The hope of His calling

[Speaker 1] Churches and fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home front. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] Good morning. We thank Him for another first Saturday in the month of February. Another opportunity to gather for our Singles Club for our young men, our young women. We thank the Lord again for His preservations. Today again, as we gather, I want to welcome you to the Singles Club for the month of February. Those of you that are joining us on Telegram, those of you that are joining us on Mixlr, and of course we that are physically here, we say welcome everyone. And I trust the Lord that the Lord again, in His mercy, in His goodness, will meet with us and it will be a time of refreshing in His presence in the name of Jesus Christ. As we start up this morning, we want to take this song together. Let’s take this song, very short, just a prayer song. The song says, "Lord deliver me from an empty life. Lord deliver me from a vain life. Lord deliver me from an empty life. This is my prayer, O Lord." We will sing that song to start, and of course, it will also be our prayer song at the end of our message this morning. It will also be our prayer song. We are looking at "The Hope of His Calling." The hope of His calling. And singing this song is just a prayer. I believe by the time we sing it again at the end of the message, the implication of the song will be clearer. For those of you who know the song, you join me to sing as we prayerfully start. For those of you who don't know the song, it’s a very simple song, very short. "Lord deliver me from an empty life. Lord deliver me from a vain life. Lord deliver me from an empty life. This is my prayer, O Lord." [Congregation singing] Lord deliver me from an empty life. Lord deliver me from a vain life. Lord deliver me from an empty life. This is my prayer, O Lord. [Speaker 2] Our Father, we thank You for our meeting this morning. We thank You for the privilege to gather into Your presence. We bless You, Lord our God, for Your love. We thank You for Your mercy. We thank You for Your grace. Lord, unto You we gather this morning and we pray that as we reflect together this morning on the matter of the hope of His calling in our lives, Lord we pray that You will meet with us. Lord, we pray that it will be a time of refreshing in the name of Jesus. You will speak to our hearts. You will help us, O Lord, to become young men, young women, a people that can see ahead in the name of Jesus. Thank You, Eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now, "The Hope of His Calling." We took that topic from the book of Ephesians. That’s where you will see that word, "the hope of His calling." Ephesians chapter one. In Ephesians chapter one, Apostle Paul was taking time to pray for the church, and that was where the word came up. And it becomes something we want to particularly consider this morning. Ephesians 1, I will take the reading from verse 15. It was a prayer. "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." (Ephesians 1:15-18, NKJV). Our focus today is this: "the hope of His calling." The other part of an eye that is opened is "the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." The third one is in verse 19: "and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power." So, our concern for today's Singles Club is the first aspect where he says, "your eyes of understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling." I want you to note the matter is here. It’s not really about your calling, but *His* calling. The matter will be clearer as we go on. I want to read that scripture in another translation. I will read it—what I read now is in the New King James Bible—let me read it in the NLT Bible. Verse 18: "I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called." (Ephesians 1:18, NLT). The hope of His calling. I pray that your heart will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called. The hope. When God called us, He called us to a hope. There is a hope. That calling was a call to a hope. The implication is that when God calls people to Himself, He actually offers them hope. The implication is that every man who is not called to this kind of hope is a hopeless man. That man does not have any hope for the future. For there to be a hope for the future, everybody is looking towards a future. But what God did was that He called us. That calling with which He called us was a call into a hope. It is that hope that we are called into, that hope that is offered, that the NLT translation is making us to understand a little better when it reads, "I pray that your heart will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future," that is, there is a future, there is a wonderful future that God has promised to those He called. There is a wonderful future. There is a hope in this calling. However, that hope needed to be understood. It is something that must be understood. And that is what we are trying to dig into this morning. Because once a man doesn't understand this hope, the person will continue to live like the rest of the world that are hopeless. He will continue to live, he will continue to think, he will continue to reason, he will continue to have attitudes, lifestyle, pursuits, ambition, expectations like men who are hopeless. That is why you notice something in Galatians. Look at something in Galatians. We'll come back to this place quickly and shortly. Let's see something in Galatians about this matter of the hope of His calling. Look at Galatians chapter—the matter began actually in chapter two, it entered into chapter three, it entered into four—but to save time, I just want to read the conclusion in four from verse one. "Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all." (Galatians 4:1, NKJV). When a king, the child of a king—particularly the firstborn of a king—that male child, that first male of a king is designed, of course, ordinarily over time he is to succeed the king. Now, when he is born, he is born as what? A heir. He is somebody that is to inherit, to take over. But when he is born as a child, he will be placed under a lot of masters. Those masters are the slaves, are the workers of his father. They are supposed to teach him the ethics, the etiquette, the things he needs to know. So there will be a nurse to take care, there will be this to cook, there will be that. All kind of people will be working around him. All kinds of training will be going on. The point the Bible is making here is that as long as the heir is still a child, he will not be different from a slave because he will be under so many masters. But once he grows up and takes over the kingdom, he becomes the master of every other person. Now, the point I'm making is that as a Christian, when you don't understand the hope of His calling, you are like a child. You will have so many masters. Even you are like that heir when he is still a child. When the heir is still a child, he is under so many masters because there is no growth yet. There is no understanding. He could not take over because he is still a child. So when your eyes of understanding have not been enlightened for you to know what is the hope of your calling, you will be living like hopeless men. You will not be different from them. You will think the way they think. You will fear the things they fear. You will run after the things they run after. You will think the way they think. You