Timely Admonition

[Voiceover] Church fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God's will desires a godly home. These are words of restoration and instruction on righteousness, on Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 1] Forever and ever, Amen. Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen. Blessings and glory, and glory, wisdom thanksgiving, and honor, and honor, power and might, be unto the Lord. Forever and ever, Amen. Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen. Blessings and glory, and glory, wisdom thanksgiving, and honor, and honor, power and might, be unto the Lord. Forever and ever, Amen. He has promised He would never fail. I will lean on Him. I will lean on Him. He has promised He would never fail. His faithfulness is forevermore. His faithfulness is forevermore. Our Father, we are grateful unto You. We thank You for another time again in Your presence. We bless Your holy name. We give You praise, we give You honor, we give You adoration. We appreciate You for Your mercies, we appreciate You for Your love. We thank You again for this opportunity to gather for our monthly program, Singles Club. And Lord our God, as we gather this morning, Lord, we pray that Your Spirit will work within us. Lord, we pray that Your presence will indeed be in our midst, in the name of Jesus Christ. Our Father, we pray that for all of us connecting together today, whether our brethren who are on Mixlr, our brethren who are on Telegram, or we who are here physically, Lord, we pray that it will be a time of encounter. It will be a time of meeting with the Lord individually and personally, collectively as a group also, in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, our Father. Be exalted, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You are all our brethren who are connecting with us on Telegram, our brethren who are joining us on Mixlr. We want to welcome everybody again to the Singles Club program of today. We trust the Lord, we are in the second half of the year that begins with the month of July. And this is the first Saturday in the second half of the year. As we all connect together this second half of the year, we trust the Lord that the second half will indeed be a time of blessing, a time of mercy, a time of hearing God, a time of encountering God, in the name of Jesus Christ. We are moving on to look at a very crucial topic this morning for our Singles Club program, which I titled, "Timely Admonition." Of course, an admonition is a warning encouragement, a warning that comes with counsel, a warning that comes with encouraging somebody into something, telling somebody to be careful, telling somebody to be watchful. You are teaching the person something, at the same time, you are making the person to see consequences. And it becomes important for us to look at this this morning. It happened that in the course of the month, I was just meditating on what are we to look at for July Singles Club, particularly as we have come into the second half of the year. And as I was pondering on that, I began to realize within my spirit that it will be a time to look at what Paul said to the church in Corinth, reminding them about the situation of the time that they were. And honestly, the way it is coming to me is that it is something we will be looking at. It may even also go for our Marriage Forum. It may go for our Marriage Forum because I know different set of audience gather for the Marriage Forum and the Singles Forum sometimes. Sometimes we may have similar audience. Some people may be on both programs. But we notice that many other times, a lot of other people join when it comes to Marriage Forum, who are more concerned about the marriage outreach of the ministry. Now, what is this admonition that Apostle Paul gave to the church in Corinth? And reminding them that they should be aware that the end of all things are at hand. The reason why we are going there is because from the point of Apostle Paul, I want us to look at 1 Corinthians 10. From the point of Apostle Paul, it was more like everything is coming to an end, and so let us be watchful, let us be careful. Now, look at that 1 Corinthians 10. I want to take our reading starting the message from the conclusion and then coming to the beginning. Now, if you look at verse 11 of that 1 Corinthians 10, Apostle Paul said that, "Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition." That is where we got "Timely Admonition." These things happened to them. In other words, what he is referring to was not something that was fictitious or something that is a fiction. It was something that actually happened. And it happened to which people? It happened to the people of God. It happened to people that God personally visited in Egypt, brought them out of Egypt, took them on a journey, was before them in the day as a pillar of cloud and in the night as a pillar of fire, sent Moses before them, His angels accompanied them. So, the people we are referring to, they were special people like us. They were not less special. They were people that you can describe as the apple of God's eye. They were the redeemed. And the Bible says, "these things happened to them." Now, it happened to them as examples. It happened to them. That is what I am trying to make you see. It happened to them as something to learn from. So, the Bible says it happened to them as something to learn from. And I want to tell you, if you don't learn from it, it means you are foolish. It happened to them as something to learn from. Now, why do I say it means you are foolish if you don't learn from them? The Bible now says, "and they were written for our admonition." If it happened to them and they were not written, it happened as an example, but we never knew what happened. Can we learn from it? Of course no. The Bible is saying that they were written so that the people that God will be redeeming again, the people that God will be calling again, they can learn from them. But the aspect that bothered me most in this verse 11, maybe I should read it in other translation, is the last phrase in that verse. It says, "upon whom the ends of the ages have come." "Upon whom the end of the ages have come." I don't know whether you are getting something from that. Let me take other translation. NLT. It says, "who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close." Now, please, I want you to follow this thing, brethren. Follow this thing very carefully. It says all these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close. Let me look at another translation how that phrase was used. It says, "on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come." 1 Corinthians 10:11. The Message. The Message says, "and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were." Now, before he says that, let me put it well for that of the Message. It says, "Our positions in the story are parallel. They were at the beginning, we at the end." I love the reading. "Our positions in the story are parallel. They were at the beginning, we are at the end. And we are just as capable of messing it up as they were." Let me take it in the Amplified. It says, "we in whose days the ages have reached their climax, their consummation, their concluding period." Now, please, do you know why this thing is a serious matter for me in my