We That Are of the Day 4 (helmet of Salvation)

[music] [Speaker 1] Churches and fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home for you. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [music] [Speaker 2] Our Father, we are grateful unto You. We thank you for your love. We thank you for your mercies. We thank you for all who You are. We thank you for all that You are to us. We say blessed be Your name, our God, in the name of Jesus Christ. We thank you again for today that despite the little technical challenges that could not make us start at 5:00, we are grateful that we are starting. And Lord, to You be glory, to You be honor, to You be adoration in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, as we move on today in the matter of "We That Are of the Day," Lord, we pray that Your Spirit will work within us in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that in our midst, oh God, Your name will be glorified in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that You will meet with us—brethren who are here physically, brethren who are joining us online. Lord, we pray there shall be increase among us in the name of Jesus. Thank You, blessed Father. Blessed be Your holy name, our God. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. We thank our God. We want to thank God that we were able to start eventually for our discipleship class this evening. I believe that our brethren who are online will have been wondering what is happening. It is 5:00, passed by almost 20 minutes, and we have not come online. The reason for that is just that we were having some technical issues with us in this place. But we have been able to overcome the technical issue, and now we are live and we are here with you. We trust the Lord that it is going to be a time of refreshing as we fellowship together in the word of God this evening in Jesus' name. We have been considering the topic, "We That Are of the Day." We that are of the day. The things that characterize the life of men that are of the day. And we have considered the matter of soberness. We have considered the matter of faith. We have considered the matter of love—the breastplate of faith and love. And today, as we move on in the matter of "We That Are of the Day," today we will be considering the other thing that the Bible mentioned in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians 5. Let's go there together. 1 Thessalonians 5. There is a third thing there that the Bible mentioned, and that is what we want to consider today. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, the Spirit of God by our brother and apostle Paul was saying something again in that verse 8. He said, "But let us who are of the day be sober." 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, I am reading verse 8. This verse has been the verse we have been considering. 1 Thessalonians 5:8. It says, "But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love." And one more thing that was mentioned in this verse is "and as a helmet, the hope of salvation." The hope of salvation. Helmet, the hope of salvation. We should put on as helmet the hope of salvation. And I want us to look at it like this. What actually is a helmet? And what is the purpose of a helmet? If you look at a helmet around us here in Nigeria, what you will find more as regards a helmet, you find it more on the average motorcycle—the popularly called Okada riders. They wear the helmet on their head. They wear the helmet, and sometimes you will find that the Federal Road Safety sometimes apprehends some of them that may not be having the helmet on. Now, what is the purpose of the helmet? The purpose of the helmet, of course, is to protect the head. To protect the head. Why is the head protected? Of course, it is because the head is very delicate. In the event of an accident, the helmet is to protect that delicate aspect of the body, which is the head. And if you look at where we are coming from, we look at the breastplate of faith and love. Now we are talking about the head. A helmet that you have to put on the head. The heart is a delicate area. Again, we are looking at another delicate area—the head. Now, the head is very delicate. And so, in case there is to be an accident, the delicate aspect, which is the head, will not be injured so that life may not be lost. But more importantly, I want us to look at this matter of helmet a little closer. This thing people wear on the head. And I want us to look at it like this. Now, if it happens that somebody died and that body, the body of that person, is headless, you will realize that you will not be able to identify the person. If there is any corpse, the way people go about to look for, to identify who is the corpse is that they will need the head. So, one major reason again why the head is protected is that if you remove the head, it is difficult to identify somebody. And that is why you notice that when you are doing anything for security, they will say we need your passport. We need your passport and your face. They say they want to see the ears, everything. They want to see that face. They want to see it very, very clearly. They want everything to be clear. Why? Because it is a place of identity. It is the place of identity. That is how you can identify. So, when you put the helmet on the head, it is to make sure that identity is not lost. And that is what we want to address this evening. That is the direction we are going. The Bible says you put on something on your head. What are you to put on your head? The helmet of what? Salvation. The helmet of salvation. Put on the helmet of salvation. I don't know how it is coming to you, but the Bible says use salvation to secure that aspect of your life where