will talk the way they talk. You will act the way they act. You will not be different from them. Your life will not be different from a man that is hopeless. Because until a man comes into this hope of God's calling, actually that man is a hopeless person. How do we know this? Look at it in Thessalonians. The book of Thessalonians. First Thessalonians chapter four. Just trying to get some things clear for us so that I'm trying to set the background for the message this morning before we begin to build on what this background—I just want to give some background to make some things clear. First Thessalonians chapter four, I want to read from verse 13. Or particularly verse 13. "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope." (1 Thessalonians 4:13, NKJV). He was talking about believers who died. Of course, when we lose somebody, when a believer happens to die, we have pain. We have sorrow. We weep. We cry. And now, the Bible is telling us that concerning those that died like this, it is important that while we sorrow, it is good that we don't sorrow as those who have no hope, as the rest of the world. Are you seeing something? He said, "lest you sorrow as others who have no hope." So, anybody who has not been called by God is a hopeless person. Whether the person is materially successful—maybe I should be naming things—maybe he is a billionaire, he is a millionaire, he is a professor, he is a doctor, just call anything. He is the president of Nigeria, he is the president of America, I don't know what you just try to describe anything. Any position that looks enviable, that looks great, that looks like a privileged position. Now, any man that has not been called by God, that has not come into this calling of God, is actually a hopeless person. He is somebody to be pitied. He is somebody to say, "Ah, despite all of this, ah, what a life." You know what it means to have all the wealth in this world and yet you are a hopeless man? What a life. Is it not better to have just a little wealth and then you have hope? You know what it means to be hopeless? Hopeless people. So the points we are making, we are trying to establish this morning, very uppermost, is this matter of hope. That outside the call of God, there is no hope. There is no hope. Whatever a man gathers—and that is why the Lord Jesus said, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" In a scripture that is close to that, the Master said again that a man's life does not consist in the abundance of what he possesses. So the point is that no matter what a man is able to accumulate to himself, no matter the measure of achievement in life that a man has, if he has not come into this hope, he is a hopeless person. He is a pitiable person. He is someone to be pitied. He is not someone to be envied. He is someone to be pitied. Why? Because it is the calling of God that gives hope. Now, having laid this foundation, our concern this morning is the hope of His calling. Let's go back to that our text that we are reading. Ephesians chapter one, verse 18. I've read the NLT translation. I want to read the NIV translation. "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you." (Ephesians 1:18, NIV). I take that in The Message. "Your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do." (Ephesians 1:18, MSG). Amplified: "By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you." (Ephesians 1:18, AMP). Now, what I want you to see in this verse that we are reading is that Apostle Paul—I said the matter began in verse 15. Verse 15, he says, "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints," that is, he heard about the conversion of some individuals from darkness to light. He heard about the salvation of their souls. He heard about the experience of salvation and deliverance in the life of those that were in Ephesus. And he was glad. When he heard about it, what did he do? He says, "After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus." You see, when anybody comes into the faith, when anybody believes, when anybody comes into the salvation of the Lord, when someone comes into that salvation, what is it that is next? He says, "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith." Are you a believer? Have you been converted? Have you come to experience this salvation that is in Jesus? Is Jesus your Lord, your Savior, and your Lord? Have you come into that common wealth of the faith in that where you are? If you are not there right now, this topic we are discussing is not for you. The people that this topic is actually meant for are those that have come into the common wealth of salvation. Have you come? Have you heard about the gospel? Have you received Jesus? Are you sure you are born again? Are you sure you have a walk with Jesus? Are you a child of a brother? Are you that person? You are the person that this message is meant for. Now, what is it? He said, "When I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints." The implication is that if you are hearing me and you are not born again, I want to plead with you. You are a hopeless person. You may be hearing me and you are a medical doctor, you are a hopeless medical doctor. You may be hearing me and you are a barrister, you are a hopeless barrister. You may be hearing me and you have billions in your account, you are a hopeless rich man. You may be hearing me and you are somebody who just graduated with a first class, you are a hopeless first-class holder. You don't have the hope. You are a hopeless person as far as the matter of life is concerned. You are merely existing. You are not different from animals. You are a hopeless person. So, my encouragement to you is to come into this hope. How do you come into the platform of those who have hope? Is to give your life to the Lord Jesus. Is to surrender your life. Is to throw away whatever you are holding and say, "Jesus, I surrender my life to You. I give my life to You." Is to pray a prayer of faith and surrender your life to Jesus. He said, "After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you." Now, what was the next thing? "making mention of you in my prayers." So the matter that we are looking at in verse 18 is actually a prayer. It is actually an apostolic prayer. It is a prayer of an apostle for brethren, for people who have experienced salvation. For people who have love for the saints. For people who are part and parcel of the brotherhood of Jesus. They have come to know the Lord. That verse 18 that we are looking at is a prayer. It is a prayer of a father in the faith. He was praying for them who are coming into the faith. And he was offering up a prayer. And we are trying to look into the matter of that prayer. Now, in verse 17, he prayed for the spirit of wisdom, for the spirit of revelation. And in verse 18, he was praying for light. He was praying for light. A light that will flood the heart. A light that will make people to see. A light that will make people to understand. A light that will make people to know. To know what? What is the hope. When God called you, He called you to a hope. That hope—it is crucial that you know the hope and you understand the hope. If it is not crucial for you to understand this hope, it will not be a prayer that a father in the Lord will not cease to pray about. He said, "I did not cease to give thanks and to mention you in my prayers." And I'm just praying. I'm just asking God, "God, these people that have come to know You, these