heart? Our focus is "Timely Admonition." Apostle Paul wrote this matter in the first century. We are at the 21st century. [background noise] Somebody said the last generation. All right. But the point you are making is clear. This matter was written in the first century. We are in the 21st century. And as at the first century, the mind of God to His people was that, see, everything is coming to an end. What I am trying to make you understand is that the last days, the last days. For some of you who have been following us on the discipleship class, sometimes was it in 2022 we were looking at understanding the last days. But perhaps you didn't follow us on that teaching. Let me say something to make this thing clear. If you look at the book of Joel 2:28, the Bible says, "it will come to pass in the last days that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh." It says, "your sons and daughters they will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, your young men they will see visions." Joel prophesied as at that time that it will come to pass afterward. Now, that afterward, what does afterward mean? Afterward means they were in one ward. I don't know whether you have visited the hospital before. They will say female surgical ward, male medical ward, like that. So, when he said afterward, it means after this ward, at another ward. Afterward. So, he was talking about we are in a period, but after this period, another period is coming. Now, that God will pour out his spirit upon all flesh. Now, look at Acts, the book of Acts 2, which was the day of Pentecost. When the day of Pentecost had fully come, the Bible says they were all with one accord in one place. Then suddenly, there was a mighty rush of wind, it filled the whole house where they were sitting and of course the Holy Spirit came down. When Peter, I am trying to get something clear to you. They began to speak in several languages. They were Jews, but they were speaking Egypt, Libya, Cyrene, Rome. They were speaking all kinds of languages. The people were shocked. Even Arabs were there, Cretans were there. They were wondering what is this. They were perplexed. Some people began to mock. Don't mind them, they were drunk with wine. But the Bible says in verse 14, "but Peter, standing up with the eleven." Please, I want you to get the picture very well. Peter standing up with the eleven. They rose up to the situation. And I just felt like saying this to you as a young man. May you be able to stand up in your generation. May you not sit down when your generation need men that can stand, in the name of Jesus Christ. So, it says, "but Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, men of Judah, all you who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heed my words. For these are not drunk as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day, that is around 9:00 a.m. But this is what was spoken by Prophet Joel. It shall come to pass in the last days, says the Lord, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh." Are you seeing something now? So, please, the last days started when? It started from Pentecost. That day when the Holy Spirit came down, that is when the last days started. You can go and listen to that message, just go to our website, "Understanding the Last Days." We said so many things about the last days. So, as at that day the Holy Spirit came down, it was already afterward. We were in another ward. Which ward is that? The ward of the last days. So, I want you to understand something. It is like the 24 hours of a day. If you go and listen to that message, it is like 24 hours of a day. In a day, you have the morning period, you have the afternoon, you have the evening, you have night, then you have late night before the break of another day. So, the last days, the day the Holy Spirit came down was the morning of the last days. It is a day. This generation, you can look at it as a day, this last day. So, that last day began in the early hours. When the Holy Spirit came down was the early hours. So, that last day began to go on, began to go on, began to go on. So, we are in the 21st of that last day. So, I don't know where we will position it. Whether we will position it that we are in the afternoon, or we are in the evening, or we are in the night, or we are in the later part of the night. Because afterward another day is coming again, which is the rapture and the close of the age, when time will be no more. So, I want you to understand the matter of the last days. The apostles, they were speaking to men that, look, these things were written and they were directed to men to warn men who are part of the last days. That they need to be careful because things are, the last day is a winding up. We are rounding up matter because afterward, it is not going to be a pouring down of spirit again, it is going to be judgment. It is going to be reward for the works of your hand. And that is why Ecclesiastes says, "whatsoever your hand find to do, do it with all your might." Because there is no knowledge nor wisdom where? In the grave. I like the KJV translation, "where you are going." Not where you will go. Nobody will go to the grave, there is nothing like that. It is where you are going. It is present continuous. Do you understand that? By the time today ends, another day open, if I am to spend 100 years on earth, it is minus one day. By the time tomorrow, by the time you celebrate, "oh, I am now 50 years old," minus one year from the year you want to spend here. So, you are going. You are going to the grave. Every day you are going. That is the reality. It said, look, when you get to that place, you can't be saying, "oh, I now realize the truth. Ah, so I should have," no, there is nothing to learn in that place again. That place is for judgment. There is no knowledge or wisdom, there is nothing to go and learn there. That place is to go and be judged. Where there is knowledge and wisdom is where? Before you get to the grave. So, before you get to the grave, it is time to get wisdom, it is time to get knowledge. It is time to become wise. And what I am trying to make you see is that we are not at the same time of the day with the time of the apostles. We are moving, I don't know how we will describe it, but Apostle Paul described it one way in his letter to Timothy. He said, "it will come to pass in the latter days." So, it means there is a latter time within the last days again. There is a latter time. He is talking about the evening of that day. So, we are able to now recognize that they were in the morning or afternoon. So, there is a latter time of the last days. He now gave several things that are likely to happen in those latter times. Can we just quickly take a look at what the Bible was showing in that place? You will find that in 2 Timothy chapter 3. If I am not wrong, it should be chapter 3. Look at it. Apostle Paul was now making us to see again that he said, "but know this, that in the last times perilous times will come." And look at what he wrote. "For men will become lovers of themselves, lovers of money." I don't know whether you follow the social media yesterday of two students that the parents sent money of the elder and the younger to. They are not biological, but it is like the cousin. One is elder, one is younger. They are in the same school. The parents sent the money to the elder one. The elder one spent the money of the younger one's school fees. Afraid that the parents might now be asking for the school fees of the younger one, made arrangement and killed the younger one. Killed the cousin so that it will distract them from asking for the school fees. I am talking about love for money. Undergraduates. Ekiti State University. It is not far from us, it happened in Western Nigeria. How do you describe that? How do you explain it? That two cousins, the elder one killed the younger one because of how much is the money? 