner strength. They must respond and cry to God for what? Inner strength. Or else, you will keep blaming everybody for your misdemeanor. You keep blaming everybody for your sinful life. You keep blaming everybody for your misbehavior. You keep blaming everybody for the wrong that you are doing. You keep blaming everybody, you will not know that the problem is that in the first place there is nothing about your life. There is nothing about you. And that is the reality of it. How do you explain this incident that happened sometimes back? When brethren could not agree over the budget for a crusade. And the presiding leader, the presiding person, felt that no, this money is too much for this project. I will not approve because he is to approve and write check. He refused. He said, "No, let's cut it here, cut it here, cut it here, cut it here." And the other two brethren cornered and killed him. They got so infuriated by what he did because they felt they are leaders in their own right, even though he is just at the district level. So he cannot be controlling their various assembly why because he's made the decision. Who do you think he is? They got so angered and they got so provoked that they could not do that thing the way they wanted it and they arranged and killed him. When politicians are busy arranging and killing themselves, somebody is shouting, "Ha, Olorun se won lese ni jifa ni" [God will surely punish them]. That the judgment will start, it will begin in the house of God. I am not justifying sin, but I'm only trying to say that a man have no moral justification to beat his neighbor's children for stealing if his children are busy stealing. If he wants to start the beating, he must begin from where? With his children. When he finish beating them and dealing with them, he can now face his neighbor's children or else that man is a fool. That is why the Bible said judgment shall begin in the house of God. Somebody was shouting one time, this thing about the political leader. Please, I'm not justifying political corruption and all of that. Because like I told you, this year you will see, it will not be well with the wicked. It is a matter, it is not, it is something you will be seeing it. And you'll be seeing God rewarding the upright. You will see it and you'll be seeing it more and more. As we finish 2021, enter 2022, you will be seeing it. It is a dimension. And as I also told you throughout the end of last year, also be watching out. It is also a time, you see those ones who fear the Lord, who are busy building strength, it is also a time of their manifestation. You will see it in the midst of that darkness. You will see believers who we handled, if you talk about money, you will see believers that will be controlling billions, billions of dollars, billions of Naira and they will still be living correctly. Money will not be able to turn them because in the first place there is something about them. You will see believers that will enter office, political office, and they will so much stand for truth and the word don't be able to do anything against them. You'll be seeing the manifestation in the midst of that darkness, you will also be seeing the manifestation of the sons of God. You will see it. It all depends on where you put your life. As the thing is going, as the earth is sinking, I'm also telling you, it is also a time of the manifestation of the sons of God. Have you seen something why some will be fainting? What will be happening? Some will be manifesting. Hallelujah. To tell you that it doesn't matter how dark or how thick the darkness. The Bible says the light shines into darkness and the darkness could not comprehend it. You will still see light shining in that darkness and that darkness cannot do anything about it. It all depends on where you stand. In the midst of, "There will be no money," you will still see some brethren, they will still be borrowing people and be telling them, "When will you pay? Anytime you have it." You'll be surprised. You'll be surprised. "Ha, oti ni nkan ma le oh, nkan..." [the matter is hard]. It all depends on how your life is. But get this thing clear. All of these things that I'm placing to you, that is why I keep bringing them, if you need to write them down that I said there will be a manifestation of the sons of God, I said there is going to be a time of judgment, reward and punishment. I said again there is going to be, there will be men of all season who will not season, they will thrive. I'm telling you again that those who fear God it will be well with them. And I'm also telling you again that look, one major thing you must do about your life for now is that you need to cry to God for strength in your inner man. God will do it according to the riches of his glory by the power of his Spirit. It is an introduction of the power of God. Okay. Okay. So I'll be rounding up now. I'll be rounding up. So, haven't said this, you now need as a believer, you now need to ask yourself, "Who am I? Where do I fall? What capacity is inside me?" And I want to illustrate like this. Maybe I will not go into the because I wanted to go into dimensions of this strength. Dimensions of this strength for the believer, what we must pray for. And I want to show you in scriptures, I want to do a lot of cross-reference for you for you to understand this matter, but maybe as the Lord will permit us, as the week goes on, we'll be taking these things. I want to show you the different dimension of this strength and you will see how God because let me tell you the truth. The Bible says, "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses." Do you know what it is telling us? That the faith we are going to practice now is not a new faith. Some men have walked in these dimensions before. But we are only going to come in that same dimension but under a different covenant and grace. And so it is going to operate at a higher level, but you are still going to see that same dimension. It is not a new faith. There is no new faith. It is the same faith. So that, let me give you an example. If somebody now is saying that, "Ah, the problem around me, why I could not have clear thoughts is because, you see, if you go outside the word there, women characters, it is always exposing their breast. When they bend down you see breast. If you even come into the fellowship, sisters themselves, their skirts are no more fitting. It is now tight fitting. You'll be seeing the pant, the line of their pant. It is so..." and those things, it is making me to lust. Joseph will answer you that, "Me and Potiphar's wife..." Have you seen it? We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. Joseph