your identity can be found. In other words, we that are of the day, the Bible is saying that one thing we must do is to protect our identity. And that identity is what? Salvation. Protect the identity of salvation. And then you will be wondering, what is that supposed to mean? What the Bible is saying is this: as we journey through this life, as we go to our offices, we mix with people, we do a lot of things, we go to church, we run our businesses, everything that you are doing, you must be sure that you don't compromise your identity. There is something about you that if you allow it to be taken away, heaven will not be able to recognize you as their own. So, the Bible says salvation as a helmet to protect our identity. Now, what does that translate to in terms of everyday living? The Bible says as a helmet, the hope of salvation. How do you put the hope of salvation as a helmet? What is that translating to me? What it's translating to me practically is this: in everything, in everything that you are doing, everywhere you find yourself, in secret and in open, there is something that must identify you. There is something that must be behind all your actions. There is something that must be behind all your speech. And that is what? That your hope, there is the hope of what? The hope of salvation. And what does that mean? What does it mean to have this hope of salvation? Let me show you something that will be bringing the matter home gradually for us. Can we see the book of 1 John chapter 3? 1 John chapter 3. Let's see that scripture. 1 John chapter 3. Let's see what the Bible says in 1 John chapter 3. I will read from the verse 1. It says, "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." [1 John 3:1] Are you getting something? Do you notice what the Bible is saying there? The world does not know us because the world does not know our Father. They don't know us. They don't know us because they don't know our Father. What it means is that as I live my life in this world, even though people know me and call me this and that everywhere, but you see, they don't actually know me. They don't know who really I am. And sometimes they want me to live like them, to talk like them, to act like them, to behave like them. They want me to do things like them. Why? Because they don't know me. I have a particular identity that even though people are seeing me, they cannot know me except they know my Father. They cannot understand me except they know my Father. They cannot explain my actions because they don't know my Father. So, I look strange to them in my value system. I look strange to them in my actions. They wonder why I don't like what they like. They wonder why I don't do what they do. They wonder, what is the problem of this man? What kind of person are you? Are you not just one of us? Are you not a Nigerian like us? Are you not a civil servant like us? Is there anything about you? Why are they struggling like that? It's because they don't know me. I'm talking about identity—salvation as identity. So, the world, the world don't know us because they don't know our Father. Our life is strange. Our actions are strange. When we do certain things, they're wondering, oh, don't you like this? No, no, no, no. They're wondering why you are not mad after money the way they are mad. They're wondering why you don't love power and pursue things, why you are not desperate about what to eat and what to drink the way they are desperate and they can do anything. And they are wondering, what kind of person is this? You see, they don't know you because they don't know your Father. What I'm trying to say is that if the world can really know you and understand you, then you don't know God. Because friendship with the world is enmity with God. There is something about us that makes the world to look at us as strange. They will look at us and be like, why are these ones living their lives like this? Why are they different from us like this? They don't know us. They are wondering. And that is the truth. Now look at how the Bible goes. It says, "Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." But look at what the Bible says further in the verse 2. "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be." Have you seen the matter of identity? I'm talking about identity. There is something about our identity that we must not lose. And that is what I'm trying to discuss about the matter of the helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation. Something must be secured in our head. We must not remove certain thing, a point of identity. It says we don't know what we shall be, "but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." [1 John 3:2] So, there is something in us. There is something that is making us to live the way that we are living. What is making us to live that way? The Bible says, "But we know." So, there is a knowing. I'm talking about helmet of salvation. It's a knowing. It says the hope. There is something you know, and that knowing is a hope. I'm telling us, how do you put it on? You put it on by a knowing, and that knowing is a hope. The hope that, look, you may be doing me anyhow now. You may be oppressing me now. You may slap me on the right and I turn the left. You may cheat me and go away with it. You may be oppressing me now. It looks as if I'm not talking. Jesus said don't resist an evil person. You may force me to go one mile and I go two miles with you. But the reason why I'm doing that is not because I am weak. It's not because I am foolish. It's not because I am stupid. It is because there is a knowing, and that knowing is a hope—that when He appears, I am going to be like Him. I'm talking about the helmet of salvation. He says you put it on. And I'm showing you