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Here's today's sermon.
First Corinthians 13, Though I speak with the tongues of men and
of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and though I have all faith, so I could remove mountains, but I have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,
but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and kind.
Love does not envy.
Love does not pirate itself.
Is not puffed up.
Does not behave rudely.
Does not seek its own.
Is not provoked.
Is no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.
Bears all things, believes all things, hope all things, endures all things.
Love never fails, but whether there are prophecies, they will fail.
Whether there are tongues, they will cease.
Whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
So we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, then
that which is in the past will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I taught as a child,
but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, or face to face, now I know in part, but then I shall
know as I also am known.
And now about faith, hope, love and these three, but the greatest of these is what?
Is love.
And then we have been communicating, you know, the idea of the spirit-led life and we said
that is not necessary expressed in the spectacular.
For you to be a spiritual man, we said the basic thing is not for us to see you acting
in spectacular and amazing fashion.
We don't have to see you raising the debt.
We don't have to see you, you know, doing so many, so many things for us before we can
conclude that you are a spiritual man.
Or we said that the spiritual life or a life that is led by the spirit is first and foremost,
primarily fundamentally defined by what is defined by love.
And we cannot know how spiritual you are until you find yourself in a community of people
and you interact with people and there's an exchange of ideas, some ideas contrary to
yours, your views contrary to other people's views, until you exist in a community of people
and you relate with people and then there is offenses, which is expected in a relationship
with men.
Then we see how we respond to these situations.
Then we can engage whether actually we are spiritual or we are living according to our
nature as men that are of the spirit.
You know, sometimes we think that excluding ourselves and not associating with people,
you know, will help us.
Some people have, many years ago, they've excluded themselves from relationships with
people, you know, they are monks, they keep themselves in caves, what do you call it,
monasteries and the only thing they do is what?
They pray so that they will be away from the sinful world.
They will not relate with sinful people.
That in itself does not actually, actually define your level of growth or maturity.
As we can see from this text, it says, especially from verse one, it says, though I speak with
tongues of men and of angels but have not loved, I have become sounding brass or a clanging
cymbal.
You can speak in tongues, which is of course we encourage you to speak in tongues, speak
in the tongues of angels if it's possible, at the same time you can walk in the flesh.
Hallelujah.
Prophecy or prophesying and having so much knowledge, you know, one of the big challenges
we have in our generation, as I always emphasize, is that we are full of knowledge.
We know a lot in this generation.
This is the most blessed generation in history that we have access to information at our
disposal.
We know a lot of scripture.
In fact, we know interpretations, we know the Greek and the Hebrew, we know a lot, more
than even our parents had never had the opportunity to know the things we know.
But when we compare our lives and their lives, we can see the difference.
Their generation seems to be better.
With the increase of knowledge, we see deterioration in the world, in the standard of our living.
So having understanding, having knowledge, you know, having all the information needed
is not enough.
It is by doing the world that we find profit in it.
It is by acting upon the things that we know that we see the profit in.
James 1 verse 25, James 1 verse 25 talks about, you know, doing the world.
Give me James 1 verse 25.
It says, But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer, this forgetful hearer is not just that you, it was in your
mind and then you what? you forget it.
No.
It's a forgetfulness that is deliberate.
You plan to forget about it.
You know the truth, but you decided that you're not going to act upon it.
You ignore the truth that you've seen, that you've known.
So this person not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed
in what he does.
So the blessings come from what? from doing, not only knowing.
Hallelujah.
So based on the information you've gathered from January, February to December, I believe
you should be walking the moon by now.
So one of our biggest challenge is not taking notes because in this church, you know, we've
tried to take notes, right?
It's actually translating what is in the book.
First of all, some people don't even care about the information that is coming.
So when you're able to even gather the information, what do you do with the information that you
gather?
You have a duty to put into practice.
So having knowledge is not enough, but Stu talks about it.
He says, and though I have the gift of prophecy, you can prophesy, it's a gift.
You never earned it.
It's a gift.
And understand all mysteries.
You can dissect mysteries from scriptures, you know, you know that the mystery has been
revealed.
You can teach the mysteries.
You can explain the mysteries and all knowledge.
And though I have all faith, so I could remove mountains, you can do spectacular miracles,
you can walk in the miracles.
And when you look through your life, you can barely see a man that is loving.
You know, the Bible says that you are nothing.
Hallelujah.