people that have become saved, these people that have come to the faith, O Lord, O Lord, cause their eyes to be open. Cause their eyes to be flooded with light. Cause them to be flooded with light. Let light shine. Let light shine. Make their eyes to see. Let them see. Let them see. Let them see exactly what is the hope. Let them come to understand this hope." And that is the matter we are looking at. The matter I'm trying to raise with you this morning, there are about three or four fundamental things. Number one is that it is crucial that you know this hope. It is crucial that you understand this hope. It is crucial that you can see it. Once you cannot see this hope, once you cannot see it... the hope is not something physical. The hope is not something material. The hope is something invisible. The hope is not what your physical eyes can see. And that brings me to make you to understand something. There are three levels of vision. The first vision is the physical vision. The vision where you can see things with your eyes. Things that are physical. Things all around you. You can see other people. You can see things around you. That’s the first level of seeing. With that, you’re able to relate with your environment, with your physical world. There is another eye, different from this type of eye. There is another vision. That one is the eye of the mind. We call it the mental vision. The mental one. That’s why you notice they will say that "out of sight is out of mind." Where something is in your mind, and you are seeing it in your thoughts. You can see it. It is in your mind. You can... it is in your mental construct. That’s another level of vision. Then there is a third one, which is the one that we are dealing with this morning. This one has to do with ability to see into the spirit world. Ability to see what the physical eyes, the mental eyes cannot see. A very good example of this kind of seeing is what I would illustrate to you in about three passages of the scripture. The first one was the two disciples at Emmaus on their way to Emmaus. The Bible says Jesus appeared to them, but their eyes were restrained from seeing Him. They were seeing Jesus, but they were also not seeing Jesus. I don't know whether that makes some sense to you. They were seeing Jesus physically, but they were not seeing Jesus *as* Jesus. They were not seeing the real thing. They were not seeing that this is Jesus. They were seeing somebody, but there was no correct, accurate seeing into the spirit world to see that this is resurrected Jesus. I will show you that in what happened with Mary [Magdalene]. When Mary turned around and saw a man where she was weeping by the tomb, and Jesus said, "Mary," and then she said, "if you are the person who took my Lord away..." But later she was able to recognize Jesus. I'm talking about the journey at Emmaus. You could not see him. But remember that when they got to the house and He wanted to break bread for them, the Bible says as the bread was broken by Jesus, they recognized Him. They now saw correctly. They saw into the spirit world. They saw the reality of the person that they were seeing—that He was not a stranger, He was not just anybody. They saw exactly. And when they saw Him, He vanished from their eyes. And then they could not wait to join the other disciples at where they were to narrate their experience of what they saw. You get it? What I mean by a spiritual eye. Ability to see what physically cannot be seen, to see into the spirit world. The second illustration I want to give you is that of Elisha. Elisha and the servant. You remember when Elisha prayed that prayer? When Elisha prayed that prayer, what happened? You will notice that immediately, he saw that the mountain was surrounded by chariots of fire. He saw the mountain surrounded by chariots of fire. So, you notice that Elisha was seeing those everybody in that place before. Elisha was seeing everybody. Elisha was seeing that they were safe. But the servant was not seeing it. He wasn't seeing it at all. He wasn't seeing it. He couldn't see. He couldn't understand it. But when Elisha prayed for him and his eyes were open, he saw into the spirit world. Okay, I will now show you a last one in John chapter 20. I want us to go there. Just three stories about for you to understand what Apostle Paul was praying for in that Ephesians 1:18. Look at the gospel according to John. John chapter 20. Look at what happened in that incident. I read from verse one, just for you to get the gist of the story. "Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and said to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.' Peter therefore went, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen clothes lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed." (John 20:1-8, NKJV). Now, what were they seeing? They saw the clothes, they saw the linen clothes, they saw everything that Jesus was putting on before. Mary Magdalene came to tell them that they have taken the body of the Lord away. So when they saw all of this, the Bible says they believed Mary Magdalene. They saw it, so they believed her that everything, that Jesus had been taken away. They believed that. Now, why did they believe that? Verse 9: "For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead." (John 20:9, NKJV). So for them, Jesus did not rise from the dead. They did not know the Scripture. Mind you, Jesus had been telling them about it that, "Look, I will die, the third day I will rise again." But they did not know it. They have not seen it. They did not understand it. So when Mary Magdalene came to tell them that, "Eh, they have stolen the body of the Lord! They have carried the body away!" What did they do? They ran to the tomb. And when they ran to the tomb, they saw all the evidences. They saw the cloth of Jesus, they saw the handkerchief around His head, they saw everything. And when they saw everything like that, what did they do? They believed. They believed the report that Jesus had been taken away, that some people came and they took that body away. Now, when they believed that, when that message came to them and they believed that, what happens? The Bible says, "But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping." (John 20:11, NKJV). Why was Mary now weeping? What led to the weeping of Mary? Mary was weeping because the great men of God that were among them, Peter and the other disciples, they came to confirm her doubt. They came to confirm her fear. She came to tell them that, "Look, look, something had happened." And when they saw all the evidences, they believed. So they confirmed to her that it is true, they have taken the body of the Lord away. So because of that, Mary started weeping. I'm talking about that your eyes of understanding so that your eyes of understanding may see. That’s what we are talking about. So it says, "But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain." (John 20:11-12, NKJV). So, are you seeing something now? What has happened to the eyes of Mary? Her eyes have been flooded with light, a spiritual light. Her eyes, they are no more seeing just the linen clothes, just the napkin around the head of Jesus. Her eyes are now seeing into the spirit world. Her eyes began to see that it’s not just handkerchiefs and clothes and napkins that are inside this tomb. Angels, two angels are sitting. And those angels, they are seated for real. It’s just that their eyes were not open before. Look at what the angels said. Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him. Because that was what she initially believed by what she saw. She saw that the stone was rolled away. She saw that the linen clothes were there, the napkin was there. But their hearts, the eyes of their hearts, their spiritual eyes, had not been flooded with light. When the eyes were not flooded with light, she now began to see the invisible. Not only that, she began to hear the inaudible. Peter did not hear the voice of the angels. The other disciple did not hear the voice of the angels. She began to hear the invisible, began to hear the inaudible. She began to comprehend the incomprehensible. Are you understanding me? That was the prayer that Apostle Paul was praying. When anybody gets born again, when anybody comes to become a believer, there is the need to pray. There is the need to cry to God. There is the need to beg God. You can see what was happening to all of these disciples. They were living as hopeless people. They were living like the rest of the world which does not know that Jesus will resurrect. They were living as ordinary men. They were living like the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They were not different from the rest of the world. Why? Because their eyes of understanding had not been flooded with light. They were supposed to be rejoicing when they got to the tomb and they saw that the stone was not there, the stone was not there, that the tomb was empty. They should have broken into dancing, into singing. "Hallelujah, Jesus is risen! Hallelujah!" and begin to dance, and begin to shout, and begin to say, "Wow, our Lord is risen! Our Lord is risen!" and begin to proclaim the message. But instead of living as correct men, they were living as weaklings. They were living as fearful men. They were living as confused people. They were living anyhow. They were living not different from the rest of the world because their eyes of understanding had not been opened. The hope to which they were called, they could not see it. So I'm talking about vision. When Apostle Paul was praying, it was this one that he was praying for for the church. That, "God, I am praying. Let light, light, light, light." And anywhere you are listening to me this morning, may the light of the revelation of the Spirit shine into your heart in the name of Jesus. That was the light that he was talking about. A light that makes you to see into the spiritual, hear into the spiritual, comprehend into the spiritual. You begin to comprehend what is not physically comprehensible, mentally comprehensible. It is not something that comes from intelligence. It is not something that comes from ability to read and understand. No, it is something that is coming because you are aided by the Spirit of God. It comes as the Spirit of God aids you. And I'm telling you, if the Spirit of God don't aid you, you cannot know the hope of your calling. That is the point I'm making. You cannot know the hope of your calling. You cannot know what you have been called into. And if you don't know it... oh, no, my prayer is that we must know it. In the name of Jesus we will know it. In the name of Jesus we will understand it. We will understand that future. You see, you must be able to see it. Once you cannot see the future to which you have been called, once you are here on Earth as a believer, for you to be able to live correctly, it becomes very important that you’re able to see your future in God. I'm not talking about your future based on your certificate. I'm not talking about your future based on your qualification. I'm not talking about your future based on your material possession. I'm not talking about your future—are you understanding me? I'm talking about your future that is inside God. You have a future. There is something that is inside God that God has promised to give you. But for you to be able to live correctly, you must be able to see that future. Once you cannot see it, I'm telling you, you will be living a useless life. You will be living anyhow. And that is why I'm giving you the example from the life of Mary Magdalene, the life of Peter, and the life of this younger disciple that ran to the tomb. Now, you will notice that Peter and the other disciple who left without having their eyes flooded with light, which gospel will they go and preach? That is their gospel. May you not preach a wrong gospel. May you not preach a wrong gospel. They will be saying things, and you know they will be talking confidently because there were evidence. They say, "Shut up there! I know what I'm talking about! I saw the cloth of Jesus gathered to one side. You don't understand. I saw it corocoro with my eyes. I saw the napkin, the napkin on His head. You think I don't know what I'm talking about? I saw the napkin, the napkin was to one side like this. Look, let me tell you, I entered the tomb! I entered the tomb, please! It’s not that somebody told me. I entered the tomb myself!" And then he will call the other young disciple, "Were you not there with me?" And the other will say, "Yes." And you see, they will be talking confidently on what is hopelessness, foolishness, and confusion. Why? Because the hope, they could not see into the spirit. They could not see the invisible. They could not hear the inaudible. They could not comprehend the incomprehensible. I pray for you this morning. May you see the invisible. You shall see the invisible. You shall see the invisible. You shall see the invisible. You will hear the inaudible. You will hear the inaudible. You will comprehend the incomprehensible. Your the hope of your calling in the name of Jesus. It becomes very, very important. It’s a very, very crucial issue for you. And because Apostle Paul understood this matter very, very well, that is why he said, "since I heard about your faith, I did not cease to pray. I did not cease to pray and to commit you unto God." He kept on praying, "Baba, Baba, these people that gave their life, O Baba, so that they will not live uselessly, so that they will not live like hopeless men, so that they will not live anyhow. O Baba, I beg You. O, cause their heart to be flooded with light. Cause them to see. Cause them to see the invisible. This hope to which You have called them, they must understand the hope to which You have called them. There is a hope, there is something You have called them to. Let them see that thing. Let them see their future in You. Let them see their eternal future in You. Let them see where they are going in You. Let them see You. Let them see what You are offering them. Let them..." And he was just praying, he was praying, he was praying, he was praying. And having prayed and prayed and prayed, he had to put it again in writing that, "See, I did not cease to pray for you that this must happen to you." He wants them to know what he is praying so that they too can start praying. They too can start begging God. "O God, that our eyes will see! That our eyes will see! That our ears will hear! That our hearts will comprehend! The hope of His calling." That is, the future that God promises those who He called. There is something. There is a future. If you cannot see that future, I'm telling you, you will be living anyhow. You must be able to see your future in God as a believer. I'm telling you the reality. If you cannot see, I'm telling you, you will not be able to live as a Christian. It is—you see, because I'm going to