the manner of this putting on. I'm talking about identity. I'm talking about a knowing. I'm talking about an understanding. What does the Bible say in the verse 3? He says, "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." [1 John 3:3] I pray that you and me, you that are listening to me, will be in this number. He says and everyone who has this hope in Him—everyone that has this hope. Which hope is that? The hope of salvation. The hope of becoming like Him. He says you put it on as a hope. There is a knowing. Everyone that has this hope, hoping for that when Jesus appears I'm going to be like Him, what happens to them? How do you know them? He says everyone that has this hope in Him, what do they do? They purify themselves, just as He is pure. I'm talking about the helmet of salvation. When you see a man that does not pursue purity of life as a goal, he has lost his helmet. When you see any man, when you see any individual, when you see any person that purity of life, to live a pure life, to live unto God—when you see any man that it is not a goal, a primary goal in him, a knowing in him, a pursuit in him, if you see anyone who is not living a pure life... he's not a saved person. He's not a saved person. He has lost his helmet or he does not even have one. You know several Okada riders don't have helmets. Several people inside our churches today, they are like Okada riders that don't have helmets. They don't have the helmet of salvation. They are just inside. If you look around Nigeria, you may say 30% of riders have helmets. And that is it about the church. When you see dozens of people inside the church, just one or two will have salvation as a helmet. Many of them are driving without anything on their head. Even though they are driving the Okada, they are religious, they move around, they go here and there, they even make money from the Okada—some even turn religious to gain. Religion is like business to make gain for them. And they continue like that, but they don't have a helmet. No helmet on their head. How do you know? That's what I'm trying to explain. Putting on as helmet the hope of salvation. There is a hope. And if you want to know people that have this hope, the Bible says everyone, without exception, everyone. Now, what is particular about this matter of purity? Because I want to narrow this matter down to something very, very important for us. I want to bring it down to just one issue, to just a point. Now, he says after the Bible says he that has this hope in himself purifies himself just as He is pure—that is, Jesus has left an example for him and that person is following in Jesus' steps. Now, what did the Bible say in verse 4? The Bible says, "Whoever commits sin..." [1 John 3:4] Do you see that they are placing sin and purity in opposite directions? The people who have the hope in themselves, they live pure lives. They do everything to live above sin. They do everything to reign over sin. They hold onto God. That's why I do say and I will keep saying: if any man says that he has been appointed to a life and is eternally saved, and that man is not also appointed to holiness as the means, that man is not eternally saved unto life. He has been eternally saved maybe unto death. The sign of eternal salvation is purity—pure life. If people cannot find purity of life in you, the desire and the pursuit of holiness, I can announce to you that what you call being eternally secured is just a dream and it's a mirage. And I will show you that there is something about this hope. The Bible says you put on this hope. Everybody that has this hope, everybody that has this hope, everyone who has this hope, everybody who has this hope—there is something about them. They pursue purity. And the Bible places something in the opposite direction. It says, "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him." [1 John 3:4-6] Are you seeing something, brethren? Anybody that sees impurity as a way of life has never seen Him or known Him. Now, there is something I want to take from here. The next thing He said in verse 7 and verse 8: "Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous." [1 John 3:7] Do you get that? Don't let anybody deceive you. It is the person who practices righteousness that is righteous as he is righteous. There must be a practice of righteousness. You practice it. You practice it. You do it. It is not something you imagine; it's something you practice in secret, in open, daily living. You practice righteousness. You practice it. You exercise yourself in it. Now, "He who practices righteousness is righteous just as He is righteous." Now, why is the Bible saying... the Bible says something in verse 8. It says, "He who sins is of the devil." [1 John 3:8] Are you seeing something? Connecting two things together again. Because I'm going to bring all of these things together. If anybody continues in sin, if anybody is not putting on that helmet, he's not putting it on—I can not say the person is saved because the helmet is salvation. That is the identity of the believer. That is how you know those who know God. That is how you know them and the Father knows them. That is how you know them. That's the identity. Now, he says anybody that does not live like this, who lives to the opposite direction, is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. And look at something. He said for this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Now, look at Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1, 67 to 75. Let's look at that scripture. Luke chapter 1, verse 67 to verse 75. Let's look at that scripture. Because in that place it said He was manifested to take away our sin. He was manifested to take away our sin. Look at what the Bible says. "Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 'Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people.'" [Luke 1:67-68] I want you to follow these things contextually. "He has raised up a horn of salvation." [Luke 1:69] You see the matter of salvation. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has visited His people and has redeemed them." How did He do it? "He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham: to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life." [Luke 1:69-75] What I'm saying is that anybody that cannot serve God in holiness is not a saved nor a delivered person. What God grants to us is salvation is actually a liberation to serve God without fear in holiness and righteousness. That is salvation. That is why He said you put on the salvation, the hope of salvation as a helmet. Once we cannot see the element of that hope in your life—you put it on. What He's saying is that there is something about that hope. It makes you to pursue, it makes you to live, it makes you to practice righteousness. What He's saying is that putting on the breastplate of faith and love and walking in all purity. That's what the Bible is saying. That's the hope of salvation. Because once you don't walk in purity, you have lost your identity. You don't belong to the kingdom. You are not part of the kingdom. You are not of the kingdom. You are not for the kingdom. And let me tell you, you may be around the kingdom. Do you remember Judas? Judas was so much around the kingdom. Judas went about preaching with the twelve, didn't he? Did he not? Judas went about eating with Jesus, didn't he? With the twelve, he did so. Judas was even an officer in council; he was the treasurer. So many church officers today that are sons of perdition. Because that is what the Bible called him at the end of the day. He was an officer. He was the treasurer. Judas was around. He was about in the place. But you can see that he was like the Okada rider who does not have the helmet. Riding the Okada, making money, but no helmet. He was among the twelve. He was among the twelve. But do you realize that Jesus said that of all that You have given me, I have lost none? He said, Father, of all that You have given me, I have lost none. And I want you to look at what else that characterizes the life of children of perdition because there are also many accursed children again today. Because the Bible says, as there were false prophets among them, there will be false teachers among you who will bring in damnable heresies, and many will follow their path of perdition. The Bible says these teachers, they will say the grace of God gives us a license to sin. I'm quoting the book of Jude, I'm quoting the book of Jude and the book of Peter. He said their teaching is that grace is a license to sin. Grace is a permission to live anyhow. And sometimes people don't even understand what the Bible is saying in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, from verse 17, where the Bible says that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." [2 Corinthians 3:17] People think it's liberty to live carelessly and recklessly. People who live carelessly and recklessly are not kingdom citizens. Kingdom citizens are responsible people. They have been delivered from sin to live in holiness and righteousness. When the Bible says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, what the Bible is saying is that the people who have the Spirit of the Lord inside them have the liberty to live a life that is pure and upright in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation that we are in. That's the liberty we have. We have been freed; we have that liberty. What salvation means is that we are saved so that we no longer live in sin. That is the meaning of salvation. So you need to get that and get it very clear. And what actually... I want us to try to begin to wrap up something together for you. I want to show you what is the hallmark of a pure life. What is the hallmark of a pure life? What is it that always appears in the life of an upright person? What is the hallmark? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is the hallmark of a pure life? What is the hallmark when you say a life is pure, a life is holy? What is the hallmark? I just want to show you something. Some of the things I want to talk about now are things I've raised in some of our earlier meetings, but I will make it a starting point to zero in into something. What is this hallmark of this helmet of salvation? What is the hallmark of this hope of salvation? What is the hallmark when you say a life is pure, a life is holy? What is the hallmark? What is the point exactly that always appears in the life of someone who lives in uprightness? What is the hallmark? What is it? What is it? Now, the first thing I want to do is to point your attention to Acts chapter 1. Acts chapter 1. When you look at Acts chapter 1, the Bible says—I read verse 1. It says, "The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach." [Acts 1:1] We are seeing in this place that for the Lord Jesus, it was about the things He began to do and then to teach. It was about what He began to do and then He began to teach. The first thing about it was that He began to do. He began to do before He started to teach people. He began to do and then to teach. Now, what is it that He began to do and to teach? We will get it very, very clear as we look at a few things. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7—in Matthew chapter 7, what did Jesus begin to do and to teach? What was it? We are looking at the hallmark. What is the hallmark of our Christian faith? What is the hallmark of living a pure life? What is the hallmark when you say a life is pure, a life is holy? What is the hallmark? In Matthew chapter 7, the Lord began to speak. He was teaching, and He said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." [Matthew 7:13-20] What is the fruit? Verse 21: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." I want you to get this matter here. Beware of false prophets that come in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Now look at something. Jesus said I know my sheep, is that not so? And they know me and they follow me. Now He now says beware of false prophets. They come in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are what? They are wolves. It means there is something about these people. In their appearance, in their conformation, in their presentation, you cannot know that they are wolves. You cannot. It means there is something about them, two sides. They are two sides about them. One side, when you look at them, what you will see is a sheep. But when you look inward again, what you will find is a wolf. So the body of a sheep, the heart of a wolf. Which is easier to see of the two? The body of a sheep. What is easier to see is the body of the sheep. Now, when He says not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom, it means when people say Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, they are carrying a body. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, they look like they are going somewhere. When people exercise and are busy for God, running around here and there in religious activity, what do you call them? Committed brother. How do you describe them? Committed brother. When people are founders of churches, how do you describe them? Do you call them herbalist? You call them men of God. When people speak in tongues, what do you call them? Filled with the Holy Ghost, firebrand. I'm trying to show when He said sheep's clothing. Sheep's clothing. What He's trying to say is that no matter how much you decorate with all those other things, what actually makes a sheep a sheep is not first about the clothing. Don't you know that even if he wears the skin of a wolf, but he has the heart of a sheep, will he be able to eat a sheep? No. Are you following me at all? Are you understanding me, brethren? The Lord is saying something—that there are so many external things that look like the real thing. There are so many external things that you may use to judge that a man is going to the kingdom of God. There are so many things that present themselves externally. There are so many activities and running around. There are so many externalities that will make you conclude that a man is going somewhere. But Jesus said, if you want to know who is going somewhere, there is something that they do. One thing. I'm trying to describe what is the hallmark of a pure life. How do you know a life is pure? It's not because the life can preach. It's not because the life can teach. It's not because the life can do evangelism. It's not because the life is an officer in council like Brother Judas; he was an officer. It's not because the life can prophesy. That's why you notice that He said they will say to me, I prophesied in your name, I did that in your name. It's not because of certain acts of righteousness that we know who lives a pure life. What makes a life pure? When you say this thing is pure, it doesn't have blemish, it doesn't have stain. What we mean is that that life is essentially the will of God. He does God's will. It's not about preaching it. It's not about teaching it. It's not about prophesying it. It's about what? Doing the will. Doing God's will. Look at how the Lord presented that matter again in another scripture. Doing the will of God, that is the hallmark of a life of righteousness. That is what it is. Doing the will of God. It's not that he's talking it. No, he's a doer of it. He's a doer of it. Now look at what the Bible says again. Let's look at the book of Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12. Let's see verse 46, then Luke chapter 11. Two things in different ways. Matthew chapter 12, let's go to around verse 46 thereabouts quickly. Matthew 12, let's see something there quickly. Matthew 12, from around verse 46 downward. The Bible says, "While He was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, 'Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.'" [Matthew 12:46-47] Please, what was Jesus' answer? But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" [Matthew 12:48] What did He say? "And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, 'Here are My mother and My brothers!'" [Matthew 12:49] What do you see in the verse 50? Can we read together, whatever translation? What do you see there in verse 50? "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." [Matthew 12:50] So how do you know that you actually belong to Jesus? It's not because you are preaching something, you are teaching something. No, it's not because you're a church member. It's not because you're in the choir. It's not because... no, it's not because of all of that. The way you know you are a sibling, you are a joint-heir with Christ, is that you do the will of the Father who is in heaven. Look at how it played out again in another scenario. This time in Luke chapter 11, verse 27 to 28. Look at how it played out again in that place. I'm showing you what Jesus began both to do and to teach. Luke chapter 11, 27 to 28. Are you there? Luke chapter 11, verse 27 to 28. A similar scenario again. For you to know that Jesus was speaking deliberately and categorically about this matter. He was speaking what was in His heart. He wants us to know it. That anybody that doesn't do the will of God has no business in the kingdom of God. And what I've found today is men who want to do God's business but don't want to have business with God. I don't know how you want to survive it. You want to do God's business but you don't want to have business with God. So how are you going to do that business? You want to do my work, you don't want to follow me. Ah, is it possible? It's not possible. If you want to do my business, then you must have business with me. That's the point. Look at what He said in that place, brethren. I believe you must have read it. "And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised up her voice and said to Him," [Luke 11:27] I'm just wondering that the woman was looking at the teaching of Jesus, the word of grace and the word of life and the word of truth that was coming from Jesus, and she was wondering, ah! And she could not help when she shouted, "Ah! Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" [Luke 11:27] For man to be talking like this. I thought Jesus would say, oh, our God be praised, we thank the Lord, hallelujah, hallelujah. That was not Jesus' response. Just like the way He answered that person, who is my brother? He said, "But He said, 'More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'" [Luke 11:28] Those are deliberate statements. They are deliberate statements. Anybody who hears the word of God and does not keep it has no business with heaven. I'm telling you, what do we mean when we say a life is pure? When we say pure, no blemish, no stain, what we mean is that that life is essentially the doing of God's will. It's not about preaching it. It's not about teaching it. It's not about prophesying it. It's about what? Doing the will. Doing God's will. Once you are busy in church, prophesying, doing all of that, but you are not doing His will, it's not pure. It's a diluted thing. It's sheep's clothing but the heart of a wolf. It's diluted. It's fake. No matter what the person is doing, it's fake. The pure one, the one that is pure, the purity of that thing is the doing of God's will. And when I say this matter, you see, it transcends practically every area of our life. For you to know, for instance, the Bible says if any man wants to be a bishop, wants to be the leader of God's people, what should characterize him? He says he should be blameless, isn't it? What is the first thing about the blamelessness? What is the first requirement in that blamelessness? He must be faithful to his wife. I'm showing you the practicality of this thing. So when a man is busy with everything that looks like he's doing the things of God, but he's not faithful to his wife, it's fake. As simple as that will be, as simple as it may sound. You find it said... you can keep picking this thing. Doing of God's will. He says it will not be a violent person. After all the simple thing that it seems that a man can do, Bible says he should not love money, not a lover of money. You are seeing practical everyday life thing that describe, that characterize men who are conscious of heaven. I mean doing deliberately doing God's will. Deliberately doing God's will. I remember sometime last year talking with somebody, and then we just talked to a point, and then he said, "Look, I'm just tired of this thing that people call marriage. It's something that is tiring." I said, "Why?" He said, "Honestly, sometimes you even enjoy singleness than this married life." I said, "Why?" He said, "You know, you are still struggling with your own life, and then again you are struggling to make sure that you also love your wife." Ah! I said, "Yes, I said that's a strong demand of marriage." He now asked me this question. He said, "Just tell me, how much should we even love our wife?" I said, "Until death." "Are you serious?" I said, "Go and read your Bible." If husbands love your wife as Christ loved the church. What I'm trying to say is that there are practical things about the Christian life. For example, how do you describe somebody slapped you and you turn the other cheek? Do you feel like doing so? I want us to be real. Do you feel like doing God's will? And that's why He said, if anyone wants to be my disciple, what's the first thing? Let him first forget himself. As long as you can remember yourself, you can't do the will of God. You must first forget himself. And that's the problem today that we are having. The will of God is something that is opposed to our self. The self. Do you notice that when, for instance, somebody slapped you, what's first in your mind? Me. Me! You get it. And sometimes when that thing occurs within my heart sometimes, you know what I remember myself? You know what I always try to tell myself immediately? I said what is you but dust? Are you not dust? "Me!" I said, "But dust in here." And many times it helps me. Dust to dust. So what is... "Me!" And when you are saying that me, you know what you are trying to refer to? You're referring to your certificate. You're referring to the car you are riding. And sometimes, I see people saying "Me! Me!" I remember one time when somebody said "Me! I married you with my money, I will show you!" So what was the "me" talking about? I supplied the money. The Lord will help us. The Lord will help us. The Lord will help us. As we conclude this evening, I want to point attention to something about this matter. I want to compare just two passages of the scripture about this hope, the hope of salvation as a helmet. That's what it's taking this long this evening that we are discussing. As we conclude this matter, of we said the hope of salvation is that hope that we have in Him, that when He comes we shall be like Him. Everybody that has that hope purifies himself as He is pure. And we were looking at what is the substance of the purity. We said the substance of that purity is the doing of God's