48,000. 48,000. Love for money. He says, "boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. From such people turn away." Are we saying that we are far from these things that we are reading here? Are we far from them? Or we are seeing them in a dimension that, that is why I said yesterday's own was mind-blowing. It was mind-blowing. You know we follow family things because we run a family ministry on the internet. We follow, we try to look at things happening around us. Another incident, this was in South Africa. A boy of seven took the younger brother, much more younger, it took time before that one came so it is more like a baby, put in an oven, electric oven, and turned it on. It was when the father was hearing the smell of the baby roasting inside the oven that the whole thing, and by the time the boy was accosted, he has been taken to remand home. He said when they gave birth to that baby, all attention was taken away from him. He said the parents, the care, the love he normally enjoy from his parents, that baby took it. So, the parents then now understand some things that were happening inside the house. One time, they caught him trying to suffocate that baby, but they could not relate it. They were now recollecting different incidents when he has tried to kill that baby. How do you explain that? How does such magnitude of wickedness come to the heart of a seven-year-old child that the only way out of his challenge is to exterminate another life? So, what do you explain when husband kill their wife? When wife kill their husband, in the name of "if you don't give me rest then I will get rest by killing you." Domestic violence. How do we explain these things? Look at the one that happened in Ekiti where the husband and wife killed themselves inside the room because they had disagreement. How do you explain it? I am talking about these things, are they far from us? Or they are in a serious magnitude? That is why I keep wondering that, will we say we are in the afternoon? Can we say we are in the evening? But that is why we call this admonition "Timely Admonition." We have not even looked at the admonition, but I am trying to explain why we call it "Timely Admonition." Why did we put "timely"? Because if it became very timely when it was morning, God was telling the people, "be prepared, be prepared, be prepared. Be careful, be careful, be careful. There will be pressure here and there. Be careful, don't miss your way, be careful." You know during the day, there is a challenge. What is the challenge of the day? Be careful not to miss your way because there is a cloud to follow. You know there is a cloud that leads us. You know during the day, there is the daylight, there is the sunlight, so there will be so many lights. If you are not careful, you will miss the cloud to follow some other direction. But in the night, there is another challenge. Everywhere is dark. Isn't it? There is only pillar of fire, there is only one direction. But again, the night has its own fears. The fear of the night, you know in the night, mango tree can look like a ghost. I don't know whether you have experienced those kinds of things before. You will see ghost, it will be looking like lion. So, as the morning has its challenge and God was warning them, "be careful, be careful not to follow any other light but the cloud," the night has greater challenge. You know why the night has greater challenge? The night comes with fear and intimidation. You can see the level of fear in the world today. Look at the level of fear in Nigeria. You want to travel from one place to one place, there is fear. I am talking about understanding the night. The night comes with fear. Do you notice that where you normally pass through during the day and you alone can walk, when it comes to the night, what will you say? You will say, "ah, Brother Paul, I can't go through this place again. Can you go with me?" Night comes with fear. What is happening between Iran and Israel? There is already fear globally. Hey, Third World War, Third World War. Hey, let's do something. Yes, nobody could do anything. Look at the level of fear globally. Is anywhere looking safe? That is why some brethren are saying that, brethren, we are, it is like we are in the night. The level of pressure and intimidation, things intimidating you today. "Take this bribe, if you don't take it we will kill you." That was what happened to one of our brethren that was working in an oil company. He said, "I will not be part of this." They said, "if you don't then we will kill you." He had to quickly resign and run away from that job. Formerly, if you say you are not doing, they will leave you, they will do their thing. Now they say, "eh, you want to report us? You are going to die." I am talking about fear and intimidation here and there. And so, if this warning becomes very, very important in the morning and afternoon, much more, much more, it becomes very serious in the night. It becomes serious in the latter part of the night. But wherever you think we are, that's the point I am making. The warning is for men that are in the last days. For we know that if they are in the first and we are in the 21st, do you know how many centuries have gone? How many? 20. 20. May the Lord grant us understanding. Now, I want us to go to the point of this admonition. That's why I said it's like I am starting the message from the conclusion. We have looked at what Paul said. Let's look at that verse 11. He said, "Now these things happened to them as examples." Can we now go and look at what happened to them? That is the admonition. He said they were written for our admonition. What exactly happened to them that were written for our admonition? What happened to them? Can we go there now? Let's now go now to look at it from verse 1. Look at it from verse 1. He said, "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea." All of them were under the cloud. That was the cloud I was talking about, that in every generation God normally guides His people. In every generation. Why they were talking about a cloud in their time, what is our own cloud? "My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me." Anybody who is a believer that cannot be led by the Spirit of God should just forget everything about God's kingdom. That is our own. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God." If you are outside that operation of being shepherd by the Lord, by His voice, by knowing when He is talking to you, by knowing when He is speaking to you. He said, "I have come that they may have life and that they may have it abundantly." Is that not why He said He came? And what is that life? "The words which I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." So, if He has come to give you life abundantly, what He came to do to you is to speak to you. Is to instruct you. You can go and listen to our message on that was Singles Club for the month of April, if I am not wrong. Check it on our website, FamilyTentMinistry.org. Check it. When we talk about "Instruction is your Life." In case you don't know what I am trying to say. Go and listen to that message for our Singles Club program. That was this year, either March or April. Instruction. Being able to hear what He is saying and do what He is saying. That is our own cloud. If you are still running from one prophetess to one prophet, "baba, eh, who, I want to know my career. Baba, I want to know who to marry." If that is still your life, you have not even come under this cloud that we are talking about. There is a cloud. And because that cloud, please understand our own cloud. What I am saying is the Spirit. It said it will come to pass in the last days that I will pour out my spirit. So, the Spirit is our own cloud. That's our cloud. Being led by the Spirit. Our own cloud. They were all under the cloud. They all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses, in the cloud and in the sea. You see, there was somebody in that cloud taking them. There was somebody in that cloud leading them. It says they all ate the same spiritual food. But what happened to them? They all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of the rock that followed them. That rock was Christ. It said, "I don't want you to be unaware that God actually gave them abundance. God did everything. God made all available." And I want to tell you, is it different from our own time? Jesus said that you can have life abundantly. Jesus said, "it is finished." Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." Jesus said you are complete in me. Are we not complete in Him? Like everything was available for them. We have the Word of God. In their own time, when they say, "this book of instruction depart not out of your mouth," that book of the law will be read by the leaders. The high priest will come and the prophet they will read, they will be hearing, and they will be putting it, memorizing, memorizing, memorizing. Will everybody have a Bible on his table? Am I right, brethren? What he is saying is that they all went through the same abundance and today it is the same thing for us. That's why it is a parallel thing. It is side by side. They drank from the same spiritual rock. That rock was Christ. Are we drinking less from that? Have we not all obtained salvation? He says, "but however, however, but with most of them God was not well pleased." Please, what is the first timely warning? Understand that in the last days, even though it looks like we are all going to heaven, with many of us God will not be pleased. Don't think because they call him brother and sister, heaven is pleased with his life. Don't think heaven is pleased with her life. He is telling you that for many of us who are under this same cloud, many people will have some things in their life that will make God not to be pleased with them. We may not know them, we may not see them, but God sees them. God knows them. God understands those things. It says with but with many of them God was not pleased. And it will not be less in our own time. It will not be less. You know why it will not be less? Our Lord gave us an insight into it. The Lord Jesus said the kingdom of God is like what? Is like a sower that went to sow. Am I correct? And as he sowed, what happened as he sowed? Some fell by the wayside. Some fell on the rocky ground. Some fell among thorns. Some fell on good ground. From those division, how many of the division was actually correct? How many of the four divisions? Only one. So, divide 100 into four. 25, 25, 25, 25%. So, if you take 100% when it comes to the matter of Jesus building His church, because the sower is Jesus. If Jesus is saying that as I am sowing this seed, that is when Jesus is speaking by Himself. He said, "as I am sowing this seed, let me tell you the nature of God's kingdom. I am only expecting harvest from 25%." I don't know whether you understand the nature of the kingdom. I am expecting harvest from 25%, although they are all the seed that I sow. That's why I am saying that may you not be seated when your generation need people that can stand, in the name of Jesus Christ. It said with many of them, with most. It is a pattern. As if that was not all, Jesus now spoke very directly to His disciples. He said, "take heed to enter through the narrow door. Take heed to enter through the narrow door. For broad is the way and wide is the gate that leads to destruction. Many walk in it because, because narrow is the way." So, the Lord Jesus did not underemphasize this truth, did He? He did not. That is why it is a parallel thing. It is a parallel thing. With many of them God was not well pleased. That's why you see, ah, we that are at the end, we that are at the end, eh, eh, eh, you better wake up. You better be alert. You better don't take things for granted. You better don't sleep off. Do you know why? If you go and look, I really wish you will go and listen to "Understanding the Latter Days." There is something about the night. You know what's particular about the night? People who get drunk, when do they normally get drunk? They get drunk at night parties, most of the time. Am I correct? Armed robbers, killers, assassins, these people that come to attack people, when do they come more? They come more in the night. When we are talking of dozing off, dozing off, people dozing off in sleep. When do people normally doze up more? If you are doing something during the day or during the night? During the night. Do you get the point I am making? You see in the morning when the body is still fresh, everybody will still be, you know? I remember sometimes when everybody starts working, doing something. At first when you start, everybody will be, hey, hey, hey. As you continue, what do you notice? Some will start sitting down. Some will start sitting. Am I correct? Some will still continue. By the time you continue much more later, what do you notice? Only few. By the time much more later, it may remain only one person. That's why the admonition becomes very serious for us. As you travel down the day, the number of men who needs to get to the finishing line begin to do what? Begin to reduce. It begin to reduce. So, it depends. Many will be, as they are going on, some will be dozing. And you know, it says those who sleep, if you go and look at 1 Thessalonians, it says those who sleep, sleep in the night. People who sleep, you know? It says, "Wake up from your sleep!" Sleep happens more in the night. It happens more in the night. It says, look, we need to get something clear. And that's why if you look at people who do evil, when people want to dress naked as called girls, if you go and take a place like Akure, go and check it. It is anything from 7:00 p.m. It is in the night. In the day, the whole place will be, will be clean. But come in the night, wickedness, immorality, all kinds of things, they take different dimension. When? In the night. Crime, take more serious dimension in the night. I want just what I am saying, I want to beg you, if you didn't follow us in that discipleship program, please, get to our website. You will see it, "Understanding the Times." It's about four-month teaching. Listen to them and understand the matter of the night. In the night, evil multiply. In the night, that's why they will say something, "African magic." They will say, "ah, be careful, you know even the witches they fly when? In the night." The covens of the wicked operate when? In the night. And men who are awake, go and check it. When it starts getting to 7:00, many will still be awake. 