The Bible says we are nothing.
You can do a lot of charitable activities.
Some people do a lot of good works to feel good.
Verse three says, and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, you know, they call
it giving back to the society.
And though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing, which
means that what is a possibility for you to do a lot of things, but you are not acting
in love.
It is not only speaking in tongues.
It is not only giving prophetic words or any of the spectacular, but first and foremost
an expression of love to others, especially those of the household of faith.
This is what a spiritual life is all about.
Hallelujah.
We want to see you just moving away from, you know, just speaking to acting, just from
a position where you have knowledge, to seeing the knowledge, you know, walking through you.
And I want us to remember that here Paul was writing to a spiritual people who have demonstrated
a high level of spiritual gifts, right?
I believe, as we always say, that in the Bible, the Corinthian church have been classified
as, you know, they've seen the work of God, right?
They've seen the manifestation of the spirit of God.
Let's just have a bit of an analysis of this church.
Let's go to chapter one.
Let's analyze this church a bit.
Corinthians chapter one, let me read from verse one.
He says, Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God and sustenance
our brother to the church of God, which is at Corinth.
So he was writing to believers to the church for those who are sanctified.
So they are sanctified people set apart for Christ called to be saints with all who in
every place call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord both theirs and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God, our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now look at the next verses from verse four to verse nine.
Look at how, you know, he talks about this.
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God, which was given to you by Christ
Jesus.
So this man have tested the grace of God.
Verse five, that you were enriched in everything by him in all utterances and all knowledge,
which means that this church has worked in this dimension, right?
They've expressed utterances.
They've they've worked in knowledge.
Seven, even as a testimony of Christ was confirmed to you so that you come short.
Look at this, he comes short in no gift.
They come short in no gift.
If it is a manifestation, they come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end that you may be blameless in
the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ, our
Lord.
So we can see here that this church, these are believers, these are men that have tested,
these are men that actually the supernatural is not an issue for them.
Hallelujah.
But then this same church is embroiled in a lot of controversy.
This same church that Paul is commending of their spirituality, of their ability to work
in this supernatural, you know, gifts are embroiled in what I call controversy.
First and foremost, we see that there was, even though they are spiritual, right, they
were not working in the spirit.
Even though they were spiritual people that are born of the spirit, they have the spirit
of God in them, but they are not working in spirit.
There was division in them.
Drum to chapter verse 10 of that same chapter one.
You see where Paul began to examine their issue.
He says, now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you
all speak the same thing, which means that they were speaking different things, which
means that there was a division among them.
That you, what, speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you.
So this letter that he is writing to them is actually a response to the things that
is happening within that congregation.
There shall be no division among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the
same mind in judgment, because division, right, division is not a fruit of the spirit.
How we know that?
Separatism is not a fruit of the spirit.
He asked them in verse 10, now I plead with you, verse 11, I think.
Yes.
For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, that those of Clare's house,
that there are contentions among you, those in Goaillel's cell, those in Pastor Victor's
house, that big cell, that church in Heianican, right, that there is division among you, there
is contentions among you.
Now I said is that each of you says, I am for Pastor Victor.
Some of you says I am for Paul.
Oh I am for what?
I am for Pastor Tidi.
Oh I am for Christ.
Verse 13, is Christ divided, was Paul crucified for you?
Some people say I am from Rwanda, they are Nigerians, they are West Africans, we are
East Africans in this church, we are the East African part of this church.
Is Christ divided, was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Move to chapter 3, you will see more about that division.
Paul continues, chapter 3 from verse 1.
He says, an high brethren could not speak to you as to what?
As to spirituals.
Now he is not saying that they are not spiritual people.
Are we together?
Because he has commanded them earlier on, he has mentioned to them how he has seen them
demonstrated that they lack in no spiritual gift, right?
So he is not saying that they are spiritual people, he is saying that they are acting
in a way that is unnatural to them.
They are behaving as though they are, he called them carnal, in some translation he used the
word carnal, right?
An high brethren could not speak to you as to people that are spiritual, but as to carnal,
as to what?
As to babes in Christ.
So that is an attitude of someone that is still childish, that is childish.
I fed you with milk and not with solid food for until now you were not able to receive
it and even you are still not able, even now rather, you are still not able, verse 3, for
you are still what?
Carnal.
For where there are envy, now look at the carnal life, where are still, for you are
still what?
Carnal.