quickly show you some biblical examples very soon so you will see this matter. But from what we are even reading about the life of Peter, the other disciple, and Mary Magdalene, I think you have begun to see the matter carefully. You have begun to see it gradually. That once you cannot see the invisible, hear the inaudible, comprehend the incomprehensible—and what I'm talking about is your future in God. You see, when God calls people, He calls them to a hope. You must see that hope. That is the reality. God has not called you in vain. No, He called you to a hope. There is something God wants you to see inside God. That is why He called you. And you must see that thing for which He has called you. If you don't see it, oh, oh, oh, oh, you are living below privilege. You are living below operation. You will not be able to operate with full capacity. I pray for you, develop capacity in the name of Jesus. There is the need for that capacity. That capacity to see what God calls you to in God. You must develop that capacity. Look at what happened with Mary Magdalene. Look at what happened with Mary Magdalene. Let’s quickly see something there. He said, "And she said to them, 'Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.'" Because that was what she initially believed by what she saw. She saw that the stone was rolled away. She saw that the linen clothes were there, the napkin was there. But their hearts, the eyes of their heart, their spiritual eyes had not been opened. When the eyes were not flooded with light, she now began to see the invisible. Not only that, she began to hear the inaudible. Peter did not hear the voice of the angels. The other disciple did not hear the voice of the angel. She began to hear the invisible, began to see the invisible, began to hear the inaudible. She began to comprehend the incomprehensible. I was reading—I can't remember the person who wrote that book now—but I read that book when I was a teenager. Yes, I think I was a teenager or maybe my very, very early 20s. If it is not age 18 or age 19, then maybe when I was 20. But that this write-up of the person stayed with me till today. I didn't know how I was able to memorize it. This was what the writer wrote. He said, "When a Christian begins to see the invisible, hear the inaudible, and comprehend the incomprehensible, his friends and neighbors, they start calling the Christian mystical. Much learning has made you mad, they would say. Or sympathetically, they would start thinking you have gone soft in the head, that is, you’re a confused person." He said, "But while they amuse themselves with derogatory remarks, that is, talking to you anyhow, 'Don't mind the stupid boy, don't mind Him, his own is different, we don't even understand him, behaving as if he’s only holy, holy, is the only one that knows Jesus, don't mind him, all is soul, he is spirit, spirit, is he the only one that is a Christian among us?'" He said, "While they amuse themselves with derogation, hoping to belittle that Christian and to disparage the Christian," he said, "the truth must forever be confessed that those who share the mysteries of God must be mystics." I read that thing. You see, I did not even memorize it, but what I've just quoted to you now. But over time in my Christian journey, that statement began to come back to me. That honestly, the wind blows, you don't know where it’s coming from or where it is going. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit. If everything about a child of God is physical and mental, that child of God is living below capacity. If everything about your life is just what you can physically see, what you can mentally think about, if all your decisions, everything about you is just that, I am telling you that you have not entered into this experience that we are talking about. There will be decisions about you, there will be things that you will do. You know, now I began to think back. I remember leaving school as the best student from my department, and my elder brother was trying to fix me up with Chevron because he was there then. And in the midst of that, I heard the Lord clearly, "Son, I have not designed you for—to be an oil worker. I designed you to be a teacher. Don't go that way." And I just told him that, "My brother, I will not be interested in doing that." And what I'm telling you, making you to understand was that I was to be paid, taking that job as at when I left school, university in the 90s when I left school, I would be starting at 300,000 as at that time. But I went the other way to start my teaching career with 1,000 Naira monthly. You know what my elder brother said? He said, "Now I know you’re a mad person." He said, "You are mad. You are a mad person." He said, "There are people seeking this opportunity, praying for it, and they were not given. You, you have everything to take it, you are not taking it. You are a fool." Why? He could not comprehend what—he could not see what I was seeing. He could not hear what I was hearing. And I can give you instances like that. 2003, in Jos, my wife came to tell me that, "no, it was 2003... 2000, the year 2000. Said it’s like the Lord wants us to leave Jos and relocate to the south." I said I've not heard anything yet about that, but let us keep praying. 2003, the Lord came to me and began to speak and said, "Son, start planning your relocation. Start planning your relocation because it is time. I want to change your mission field, and it is also time for you to repay your parents." I did not really comprehend that when He said, "it’s time to repay my parents." I did not really get that very well, but I knew He said that. So I noted it down. So I told my wife that, "That thing you said in 2000, the Lord came to me now and He said we should start preparing, that we will leave. But I don't know when, but He just told me that we start preparing for it." So we kept on praying. 2004 December, we were praying together and the Lord spoke to us. He said, "Leave now. It is the now has come for you to leave." I said, "Okay, if the now has come for us to leave..." Then He gave us a word. He said, "Go, your soul will dwell at peace, and your seed will be established upon the land." So the following day after that prayer, after that togetherness, I told my wife, "I must move down to Ondo State. Let me go and then see how I get a place and relocate everybody. God had said the now has come, we need to move." What am I trying to make you to understand? When I got to Ondo State that night, I went straight to our family house. When I got to our family house, you know there, there was nothing like home. I just entered the house in the evening, because when you leave Jos then around 5:30, you normally get here around 6:30, 7:00 in the evening. So I entered into the house around 8 o'clock. I got there around 8 o'clock, something thereabouts. Then I saw my younger brother, my dad and my mom, my stepmom, they were having a meeting. And then my father said, "Ah, where am I coming from?" I said, "From Jos." "What did you come to do?" I said, "I am relocating." Ah, he was confused. He said, "Ah, you are relocating, you are leaving Jos?" I said, "Yes, I'm leaving Jos." He said, "So what do you want to do?" I said, "I just came to come and look at how I can pick a job, how I can get a house and move my family." Ah, he just said, "See, this meeting that we are having is the meeting of what will happen to my school. Your younger brother is leaving