The Faith Not of Works

**[Music]** **[Speaker 1]** I said two weeks ago, we're trying to bridge the matter together as we link it into today's discussion. Two weeks ago, we were looking at the matter of let him ask in faith. And we said faith is asking according to what God has said. So if any man come to ask anything from God and is not asking according to what God has said, what do we say? Then he's not asking in a way that he can get result. If such is asking in faith, we said something two weeks ago. He should not be doubting. He should ask. He should not be doubting. He that doubts cannot... that man should not think. It did not say the man will not receive. Ko ma tie ro. O jina si ibi to ti ma receive, ko ma ro ni. Ko ma ro pe o ma ri nkan gba. He should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. Now, last week we came to pray, but I quickly did a quick evaluation of the burden when I said in asking in faith, we're digging that word further. We said it is important for us to separate what? Promises from inheritance. I thought you were here for that one. Okay. That in asking in faith, because we saw that "if you abide in me and my word abide in you, you will ask whatsoever you will and it will be done for you." We noticed that the apostle said, this is the confidence that we have towards him. That whatsoever we ask, we know whatsoever we ask, we have it. Anything we ask, we're sure we will get it. Why? Because we ask according to His will. So the will, the matter of the will that he raised, is a matter of the faith that we have been talking about, everything falls into faith. Now, we now said if it is according of His will, then we must separate promises from inheritance. Now, we said if a man is coming before God and he's coming to ask for an inheritance, then he may not get answer because he will be praying amiss. What he's supposed to ask for is to ask for promises. What does he do with inheritance? He stands with God on inheritance. He doesn't pray for, he doesn't request for inheritance. Rather, he takes a position with God and I gave examples last week. I used healing, I used deliverance, I used so many other things to illustrate it. Now, we want to move further, and as we try to move, for the benefit of some of you who were not here last week, what we are saying is that when we want to approach God, we must learn how to approach God in line with His will. And His will is the basis of... when we pray, we will get answer. And looking at His will last week, we saw two things: inheritance, promises. What's a promise? What we ask Him to do. What is inheritance? What we rest on. And we simply said, for the purpose of example, for example somebody come and say, "Lord, please heal me." Is that a correct prayer? Is it a correct prayer? It's not a correct prayer because healing is an inheritance. Now, so we... I want us to look at something a little further as we are examining this faith of the fathers. We could have done that last week, but it was because it was a Monday of prayer, so we couldn't put everything together. Please I want to put this phone on silent. We couldn't do everything together. Now, look at Romans chapter 10. Are you there, please? Romans chapter 10. **[Speaker 2]** Yes. **[Speaker 1]** Now, let's take... please look at this reading. I want us to begin from verse 1 and please be following this matter sequentially. Be following it in your heart. Be trying to look at it vis-a-vis today Christianity. I hope you understand me? Look at it today Christianity. It says, "Brethren, my heart desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." So why are they not saved? Lack of... So if a man has zeal, please I want us to follow this thing sequentially because whatever is written down, they are written for our learning. He says, "I bear them witness, there is zeal." And the zeal is not for unrighteousness. The zeal is not for worldliness. The zeal is for God. But this zeal, the problem with the zeal, with that dissipation of energy, fasting, praying, somersaulting, everything, fighting for God, killing for God that they were doing. You see, they are still not saved. He says he bears them witness they have that zeal, and it's actually for God. Which means that regardless of the level of zeal a man has for God, if it is not according to knowledge, Baba will not appear. Are we together? No matter the level of zeal. They have a zeal, and it's actually for God. Which is the thing that we must beg God for: the true knowledge of God. We must beg God for it, we must seek God for it. It's the thing we must particularly seek God for. Please don't forget what we are discussing, we are discussing the matter of faith. But I couldn't get to this point last week because we needed to pray. Separating inheritance from promises. I've just given an illustration. Somebody came to pray, the zeal, you can see the zeal, he wanted to be changed, but he's saying, "God, make me a new creature." Is that kind of a zeal... I hope you're marrying them together as you're going along? He says, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God." Please, what does that mean? How is this thing coming to you as you relate it... You know they