For where there are envy, is envy the fruit of the spirit?
If you are walking by the spirit, will we see envy in you?
Strive, divisions among you?
You know there are some people that they are just specializing in causing division.
Wherever you enter a group, for example, they put in a group in a class to do an assignment,
the moment you enter that group, you have some people, you begin to find a way that
you can, you can either rebel against the leader, form another carcass inside the carcass,
your family, you have your own favorites in the family, you've created a WhatsApp group
inside the WhatsApp, inside the family WhatsApp group.
That's a carnal lifestyle.
For where there are envy, strive and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving
like ordinary men?
Means, are you not carnal and behaving like unsaved people?
Are we together?
For one one says I am for Paul and another I am for Apollos, are you not carnal?
Who then is Paul?
And then he went on to begin to teach about the unity and all those.
This same church was embroiled in another facet of controversy, sexual immorality, chapter
5, verse 1 to 5.
As a spiritual church, these are saints.
It is actually reported there because as I said, it's a response to a report.
Yes, yes, the people have gossiped this total.
It is actually reported by who?
He didn't put the name of the person that reported.
It is actually reported, which is a good report to be reported about them.
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you and such sexual immorality
that is not even named among the Gentiles, even unbelievers, even people that are not
born again, they don't even do the things that you do.
What do they do?
That a man sleep with his father's wife and you are puffed up and not rather mourn that
he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.
For indeed as absent in body but present in spirit has already judged, we listen without
judge, has already judged as though I were what?
I were present with you.
Him who has done this deed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered
together along with my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a warrant
to opposition for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to dwell on verse 5, what?
If you are sensitive, you know what I did there.
So there's a lot of controversy, the same sort of the spirit that is spiritual and I've
tested and worked in tongues.
If I read further you see that they are competing on who will give prophetic word, who will
give interpretation but this scandal is happening in the midst of these people and Paul is telling
us see this is a cannot, this is not walking in the spirit, this is not the life of the
spirit, this is not the life that God has called you to live, you are walking not in
your nature because let's look at the life in the spirit before we come back to this
chart again, Galatians chapter 5 verse 16, we see that the element of the behavior of
these men are as though they were walking in the flesh.
I said then walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh for the
flesh lust against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary.
So a spirit walking in the spirit is contrary to walking what?
The flesh.
So that you do not do the things that you wish quickly but if you are led by the spirit
you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are evident we will know that these are the works of the
flesh adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
lusts, art boss of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness,
revelries and the likes etc. of which I tell you beforehand just as I also told you in
the time past that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God
and this seems to be the same lifestyle we see in the Corinthian church even though they
are sent but the fruit of the spirit is what?
It's love right and we say that this love in this love there is joy in it amen?
In this love there is peace in it, in this love there is long suffering in it, in this
love there is kindness in it, in this love there is goodness in it, in this love there
is faithfulness in it, gentleness, self-control against all juries nor law and those who are
Christ have crucified the flesh with his passions and desires.
If we live in the spirit then let us walk in the spirit, let us not become conceited,
provoking one another, aiming one another but then we see this church walking contrary
to their nature as spiritual men.
They are living, they are offending themselves, division, you know, controversies every day,
problems as a result of you know their inability to allow the spirit of God to find expression
through their life, demonstrating it in love.
These folks were initiating lawsuit against themselves.
Chapter 6, 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 1 to 11 you see where they are suing each other,
cheating each other, they will do business, a brother in Christ will do business and then
he will dupe his brother.
I don't understand how is that this chapter 6 would dare, dare any of you having a matter
against another, go to the law before the unrighteous and not before the saints?
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world and if the world will be judged
by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Do you not know that we shall judge angels how much more things that pertains to this
life?
If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those
who are least esteemed by the church to judge?
I say this to your shame, it is so that there is not a wise man among you, all of you are
foolish, not even one of you who will be able to judge between this is his brother, that
means you have matters.
Some of you have issues with your husbands in the same church, before we know you call
police.
I mean there is a problem with you, if the church does not call police, you should not
call police.
In fact there are some cases that they have brought to me, I say see let's call police
straight.
It is not in our jurisdiction to handle, right?
But when it comes to brother to brother, if you have a spirit of love in you, then it
is not to drag ourselves all over social media.
Some of us, the police we send people to is social is a public opinion, even before you
speak to your brother you have already posted it on your status, you have broadcast it to
your people and then your status becomes a notice board, where people even know that
they have offended you.