tomorrow morning, and we don't know who to hand over the school to. That is what we have been deliberating and we have been thinking, what do we do now with the school? Do we close it down? Do we continue with the school? How do we go about it? Do we give somebody to help us to manage?" As at this time, my father's vision had become very poor, not seeing very well. And my stepmom was not very literate, so she would not be able to manage the school. He just told my dad—my dad said, "Oh, will you take over the school? At least let that be the job that you will start with." I said, "There is no problem, I take over that." And my father said, "God is spirit." By the following morning, I put a—I tried to see how I can get across to my wife. By the time I got across to my wife, I said, "I'm calling, I'm talking with you from my office." "Ah," he said, "which application did you write? How did you get the job? You entered Akure yesterday night, so how did you resume this morning? Are you joking?" I said, "I'm calling you from my office." Ah, then I gave her the rest of the story. What am I trying to make you understand? If all about your life is something physical, something psychological, if that is all your life is all about, I want to tell you there is a missing dimension in your life. That missing dimension in your life is that which we are discussing now: ability for your heart to be flooded with light so that you can see another future, an operation about your life that is in God. There is an operation about your life. There is something God is working for your life. There is something God is running for your life. There is a place God is taking your life to. There is a hope when God called you. He called you to a hope. There is something God called you to and you must enter into that. Your heart must be flooded with light. It must be flooded with light if you must enter into that hope. There must be light. I pray for you, that believer listening to me, that brother, that sister hearing my word. I pray, I pray, like Apostle Paul prayed for the church. I pray for you, I pray for you this morning. I pray for you this morning. I pray for you this morning. May the light of God flood your heart. May the light of God flood your life. May the light of God flood your situation. May the light of God flood your life. May the light of God flood your heart in the name of Jesus. It’s very, very crucial, this dimension of your life. And that is why when people talk to me, "there is nothing like the will of God, there is nothing like the plan of God," I just laugh. There is a plan of God. There is a hope to which you are called. And let me show you a typical example so that you understand why Apostle Paul was praying that prayer. There is—when God called you, He called you to something. And that thing He called you to, if you don't see it, you must see it in Him. Because He called you to follow that one. He called you to that. There is something He is calling you to. There is a hope for your calling. God did not call us to become hopeless, to begin to plan our life. No, He has planned something. He has put something in place. He has organized something for you. Oh! It would be an irresponsible and useless father who give birth to children without plan. Even our earthly father, as confused as as helpless as as evil as they are, they have plan for their children. Whether the plan is good or evil, some will even go and initiate their children because they are having plans for them. And I mean even in their evil state, every father have plans. And they begin to fight it for their children to get into it. Angry, disown the girl... so I think the mother, younger or elder sister... I'm not remembering the story very well now, something that happened quite a while ago, not something very recent. So they had to take over the girl's custody and care. So the mother, younger or elder sister now asked the girl, "Why did you do this? Why?" And she told her that, "Ma, I told Dad before and I just don't want to do engineering. What I desire is chemistry." "Are you sure? That is the reason? Are you sure? Oya, go and write another JAMB." So she wrote another JAMB, gained admission for chemistry. You know what happened? She came out with first class in chemistry. But what I'm trying to make you understand in that story is how even earthly parents, they have plans for their children. You will see medical doctors, they want to raise medical doctors in their children to take over their whatever they have. You see politicians, what do you notice? They are raising their children, they want them to take over. You are now talking about a Father of light and spirit, an eternal God, the Father of all fathers, the Great I AM who said, "I am the Almighty," will He give birth to a child and He will have no plan for that child? You are a confused person if you are thinking that way. There is a hope for your calling! There is a hope! That your calling has a hope. That hope is something that will affect your physical life, your financial life, your academic life, your career life, your marital life. It will affect everything. Eventually, you will meet Him in eternity. It will affect everything! That hope. Something—you know, I just become very concerned today when I see young men and young women, believers, talking and acting like hopeless people. "You just do what you feel, just do what you think, what do you feel, what do you think?" and begin to run their life that way. Oh, brother! Oh, sister! That young man, that young woman, there is something higher. There is something greater. There is something higher. There is something greater than what you can think or greater than what you can imagine. There is something higher than what you can imagine. There is something more than what physical heart can see and what the mental one can see. There is something greater. That thing is what the spiritual eyes can see. Don't limit your life to what the physical eyes can see and what the mental one can see. Don't limit your life to that. Don't limit your life to that. Don't limit your life... it’s already 11:30. If you have questions, any question, please begin to send in your question so that we can attend to those questions if there are questions. Any question on what we are discussing. Please begin to send in your question so that we can attend to the questions if there are questions. If there are questions, we will surely attend to the questions. You can send it, you can send your question on Telegram. The questions can come on Telegram. The questions can come if you are on our WhatsApp page, you can come on the WhatsApp page. Your question can come if there are questions on what we are discussing. I want to show you the life of Saul, the life of Saul who became Paul, Apostle Paul who was praying that prayer. So that you can understand where he is coming from. Oh! Tell yourself, God has a plan for me, and I will follow that plan because it is higher, it is greater. It is higher, it is greater than what the physical eye can see and what the mental one can see. It is higher and greater. Higher and greater than what the physical eye can see and what the mental one can see. I'm quoting scriptures to you. Look in scripture. Look at Acts chapter nine. Acts chapter nine, the conversion of Paul. The conversion of Saul to Paul. That conversion story of how Apostle Paul became a believer. He was then Saul. I'm reading from verse