will. The doing, the substance of the purity. You are not pure until you are a doer of God's will—the substance of the purity. And I want to conclude as we compare these two scriptures together: James 2:19 and Luke 8:26 to 37. Let's look at that quickly and then we close for today. James 2:19 is a very popular scripture. I believe we are very familiar with that scripture. James 2:19. Can we just quickly look at that scripture? James 2:19. It says, "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!" [James 2:19] Do you get that at all? Do you still think it's enough to just believe that there is one God? Well, even demons believe this and they tremble in terror. Do you believe that there is one God? Good. Even demons believe that and they shudder. Do you believe that God is one? You do well. So do the demons believe and shudder in terror and horror, such as make a man's hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin. What is it trying to say? It's what we find in Luke. That Luke, maybe to save our time, let's go to that scripture but we may not read through. Verse 26 to 37. That is the story of the man... Luke chapter 8, verse 26 to 37. We may not read but we'll just paraphrase that story. It's a very popular story. And I believe that you should be familiar with that story. But in case you are not familiar, I will just paraphrase it from here. But the whole story is in Luke chapter 8, verse 26 to verse 37. That's the story of when Jesus went to Gadara, which is opposite Galilee, and where He found this man that was possessed with demons. You remember that story now, the one that He sent all the demons into pigs—swine—and they ran into the water. It's a very familiar story. Now, it says He stepped out and He met him, that man. So when Jesus saw him, when Jesus saw the man, he cried out, fell down before Him, with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!" [Luke 8:28] For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often... what was the spirit doing? Of course, it will take the man, throw the man down. He had been kept under chain and everything, but he would break every chain. Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" and he said "Legion," because many demons entered him. And they did what? What did they do? What did they do? They begged Him that He should not command them to go into the abyss. He should not command them to go into the abyss. Now, what is this place telling us? What is this place telling us about Jesus and demons? One, did they know Him as Lord? Did they tremble at that? So you remember James was not exaggerating. He wasn't exaggerating. He wasn't exaggerating. But I want to ask you: demons know Jesus as Lord. Demons tremble because they know He has authority to torment them and that He is going to judge them. So even when He has not come in the fullness of His glory, they were pleading with Him, don't judge just before time. Don't judge before time. They too, they know that there's going to be judgment. Are you with me? But are demons, are they Christians? Are they believers? I hope you get what James is trying to say now—that you believe that there is one God, you have given your life to Jesus, you believe and all of that. You, you are not even trembling. Many of us don't fear God. Sometimes you are praying, your phone rings, you stop the prayer, you look at the phone who is calling, you put it down again, you continue again with God. Can you do that to your supervisor? When you are facing an interview panel, what do you do to your phone? You off it. But you can say "Me!" I'm telling you that even we, we don't fear God. But demons, they fear God. So are they going to heaven? Are demons going to heaven? No! So what makes them demons? What makes them enemy of God? But the Bible says that he that sins is of the devil. Where we started from. It says he that sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. So what makes them demons? Because they are opposed to God's will. Anybody who is opposed to God's will is a demonic Christian. He's not different from the devil. When I say demonic, I mean he's not different from the devil. He's a devilish believer. That's what I'm trying to say. He's like the devil. That's why he said that whoever sins is of the devil. When we say sin, sin is being opposed to the will of God. You know what the will of God is, and you are opposed to it. When you are opposed to God's will, you are not different from the devil, no matter who and what you believe. Call yourself a believer, call yourself born again, call yourself tongue speaking. I want to ask you: is devil not powerful? The power the devil is using to do all what you see in the world of darkness today—that power came from who? Is it not from God? Did God retrieve the power? Is it not with him? So that you have power and you can do all things does not make you anything. That doesn't make you anything. Essentially about being pure—essentially about being pure is the submission to the will of God. Jesus said, "Father, let this cup pass over Me; yet not as I will, but what? Your will be done." [Matthew 26:39] It is men who put the will of God as a matter of the first thing they seek in life that are men who understand the helmet of salvation. Men who put the will of God as the first thing—Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God." [Matthew 6:33] That's what He's talking about. The kingdom of God is not about prophesying. It's not about evangelism. It's not about casting out demons. It's not about church. It's not about activity. It is about the doing of God's will. People who put first the doing of His will, those are men who understand what it means to daily put on what: the breastplate of faith and love and salvation as a