9:00, some will be getting ready to sleep. Am I correct? 11:00, many, maybe half population will have slept. By the time you get to 12:00, 12:00 a.m. Please, how many people will still be awake? Very few. There will be very few. Am I to make you understand what we are trying to say? That even in the morning, with many of them God was not pleased. What is going to happen in the night? In the morning. So, we need to get something very, very correct. Very, very correct. It says, "but with most of them God was not well pleased. Their body were scattered in the wilderness." See, it now came in verse 6. "Now these things became our example." Now, you see the matter. These things that happened to them became our example. You know what I want you to understand? There is not going to be any new dimension of temptation. Sorry, any new type of temptation. It is the dimension and the magnitude that will be changing. It is the same thing that happened to them in the morning. That happened to them before the last days started. These are the same thing that are going to repeat themselves. It said, "now these things became our example for us to know that we too we are on a journey." Am I correct? Am I correct? So, what are we to watch out for as a Christian? To the intent that number one, we should not lust after evil things as they lusted. Now, one of the thing that will reduce the number in our time is what? Lust. Lust. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eye. Lust. Lust. The Bible is saying that look, these days be careful. And what is lust? Lust is talking about a strong desire. A strong desire. Be careful in these last days what you are developing strong desire for. Be careful. Be careful about your desires. Be careful before you begin to have a strong desire for something. Watch very well. Because when you look at lust, it is defined negatively. It said lust is a desire for something even when it is not reasonable. Can you imagine a governor stealing money, for instance? How do you explain, how do you explain? There was one case of a professor who was extorting 10,000, 10,000, 5,000 from student. How do you explain it? Before you develop strong desire for something, watch, watch how you, your desire. Try to stay between the level of reasonableness. And it talking about ability to be discerning. Ability to be discerning. Ability to be discerning, to separate distractions that are looking like attraction. It said lust, watch out for lust. Lust. Then the next thing he mentioned, "do not become idolaters as some of them became." And it was written, "the people sat down to eat and drink and rose to play." What is an idol? An idol is something that is worshipped. Am I correct? Something that is referenced. God said He should be the one to be referenced. He should be the one to be worshipped. So, when we say something is an idol, idol come in different ways. Is there something that you give so much reference more than you give to God? Is there someone? Is there somebody? Is there something? Is there something that you know? I was talking to some of my student and I said, the way some of you, the way you fear, you fear death. If you can just transfer some of those fear to the fear of God, your life will have been better. Some of us fear death more than we fear God. We reference death more than we reference God. Some of the fear, so when you talk about reference, some of the reference we give to certain people, if you can transfer it to God. There are some kind of stupid behavior that you cannot do before some people because they are there. There are students that when they are in exam, if they are talking, with a system lecturers who have integrity and dignity, the kind of fear that come upon them, they just, I mean he has not even just seen him from afar, they have corrected themselves. I wish they can give that type of reference to God. That just knowing that God said is enough to make you to obey something. Because some people, God said is not enough. They obey in the open, they disobey in the secret. It said we should watch idolaters. The second point of idol, idol means that which you give the highest value. That's why he said, "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Idol is that which you give the highest value. And I tell people, in your value system, what comes first? And you can know it in many ways. In many ways. Some people can tell lie to make more money. So for them, riches is to be desired more than a good name. Instead of the other way around. It says, "a good name should be desired more than riches." But for them, riches is to be desired more than a good name. I am talking about idol. That's why some will be lovers of money. Do you know that some people, they can pleasurably be with WhatsApp, with social media, I mean pleasurably. That you have to tell them that you are on this thing too much. But bring them to Bible study, bring them to prayers. You have to be telling them that, "ah, you are not reading your Bible enough. You are not praying enough. Spend time with God." You get the point I am making? They have become lovers of pleasure more than what? Lovers of God. Idol. Idolaters. Watch your life. What takes the first place of value? It did not end there. It said, "now, don't let us commit sexual immorality." Sexual immorality. In their own time, what was their own? They rose up and they were busy, they were busy sleeping with the girls that came from Moab. Please, sexual perversion today, is it still at that level only? What are the dimensions now? Cybersex, phone sex, masturbation, homosexuality, pornography. You can just keep counting all the kind of sexual perversity. We have gone beyond just a boy sleeping with a girl. That one has become virtually normal. We did a research, I did a research, and what young people, I was asking them what led to sexual encounter. And for 75% of the respondent is that they want to prove their love for the person they are in relationship with. So, for people today, you prove love by sex. If there is a relationship and there is no sex, then there is no love. But yet the Bible said, "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind." Which means we should be having sex with God, abi? To tell you that you can love without any sexual issue. You can love with all your heart without any sexual issue. You can love with all your mind without any sexual issue. You can love with all your strength without any sexual issue. But today, for the world, love is, "ah, we have not slept together now." It said that matter of sleeping together was their own case. But our own today, sexual pervasity has taken a dimension that is alarming. Very, very alarming. I was dealing with a matter, two young people, the male on this side, female on the other side. Video call. The female completely undressed, the male too completely undressed. And they were watching the one another's nakedness. And