one. "Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light..." (Acts 9:1-3, NKJV). You’re seeing the matter of light again. Oh, Jesus is the light! The light of God! Jesus is the light, oh! Amen, Amen. Jesus is the light, is the light of God! Jesus is the light, oh! Amen, Amen. When you read the book of Luke, it said those who sat at the shadows of death, a great light has come. Jesus is the light of God. Luke chapter one, it says the great light from on high, the dayspring of God has come to us. Jesus is the light. Jesus is the light. Jesus is the light. I pray for you, more of Jesus. More of Jesus. More of Jesus. More of Jesus. More of Jesus in the name of Jesus Christ. He is that light. Jesus is that light. I just saw something somewhere, somebody said the light and sound of God and an air spirit that flies. I just, I just, I just laugh. The light, the light and voice of God is Jesus. Anything that is not Jesus is not God. That is the truth about it. It said as he journeyed, he heard a light shone around him from heaven. A light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground and heard a voice. Are you seeing it? A light, a voice. Because the light of God and the voice of God is actually a person, that is Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. May the light of life be your life in the name of Jesus Christ. He is that light. He said as he journeyed, he heard a voice saying to him—please look at what I want you to see about the hope of calling, when God calls. He said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then He said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Do you see it? Every calling has something to be done. Every calling, when God gets you born again, there is something to be done. That thing to be done will affect everything: your physical life, your mental life, your health, your finances, your education, your career, your marriage. It’s going to rule over the whole thing. It will become a guide to it. It will become a light for it. He said, "What do You want me to do?" Look at what the Lord said. Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and it will be told you what you must do." (Acts 9:6, NKJV). Are you seeing that? It will be told you what you *must* do. For every calling, there is a "must." There is something you must do. That is why Paul says, "Woe is me, for I'm a bondservant of Jesus, to live is Christ and to die is gain." He was told what he must do. And you notice that thing ruled over his whole life. Ruled his marriage, ruled his career, ruled... he became a completely, a complete, it took power into another kind of life. It pervaded every aspect of his life. I'm talking about the hope of your calling. The hope of your calling is the basis for living. It is the compass that helps you to navigate life. It helps you to navigate your finance. It helps you to navigate your marriage. It helps you to navigate your job. It helps you to navigate your career. It helps you—it is the compass for your life, the hope of your calling. That thing that God is calling you to. And that thing that God is calling you to... look at First Corinthians chapter two. A question is here before me, I will take it shortly. Look at First Corinthians chapter two so you can understand me. First Corinthians chapter two. It says from verse 9: "But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'" (1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV). Do you see it? It’s not something that eyes can see. It’s not something that ears can hear. It’s not something that can even enter your mind. But what does God do? Verse 10. Look at what the Bible says that God does. It says, "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit." God reveals these things. What God has prepared for you is not what eyes can see. You must live above the world. You must live above what eyes can see. You must live above what ears can hear. You must live above what can enter into the heart of man. The Bible says He is able to do above all we can think or imagine. What God wants to do with you is more than your imagination. "I just imagine that, I just imagine that..." Stop imagining it. Pray for something higher. Operate on a higher plane. Why? Because if you don't operate from there, you will not be different from unbelievers. You will live... He said we should not sorrow as those who does not have hope. Every other thing, we should not think as those who don't have hope. We don't marry like those who don't have hope. We don't handle money like those who don't have hope. We don't handle sex like those who don't have hope. We don't handle riches like those who don't have hope. We don't do things like those who don't have hope. What is glorious in hopelessness? I'm asking you as a young man. What is glorious in hopelessness? No wonder, no wonder John was telling us, Apostle John, he said, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, then the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—what are the things in the world?—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and what again? The pride of life." Sense of actualization that comes from what you possess. The pride of life. "Do you know what is in my bank account? Do you know how much I have? Do you know all of these estates is my own? Do you know...?" What is, what is...? Go and read scripture. It says the fool, he lays up and gathers and treasures all to himself. He does not know who will take over them. Think back. Many things that people have laid over for themselves today, at the point of death, what happens to all of them? Some of them even become confusion for their children, they start going to law courts. Just lay up and lay up and lay up, lay up, lay up, lay up, and they’ve not laid up anything eternal. May you live above the world. May you live above the world. It says, "The world passes away, and the lust thereof; but he who does the will of God..." does what? "...abides forever." (1 John 2:17, NKJV). I'm asking you as a young man: are you building to last or you are building a waste? The world passes away, and its lust thereof. The world passes away. All you can do with what eye can see, what ears can hear, what can enter into the heart of men are things that pass away. Passes away and the lust thereof. But he who does the will of God abides forever. I pray for you, may you build to last. May you build what will have eternal impact in the name of Jesus. Young man gather your life together, young woman gather your life together. Retrace and redraw. Go back to the drawing board and redraw the map. Pray for an eye that sees. Pray for light that floods the heart. Pray to know the hope of your calling and to run by it. A question is here before us. It says, "What does one do when one is unclear about God's leading? When there are gray areas? When one is uncertain about God's leading or God's instruction? What does one do?" Very simple. So many things can be done, but the fundamental thing to do is to stay with God until it is clear. That’s the fundamental thing to do. If it is that you are not clear about what God is telling you on the matter, please don't do anything because you want—what God is saying is not clear. When you get to a junction and you don't know which one to take, it’s better to stay at that junction until you know the right one. Because if you just jump into one junction, you may get to the end of that junction only to discover that you’re on the wrong