will respond to you. Joseph will condemn you and say, "Bro, shut up. What are you saying? What are you saying? What is your problem? Me and Potiphar's wife, it was more than that. And yet lust did not come up in my heart. So what is your problem?" Why? There was inner strength in him. So I'm going to do a lot of cross-reference for you for you to understand this matter. There is no new faith. What the Bible say is that we should defend the faith that was delivered to us. It didn't say we should change it. We are not changing that faith, we are defending that faith. Defending the faith. So if anybody come, come up with, like Paul said, "If any man come to preach another gospel unto you apart from the one that we find among our father, let that person be cursed." There's no new faith. It is the same faith, but we are defending that faith. We have to defend the faith. So we must bear in mind that we are surrounded by cloud of witnesses. So you need to check. As God will permit us, we'll be going to the dimensions of this strength. Dimensions of this inner strength so that you can now begin to look at these same different dimensions and pray over your life. But for today, we want to stop here. I've always promising myself that I will always try and finish for 6:30 so that brethren can move wherever they want to move on time and get to their relevant place, different places, particularly for those of us who have physically gathered here. So we want to stop today. And I want you to pray. Ask yourself in the first place, "Is there anything about me?" In the first place, forget about all those whom you blame, this person, and some will begin to blame their, "You see, my temperament. I'm a hot-tempered person." Stop all of these things. You can look to God for power. Look to God for power. Look to God for power. It was the power of God that make Moses to become meek. Look for power. I want you to pray. And I want us to pray that God, God, you oh God, by whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Grant unto me according to the riches of your glory. Grant me strength in my inner man. Strength in my inner man. Strength in my inner man. Lord, grant me strength. Strength in my inner man. Strength in my inner man. Strength! Strength! Hey, Baba grant me strength. Lord, Lord. Can we go back to that song again that we began with? [Singing] I will live for Jesus thereafter day. I will live for Jesus. Let's come what may. Let's come what may, the Holy Spirit. I will obey. I will live for Jesus thereafter day. Oh thereafter day. I will live for Jesus. I will live for Jesus thereafter day. Thereafter day. I will live for Jesus. For Jesus. Let's come what may. Let's come what may, the Holy Spirit. I will obey. I will live for Jesus thereafter day. [Speaker 2] Can you talk to the Lord? Can you talk to the Lord? Lord, I want to live for Jesus. I want to be an ambassador of Christ. Lord, strengthen me. Strengthen me with might in my inner man. Strength in my inner man. Strength in my inner man. Lord, grant me strength to be an ambassador of Jesus. To live for Jesus. To represent Jesus. See, I am meek and lowly. Look at Jesus, meek and lowly. Savior Jesus. Look at this simplicity of his life. Look at the simplicity of his life. Look at how the Creator of the universe was treated by the creation. And yet he could go through it but remember that Jesus himself prayed through. Don't forget again that he prayed through. He prayed for strength to go through death. we need strength in our inner man honestly. Pray, pray, pray, pray. The Master prayed. He cried to God who is able to deliver him and God did it for him. He says who by the grace of God tasted death for every man. Jesus was able to taste death by the grace of God. He did it. He received strength. Strength! Strength! Bible says angels appeared to him. They strengthened him. Angels appeared, they strengthened him. Angels appeared, they strengthened him. And he got up from that place and he said, "Yes, he who betray me is around now. Where is that death? Let me go and die the death." Oh, he got strength in the place of his inner man. He got strength in the place of prayer. He got strength from God's presence. He drew strength. When he came out of that prayer, he could face the death. He could face that death. Hallelujah. He could face the death. He could face it. Oh brethren, you must enter the place of prayer. You need the power of God. You need the power of God. You need it in your inner man. You need it. That was the example Jesus gave us. That was the example he gave us. He entered Gethsemane. He prayed, he prayed, he prayed, he prayed, and there was strength to go through death. Lord we bless you. Thank you, Father. Blessed be your name. Blessed be your name. In Jesus' name we pray. Let's invite our brother Godwind to close the meeting for us today. [Speaker 3] Father, we want to thank you once again for your word that you have sent to our direction. Thank you for the life in your word. Thank you for the revival in your word. Thank you for the spirit in your word that enter into us for life. Lord we appreciate you, take all the glory in the name of Jesus Christ. Father, as we have prayed, we pray Lord that you will strengthen our inner man. In this race, strengthen our inner man. Empower us afresh in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord we pray that we will not faint. we will not be weary. Rather, you will release grace unto us to keep running and to run to the end in the name of Jesus Christ. Father we ask that you will release the Spirit of prayer and supplication unto us in the name of Jesus Christ. You will strengthen our feeble knees in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, precious Daddy. Lord we pray for your servant, you will fill him once again in the name of Jesus Christ. You will bless him, your word in his mouth will be power in the name of Jesus Christ. As we go, we go in your name. We return next week with testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, precious Daddy. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. [Crowd] Amen. [Speaker 3] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forevermore. [Crowd] Amen. [Speaker 1] 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 heat. Our regular activities are discipleship class, every Monday 5:00 PM; adolescent 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 counsel you can reach us at our location: Life Camp, by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Very Joy filling station along Ijede 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 080-3386-1136, 070-3361-3848. God bless you all.