they were saying all kinds of things to themselves as if they are having romance, as if they are together physically. Phone sex, cybersex. You can talk about different things today. It said this kind of thing too, we need to watch it in our time. Sexual pervasity, sexual immorality. It was something, do you know that this was the matter that brought Brother Samson down? Even though Samson came down, many are still going the way of Samson. It said let us be on our guard. Because for we, we are in the night. We are in the night. Things are not at the morning again. We are not at the early time. We have moved, just as anywhere you put it. We cannot be where the apostles were. Are we? No. We cannot be in the morning like they were. Maybe we are in the afternoon. By the time it come to the afternoon when the sun start coming up, the number start reducing. The number that will be still working will be reducing. It telling you that look, lust will take some people, idolatry will take some people, immorality will. Are you getting the point? Just like some fell by the wayside. I hope you understand it now. Some fell by the wayside. Some fell by, some fell on the rock. Some fell among thorns. It's the same thing that is telling us. That as the sower, at the Lord Jesus, is working, is sowing the seed, it's not going to have equal result. Some heart will be heart that will take it with lust. They will take the seed, but there is lust. Some heart will still not be correct. They will take it with idolatry. They will take some other things with it. Somebody said, "in my secret heart, may no rival throne survive." May no other love compete with love for You. Some are loving God, but some things is competing with the love of God in their heart. I remember talking with, I remember reading something in one of the literature that I read. A lady in relationship with somebody and the person is sexually molesting her. So, the pastor got to know and then encourage her that the first thing to do is to cut off that relationship. Despite that, the lady was making, was trying to see that she is looking at, if she cut it off, she normally get money from that person. That attached to that person and the sin, being attached to that person and the sin was more important to detach him because of what she is getting. So, somehow she is still attached herself to that person. Even though it was no more as frequent, it still happens once in a while. It was much more later that the church got to discover. Why? I am talking about, I am talking about lust. It said for some people, it said don't let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted and they were destroyed by serpent. Ah, what does it mean to tempt Christ? How do people tempt God? How do people tempt God? Jesus gave us an example when he was tempted by Satan. Satan said, "Jump down, for it is written that God will take care of you. He will give his angels charge over you." Jesus now responded, "It is also written you must not tempt the Lord your God." So, what does it mean to tempt God? Tempting God is taking God for granted. Some people, that is their problem. God forgive sin. You know God is merciful, there's a second chance. God forgive sin. If there is anything, God is merciful. And because of this, talking about God as a merciful God, some people take God for granted. They say God will still in a way, you know there is a way God will still in His mercy restore. He does not like the death of the wicked. We take the goodness of God to think that God is weak. God is not weak, but we take that way, you know? That is taking God for granted. That is tempting Christ. Some people just feel they will just, "I will repent. I will repent. After I do it I will repent." You get the point I am making. That is why our brother was saying that it is like deliberately sinning. But it is more of an attitude. When you are taking the mercy of God as a blanket that you must always get it. But I tell people, remember, remember that it was just once that Esau rejected his birthright and he never got it again. Remember that Saul did not wait for Samuel and at that point, the kingdom was rejected, his kingdom was taken away from him. Remember that you just can never tell when there will be no chance again to return. Judas had been stealing money. You know Judas was that jewel? He was the treasurer. And yet a thief. He was an executive in fellowship and yet he was a treasurer and yet a thief. He was an executive and yet he was a thief. He was the man in charge of the purse. And yet he was stealing. He was stealing from the purse. He has been stealing. He has been doing it. And at a point, he also did it again to get 30 pieces of silver, hoping to escape. Some said he thought Jesus will just after he has just kissed Him and go, Jesus will just disappear from their hand, or Jesus will not, different things can be alluded. But the Bible did not say that very directly. So I don't want to take it as a teaching. You get the point I am making. Anything can be alluded. But I know Judas never thought that will be his end. That one is certain. If he knew that will be the this one that you will steal, there will be no return, he won't have done that one. Am I correct? That's just the point I want to draw out. What I am saying, be careful about taking God for granted. You may test God to a point of no return. So, whichever way you are looking at it. For some people, it was once and there was no return. For some people, they kept doing it, they kept doing it. You know Jesus was aware. Jesus was aware. You know when He said, "One of you will betray me." And Judas too came like the other one, "Master, is it me?" Jesus then said, "You stupid boy, you think I don't know that it is you?" Did He say that? Did He say that? He knew that it was him. He knew. And yet He didn't say. He didn't say. What am I trying to make you see? Please, don't take the goodness of God for granted. Don't take the goodness of God for granted. Don't tempt God. For some people, what will make them to be cut off, God not to be pleased with them, is that they will take the goodness of God for granted. And honestly, that becomes very common in the night. Because, please, you know in the night, in the night, when somebody just shout, "Hey! Hey! They are coming! Hehen! Hehen!" Because it is night, you believe all kinds of things. Someone say, "Ah! Robbers! Heh! Kidnappers!" You can believe anything in the night. The night is a time of confusion. And if you look at the state of the church today, is there no so much confusion? One will tell you it's red and blue. One will tell you it's blue and red. One will say no, it's green and blue. One will say no, it's white and red. One will say no, it's red, purple and yellow. One will say no, there's so much confusion. I could remember, let me give you a very, very simple example. I could remember at a point in our history in Nigeria, indecent dressing was a sin. Indecent dressing. And when I say indecent dressing, I am straight to the point. I mean clothes that reveals the cleavages of the breast, the breast, the thighs. Because the thigh is an erogenous part of the body, the thigh of a woman. It's erogenous part of the body. One time it was a sin. But at a point, faith start becoming, "it doesn't matter how you dress." Yes, it doesn't matter how you dress, but