way. So when you are at a junction in your walk with God, and it is not clear which part to take, wisdom demands that you stay at that junction. Stay. And if you are sincere in your walk with God, it will be clear. You know what the Bible says? It says, "Where is the man that fears the Lord? Him will He teach in the path that He shall choose." (Psalm 25:12, NKJV). Isaiah chapter 30 said, "you will hear a voice from behind you that says, 'This is the way, walk in it.'" Look at Mary Magdalene. She was not clear. She was there weeping. All her world was confused. "Ah, Jesus had been stolen." She stood there weeping. The Lord saw her sincerity. The Lord saw that she did not understand. She did not know what to do. The evidence had confused her. A whole Peter confirmed her story that, "Ah, sister Magdalene, you are correct! The body of the Lord is taken away. Ah, where is the body? How will I put spices on the body of my Lord?" And she was there weeping. Did God solve her confusion? God solved her confusion. Her eyes were opened. She saw the angel. As that one was going, her eyes were opened. She saw Jesus. And this time... oh, I didn't read that place. Go and read that the end of that story. The Lord told her, "Do not touch Me, because I'm yet to go to my Father. But go to My brethren, go and tell them that I have gone to My Father and their Father. Go and tell them." You know what I’m—I'm just imagining. I'm not—please, it’s just my imagination. It’s not recorded in the Bible. But I just imagine that Mary Magdalene just got to the midst of the disciples and said, "Brethren, Hallelujah! The Lord is risen! Hallelujah!" Please, what do you think Apostle Peter would say? What do you think Peter would say? "Wow, Magdalene, Magdalene, Magdalene... Sister Magdalene, don't forget your story. They casted that seven demons out of you. I hope it’s not those demons that are back and they are confusing your life. I, even I, have told the disciples that they have taken away the body of the Lord because I saw the evidence! I saw the evidence! What did you see? Ah, Daddy, I saw angels! Shut up! I entered that place, there was no angel there. What was there was... Oya, brethren, let us go there." She’ll be looking very stupid and foolish to them. I'm just imagining. Do you know why I said so? Go and look at the matter in Luke chapter 24. While Jesus was telling them that when they said, "Haven't you heard about the story of Jesus?" they now made a statement. They said, "the women among us, they came to tell us..." Please, let us see that story. You know, it’s good to see these things in the Bible for you to know that sometimes people can be confused. But if you stay, if you stay with the Lord, the Lord will resolve your confusion. Don't run into anything that you are not clear about. If you patiently wait for God, the Lord will make it clear. If you truly fear the Lord, He will make it clear to you. I've had occasions in my life when things were not clear, but as I stay with the Lord, they become clearer and we know what to do. Look at that man. The Lord touched him and he was seeing men as trees. Then He gave him a second touch. Sometimes it comes the first time and it’s not clear. But sometimes by the time you hear it the second time—it says, "once have You spoken, twice have I heard"—by the time it comes the second time, oh, it becomes clearer. It can happen like that sometimes that it is not clear. Don't let that get you intimidated. Don't let that make you rush into anything. It will get clearer. Look at what they said about what the women told them. I just want us to see that story. It said—Luke chapter 24. Luke 24, I want to read from verse 5. "Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."' And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles." (Luke 24:5-10, NKJV). Look at verse 11: "And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them." (Luke 24:11, NKJV). I take it in NLT. You know, this recent English makes some things clearer. "But the story sounded like nonsense to them, so they didn't believe them." (Luke 24:11, NLT). So that’s why I'm saying that when those messages got to these people, it looked to them like nonsense because they were not clear. But the truth was that over time, the disciples, did they become clear about the matter? They became clear. They became clear. Apostle Peter that was saying—that would have said, "Magdalene, shut up, are there seven demons inside you confusing your life?" was the same Peter that stood before the 3,000 and said, "This Jesus is risen! Hallelujah!" So over time, it became clear. He became a preacher, somebody who stood for it, was beaten for it, died for it. He became clear about it. Whatever is not clear about God, if you are sincere and true, it’s just a matter of time, they will become clear. They will become clear. As we close this morning, I want to beg you. What God has prepared for you is beyond what eye can see, what ears can hear, what can enter into the heart of man. It’s beyond all of that. It is something that God must reveal by His Spirit. It is your heart must receive light so that you can understand the hope of the calling. And I conclude this way. You will see that it was the same pattern for our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says, "who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame." (Hebrews 12:2). He was looking at a joy. Are you seeing it? There was a hope. When God gave Him that assignment, it was not a hopeless thing. God set a hope before Him. God set a joy before Him. He was looking at that joy. As He was looking at that joy, He was able to endure the cross, He was able to despise the shame. I want to tell you, until you can see your joy, that thing set ahead of you, that hope ahead of you, it becomes impossible to endure the cross, to despise the shame. It becomes impossible for you. You will not be able to follow God all through the Way. The hope of His calling. Let us pray. Let us pray. Wherever you are this morning, I want you to talk to God. Wherever you are this morning, I want you to talk to God. The hope of His calling. The hope of His calling. The hope of His calling. The hope of His calling. There is a hope in His calling. There is a hope in His calling. The hope of His calling. The hope of His calling. The hope of His calling. Precious Father, we thank You for this morning. We give You all the praise. Lord our God, we pray for our young men and our young women, our sons and our daughters. Lord, we pray for them. We pray for them that, Lord God Almighty, they will see the invisible. They will hear the inaudible. They will comprehend the incomprehensible. They will comprehend the incomprehensible. They will see the hope of their calling. Their eyes will see it. Their ears will hear it. Oh God Almighty, they will understand it, they will know it, and they will run by it. They will not live like hopeless men in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Thank You, Eternal Father. Blessed be Your holy name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. [Speaker 1] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development, and mission hit. 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 counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the first bridge, Iloro community, opposite Vero-Joy filling station along Ije-Aare road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are: 08033861136, 07033611348. God bless you all.