have a religion, just like we all have some system of religion and belief, are you understanding me? But what is he saying in respect of this religion? Can we relate it to today? Can we put it to today, our today experiences? When the Bible says that some people, they are ignorant of God's righteousness and they are seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God, what is scripture saying vis-a-vis our own time? **[Speaker 2]** It's like people want to go for their own righteousness, the righteousness God has already laid down to establish their own. There's a scripture in Colossians where it says, "If you are a believer, why do you still obey these laws? Touch not, taste not." And then the latter part says, "But these things have a form of religion and look like a show of humility, self-discipline, and humility, but then it's actually cannot benefit any man." And that's what we do because it's me I have to exert my energy on it, it must work. So in the way of God looks too simple. You just believe? It doesn't work like that, so you better do something. **[Speaker 1]** Do we agree with all that? God's method looks weak. That is one thing you must understand in your heart, it looks weak. The method of God looks foolish. You see, you look at the method, the way God wants to go about something, it's... For example, I was speaking somewhere one day. It was a big... it was this meeting by the way of God at the end of the year, I was asked to give a talk at the end of the year. And I said something: if they're to gather thinkers and men of knowledge together to work out a strategy by which the Philistines and Goliath will be defeated, will anybody, with those thinkers, ever think that let's present a teenager? Why? No, why will they not think of bringing a teenager? Because he's not experienced in the war, he doesn't know anything about... What I'm saying is that can they ever think of bringing one teenager? Can it ever occur to them as a method that they will now put aside? Will any of them suggest that method? Why? Because, you know what I'm trying to let you understand, no human sagacity can find out the ways of God. You understand by sagacity? That's expertise, wisdom, ability to... you want to think it out how God will... you cannot think it out. The ways of God are unsearchable, His judgment they are past finding out. Human sagacity cannot work it out. I'm trying to establish why if you must get God in faith... Isu nikan ni nkan to ba wa gba, wa de la ni... igbala. To ba ti gba, ko ko gba, ma gbiyanju ati adjust e, ma fiku, ma fose... ko ko gba bo se wa yen a de la e. But once you try to... you understand me? You try to... That thing that you have just done, you know what God called it? What did God call it here? Insubordination to God. It says they didn't submit to God. This is the thing that makes me afraid. They were zealous for God, and they were doing everything because they wanted to become righteous with God, and yet God will say that these are rebellious people. They refuse to submit to me. But the basis by which God calls them rebel is ignorance, o. And yet God did not call them ignorant rebels. What did God call them? Insubordinate people, they refuse to submit to me. You see, what is making me speak this way is that it appears to me more and more that it is God's desire that His people should seek to know Him. It is God's desire... you see, when we're ignorant of His will, God does not excuse us. He wants us to know His will. He wants us to understand His will. That's what I'm trying to say. He said, "So be not unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." If there's one thing God wants us to seek, it's that... Olorun o fe ka ma mo will e pe o mo... and so look at when he gave that parable of the servant who did not do well. He knows what the will of the master is, but he did not do well, he was given a lot of stripes. The one who did not know and did not do well, was the person spared? What was he given? He was still given few stripes. Nkan ninu e lo gba pe o ye ko mo. Ko ye ko je ko tan e. Now, we're moving down to the place of faith. It says verse 5, "For Moses write about the righteousness which is of the law, the man who does these things shall live by them." "But the righteousness of faith speak this way." We're now coming back to the matter of faith. Asking in faith. Coming in faith. Righteousness by faith. Justification by faith. Salvation by faith. Deliverance by faith. Putting on... in faith. It says, "Do not say in your heart, who will ascend into the heavens? That is to bring Christ from above." What is that thing? What does that mean? He's talking about righteousness of faith. He says the righteousness of faith says thus, "Do not say in your heart, don't say in your heart, ta lo ma gun lo si orun, ta lo ma mu Jesu Kristi wa sile. E jo ki ni yen tumo si?" What is that thing making you to see? That one that is by faith, not by works. The one that is by faith. He says, "Do not say in your heart, don't say in your heart, who will go to heaven to bring Christ down to earth?" What is that thing saying? What does that mean? Have you ever thought about it? What does that mean? That that one that is by faith