it is not talking about not dressing, dressing and you are naked. What faith is saying is that, whether your clothes is smart fit or the clothes is not fine, whether the clothes is not saying whether it exposes nakedness or not. That's not what faith is saying. But today, everything has become one blanket. That when you enter the church today, half of our sisters, you are looking at the breast outside. You are looking at their thighs everywhere. What I am trying to see is that as you progress, as you progress. You know that even in the world, I know when I was growing and I was younger, I am not talking of the church now, there was a culture that you don't see woman undies. Even when they sun their undies outside, they will cover it with clothes. But today, where are we in the world? Things are getting darker and there is so much confusion. But the Bible is warning us. Let us be careful. A lot of things have been taken for granted today. Let us be on our guard. Because that's what some people did that time. And what did they do? What was the simple thing that they did that they were destroyed by the destroyer? Simple, simple things that they did and God destroyed them. What was, what was one of those things about this destruction? At a point, they said, "ah, we want to eat meat like they normally eat meat freely in Egypt." Of course, God gave them meat. But while they were eating the meat, what happened? He also killed them. Then now come to the point of complaining. He says nor complain as some of them also complained and were destroyed by destroyers. Do you know that? Please, what is the seat of complain? Who can help me? What is the seat? What makes, what what what does when you say complain here? Does it mean that we should not speak to things that are not right? Is that what it is saying? What was their complain? Their complain was that, the place where they complained, if you first remember, at the Red Sea, they complained that it have been better, was there no grave in Egypt? Why should we die inside the sea? They crossed the Red Sea. They came to Marah. They complained that the water in Egypt was better. This place, this one is bitter. God made the water sweet. When they move on, they complained that they remember that they eat meat freely in Egypt. Was the meat free? People were crying in their bondage. And God came to them to deliver them. They said they eat meat freely in Egypt. What did God do? God brought quail. They ate meat that evening. By morning there was manna. God said, "I will test them." Is that not? They left that place. Do you know what God is saying? God is talking about the spirit of ingratitude. There are people who never take note of the goodness of God in their life. Their focus is on what is yet to be done. So, they don't acknowledge that which God has done. They don't, they don't, they don't. That is one. The other dimension to it is that there are people who don't relate God's goodness at a time to their present challenge. You are in a present challenge right now. There may be a Goliath before you. But at one point in your life, there was a lion, there was a bear, and God delivered you. Why can't you relate it that, uh-uh, if God can do that, God can do this? You are in a present challenge right now. One time you were in a challenge. Look at what God did at the Red Sea. How God destroyed the Egyptians, parted the Red Sea. Now, when you get into the wilderness, you got into the wilderness and you now notice that there is no food. Do you need to complain against God? What are you supposed to say? If God could part the Red Sea, isn't it? If God could destroy Pharaoh like this, I am sure this condition will not last. God will still change my situation. That is faith. Confidence in what God has done before. There are people who never emphasize confidence in what God has done before in their life. They keep behaving as if God have not intervened in their life before. But look at David. David said, "ah, the God who delivered me from the hand of bear, from the hand of lion, that God is able to do what? He's able to deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And did God do it? God did it. God did it! There are people who will never relate what God did in their life before to their present challenge. You will see them start talking, start acting, start saying things, "ah, oho, ah, in fact, I'm fed up. I'm fed up with this Nigeria. Why did God even make me a Nigerian self? Why am I not an American? Why am I not this? Why am I not that? Why am I not," you can seen all kinds of complain. So, it is two things. Inability to appreciate that God have done something. You were not eating meat freely in Egypt. In Egypt it was not free, you were crying, you were in bondage. And God came to loose your bondage. You now want to talk now, you said you remember the one that was free. That's attitude of some people. Even while, I remember one time when somebody was having a challenge. It happened on two incident. And the brethren try to see what they can do. They notice that this family, the sister will beg for matches, beg for maggi, beg for this, beg for that, beg for that. So brethren came together. I was part of that meeting. They came together, something that happened about some six or seven years ago. They came together and they were to do something for that family. They notice that okay, ah, you are doing nothing as a woman. Your husband is doing security and you are free. Okay, look. They notice that people in the whole of that street, there is nowhere anyone is frying akara to sell. They now said, "Wow, this is what somebody did elsewhere and began to feed the family. Sister." They make donation, they will buy groundnut oil, they will give all the implement, the beans and everything so that you can start. You know her response? She hissed and said, "I don't want people to see me to be frying akara." But some people can see you begging on the street. But they should not see you frying akara. Please, which one is more dignified? So, you prefer that the brethren just bring you matches, you will beg this, you will beg. Even some people they will come to us, "please can we get one maggi? Please can we get?" They were begging and the brethren just felt, "no, let's try to help this family. Let's empower our sister." She said, "No, ah, eh, how will they see me?" And ask me, her level of education was School Cert. Please, are graduate not doing taxi drivers? Just to make ends meet at a time. When me and my wife newly got married, we were frying doughnut, chin-chin. My wife will take to school. My wife was a graduate. I was doing home lesson. I will gather children, "come, come." Before eventually better employment came. It was so ridiculous to rough. She rejected the offer. I remember another case of a family like that. They were struggling. And brethren came together. "Oh, there's this job. Bro, come and start with this place. They will be paying about 30,000 naira." He said they owe him, starting with 30,000. I am talking about if you are a whole, you are a whole and you are begging every day for money and you are a whole. I am talking about complainers. People who cannot see, who cannot count their blessing. And people who cannot relate what God has done at a particular time to a present challenge. Those are complainers. You may be facing a very