helmet. Salvation as a helmet. They are those who understand it. Salvation as a helmet. If you don't put on the will of God as the first and primary thing in your life, that's not the first thing in your life. If there is anything that competes with God's will, if there is anything that you cannot set aside for God's will—you cannot put aside yourself, your ego, your money, your pride, whatever, but you cannot set it aside for God's will—you are not different from the devil. What makes devil devil is not because he does not believe. Not because he's not powerful. Not because they don't speak in tongues. Do you know that they also know the future in a way? Do you remember the girl that was prophesying with the familiar spirit? She was saying the future. She was accurate about things. It was not about the future. So that you have all of that does not make you to be a Christian, doesn't make you to be pure. Purity of life—men who don't carry sheep's clothing and inwardly are wolves are men who understand that beyond the cloth of the sheep is the heart of the sheep, and the heart of the sheep is the heart of the will of the Father. Let us pray. The heart of the sheep, the heart of the sheep is the heart of God's will. Anybody who knows the Lord knows that the first thing in his life is the will of the Lord. The first thing, the first thing, the first thing. The thing that must not change in your life is that the will of the Lord must be done. The will of the Lord. What is the will of the Lord concerning the matter? That is the matter. What is the will of God? I want you to pray. By your fruit, by their fruit we will know them. By your fruit we will know you. It's not all the sheep clothing that you are wearing. No, no, no, no, no. We begin to know you in practical daily living by what comes first in your life. We begin to know you. We will know them by this thing. What we are saying, we will know them by their fruit. Is the will of the Lord the first thing in their lives? If it is not like that, be careful. Beware of such people. Be careful. Be careful. They don't have salvation. The hope of eternal life is not their focus. Heaven is not their focus. They don't have heaven as a hope. That's the truth about it. It's not to insult anybody, but that is the truth about it. They don't have heaven as hope. Heaven is not a hope to them. The hope of salvation, the hope of eternal life, the hope of becoming like Jesus. Everybody that has that hope purifies themselves. Everybody that has that hope, they purify themselves. They purify themselves. Let me call on my wife to come and round up this meeting. Come and close this meeting for us today with a word of prayer. [Speaker 3] Father in Jesus' name. Amen. Ancient of Days, we are grateful unto You. We thank You, Lord, for Your word of life that You've spoken to us again. Our Lord, our help, our all in all. Lord, tonight we confess again, we resolve again by the working of Your power, working of Your Spirit, that Lord, we submit to Your will in the name of Jesus. Amen. Lord, we are not of the devil, and the ability to do Your will has been given to us. Lord, we declare over our lives that Lord, we submit to Your will in the name of Jesus. Amen. We put on this helmet of salvation which is our purity. And Lord, this substance is in doing Your will. And Lord, You that have begun the work of salvation that have even saved us eternally, the first thing You have done is to deliver us from every unrighteousness and sin. Lord, we thank You because everything that we need to submit and live according to Your will, You have given to us. Lord, thank You for reminding us again not to submit, not to succumb, not to listen to the lies of the enemy here and there in whatever forms, even if it comes from the altar. Lord, thank You because You have made us to know again that Your foundation standeth sure, having this seal that those who nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. Lord, we submit to Your will, which is the truth, oh Lord, of Your word, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Lord, give unto us strength in this our new determination, in our renewed determination, oh Lord, to go forth and do Your will, even if the whole world is doing otherwise. Because we are not of the devil, Lord, we submit to Your will in the name of Jesus. Amen. And Lord, as we've resolved in our hearts, we receive the strength of God. We receive the working of the... the Bible calls it the mighty working of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, the power that raised Christ from the dead. Lord, we know is at work in us. We allow You, Holy Spirit, work the will of God in us as we have resolved to submit and to follow in the name of Jesus. Amen. Father, we thank You for Your Son. We thank You, Lord. We pray both the speaker and all hearers, Lord, You make us doers of this word in the name of Jesus. We have been healed because Your word says You send Your word, He heals and delivers us. We have been healed and delivered from everything whatsoever that has scattered from God's will. We know we go forth in this new strength to do the will of God, and nothing will stop us in the name of Jesus. Amen. Father, we are grateful unto You. In Jesus' unfailing name we pray. Amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be and abide with us now and forevermore. Amen. [Speaker 4] 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 aid. Our regular activities are: discipleship class every Monday 5:00 PM, adolescents 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 out-reaches, and every day counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Gloryjoy filling station along Ijera 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. [music ends]