big challenge now, there may be a Goliath before you. But at one point in your life, there was a lion, there was a bear, and God delivered you. Why can't you relate it that, uh-uh, if God can do that, God can do this? Let us be careful. These are different things that will destroy different people. These are different things that are destroying different people in the night that we are today. Lack of contentment. The Bible says "godliness with contentment is a great gain." It's a great gain. And look at how the Bible close as we close this thing. Please, did you notice what follows verse 11? Look at your Bible. Please, what follows verse 11? What is in the verse 12? Look at your Bible. What is in the verse 12? It said what? "Therefore let him who think he stand take heed lest he fall." That is how something is coming. Look at the conclusion. We are looking at 11, 12 and 13. That's where we are concluding this morning. That's where the Bible conclude. It said, "Therefore let him who think he stand take heed lest he fall." Please, what is that telling you? What is that telling you? That the antidote against fall is not height, but carefulness. If you don't want to fall, it's not only that you are standing, it is to be careful even when you are standing. No matter how strong you grow, what will make you not to fall is to be careful. You don't get to a point where you outgrow carefulness. That's what it's saying. So if you think you are standing, that is, don't think that because you are standing there is nothing to be careful about. The antidote against fall is not height but what? Carefulness. Be careful. Be careful! Why? Because on the long run, do you notice that somehow even Moses, who was supposed to take them to the place, at a point, what led to his own problem? It was complain. It was complain. There was no water. The people spoke anyhow against him. He was aggrieved by what the things that they said. And God told him, "Speak to the rock." Out of that anger, he was aggrieved with the people who were speaking anyhow to God. Please, are you seeing what actually happened? It is not that he committed fornication. It is not as if he, no, he was not in that category. He was aggrieved. And he was given a instruction. What is the instruction? Speak to the rock. He just got there, "You rebels! Must we bring out water for you?" Bang! That is water. And God said, "Moses, what did I tell you to do?" He said you should speak. That rock is Christ. He should speak to the rock. That rock that followed them was Christ. Unfortunately. So that's what I am trying to talk about that look, don't think that because you are the Moses there is nothing to be careful about. Don't ever think that way. However, he now gave an encouragement. And that is how we are concluding in the verse 13. It says, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with temptation will also make what, that what, you will be able to bear it." Are you getting something? What are the two things here that God will always do for us? There are two things here that God will always do for us. Number one, God will not allow us, there is nothing that will ever happen to you that will be beyond what you can bear. So don't think that you can never come into a situation. God will make sure that you don't ever come into a situation that is beyond what you can bear. So no matter the situation, I don't know where you are and what you are. I don't know what may be happening around your life. Don't let the devil cheat you on this. God will never allow you to be tried beyond what you can bear. Anything that will be happening to you will be where? Within what you can bear. Don't be, "this one, ah, I hope," no. God will never allow you to be tried beyond what you can bear. And number two, God will make sure that with every trial that comes your way, God will also provide a way for you to escape it. So no matter what may be happening around your life, God will always make sure that he will provide how you will escape. He will provide how you will escape. These are the two encouragement that we have as we go through this admonition. As we look at these things, don't let us ever forget that, look, this admonition is so timely for us. So timely for us. Let us be careful. Let us be watchful. Let us be vigilant. Let us be sober. Because on the long run, the harvest will actually take 25%. The harvest will take 25%. 75% are actually not going anywhere. They are actually not going anywhere. What will make them not to go is not because God is not able to save, but the Lord Jesus warned us that as it is with them, so it will be with us. Some people are mixed multitude. If you go and check their story, some people were mixed multitude. Some people were different type of. So please, be careful who you associate with. Be careful how you live your life. Let us bow down our heads to pray. Let us pray this morning. Timely warning. It's a timely warning. I don't know how it comes to you, but I want you to talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. Talk to the Lord. Oh, precious Father, we are grateful. Lord, we are grateful. And I want you to particularly pray for your life. May I not be seated in a generation that need men that will stand. Take time to turn that thing to prayer. May I not be seated in a generation that need men that can stand. May I not be seated in a situation that need men that can stand. May I not be seated in a circumstance that need men that can stand. May I not be seated. In circumstance, in situation, in a generation that need men that can stand. Lord help me. Lord help me. Precious Father, we thank You for today. We give You glory, we give You honor, we give You adoration. We appreciate You for Your mercies, we appreciate You for Your love. We appreciate You for Your goodness to us. We say Lord be thou exalted. Lord our God, we pray for all our listening to us this morning, everybody connecting from different location online and we who are here physically. Lord, we just pray. Lord God Almighty, our eyes on You. You are the one who is able to keep us from falling. Faithful is He who began the good work in us, He is also able to finish it. Lord, that which You began with us, definitely You will finish it, in the name of Jesus. Together as a people, by the working of Your spirit, we will get to the finishing line. And it will be said of us, "I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, I have fought a good fight," in the name of Jesus. Thank You, eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. See you next month on our program. The Lord bless you. Same time, first Saturday of August. [Voiceover] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and marriage through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission aid. Our regular activities are: Discipleship class every Monday, 5:00 p.m. Adolescent and Singles Club, every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 a.m. Marriage forum, second Saturday of every month at 10:00 a.m. 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, Ilere community, opposite Rejoice filling station along Ijele road, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: FamilyTent@Yahoo.co.uk, FamilyTentMinistry01@gmail.com, www.FamilyTentMinistry.org. Our phone numbers are: 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.