That is not working in love.
I say this to your shame, it is so that there is not a wise man among you, not even one
who will be able to judge between his brethren, he is asking, but brother goes to law against
brother and that before what, unbelievers.
Now therefore it is already an utter failure for you, that you go to law against one another.
Why do you not rather accept wrong?
That is why can't you just forfeit, just be cheated.
Rather than going to the unbelievers, those who don't even have the love of God in their
heart, you know there are some unbelievers that are even surprised at how believers behave
within themselves.
If this is the kind of Jesus you preach then we don't want to be a partaker of it.
Some unbelievers are more righteous than you, at least they can lift a lot of things to
slight, right?
Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?
No, you yourself do wrong and cheat.
It is not that you yourself are cheating yourselves, you are cheating yourselves, you do transactions,
the person who sends a transaction of five thousand, the person who sends four or nine,
when the price is fifty point five, he says because it is you, I am giving you a broader
price so you sell it at fifty one.
You know there is something in Nigeria, whenever you go to a shop, I don't know about other
countries, and the person says it is because of you, it is because I know you, just know
that it is because he knows you actually that you can pay.
But let it be just, right?
Let it be just.
You cheat one another and you do these things to your who?
To your brethren, to the brothers in Christ.
Hallelujah.
You do this to your brothers in Christ and this is a life not led by the Spirit.
Even though these men are spiritual men, but they have the potency to do what?
To walk in the flesh, to allow, to walk in a nature that is not theirs.
So for you as an individual, how do you judge yourself?
How do you analyze your conduct in the body of Christ?
Do you rather allow yourself to be cheated by a brother than to just cause heaven to
fall on earth because of a little issue?
Do you quickly bring issues to church?
Or you form a committee of friends to dissect matters, to discuss issues, to judge, to get
for sympathy?
Where do you measure yourself?
Now the centrality of the book of 1 Corinthians is to bring these people to a point where
they walk in love.
Hallelujah.
As Paul was addressing every single issue, the issue is that they are not walking in
love.
The issue is that they are not allowing the Spirit of God to lead them.
Because when the Spirit of God leads the life of a man, we see love expressed in him.
We see him responding to the Spirit of God.
We see love expressed in all facets.
We see him able to understand with others.
We see him showing empathy to others.
We see him showing deep concern for the welfare of others.
So in chapter 13, we see him anchoring his conversation on the real matter.
It says, though I speak with tongues, which they do, of men and of angels, what I have
not loved, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
That means you are just making noise.
That means that you are just making an empty sound.
There's no use for you, Professor, because you see, the essence or the environment by
which prophecies and the world of knowledge and all those things will thrive to be in
an atmosphere of love, where the goal is not to outshine your neighbor, right, but is to
minister to the needs of your brother.
The essence of what you're saying, give your brother, prophesy to your brother, pray for
your brother, bless your brother, is for you to express love to your brother and to your
sister.
It's not to show that you are spiritually mature, that you know I can speak in terms
of what I can prophesy, no.
It's to the end that we walk in love.
So we say that we are to imitate the way God has loved us.
Our own love, right, must be the kind of love with which God has loved us.
Ephesians 5 verse 1, we've looked at it previously, be imitators of God as their children and
do what?
And walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and
a sacrifice for a sweet smelling what?
Aroma.
So we see Paul explaining this kind of love.
Verse 4 says love, give me this verse 4 in the Amplified.
There's love that suffers long, no, 1 Corinthians 13 verse 4.
Love that suffers long, Amplified, yes.
Love endures long and what?
And is patient and kind.
God has been enduring us, amen.
He has endured us and God is love.
And that same love lives in us, so we have the ability to tolerate others.
We have the ability to be patient towards one another.
Love is never envious.
Love never is envious, no boys are with jealousy.
You know I heard someone say something that, oh this person is not jealous, that he loves
me but he's not jealous.
How can you be saying a believer should be jealous?
As a what kind of love are you expecting to come from in that he's in a relationship with
you and you want the person to be jealous about you?
And is a dangerous kind of love you're looking for, not the love of God.
Are you together?
If the person is jealous and should act in jealousy towards another person because of
you, one day he will demonstrate that spirit on you because that's not from God.
So true love is never envious, no boys are with jealousy.
It is not what?
Postful or vain, glorious.
It's all about you want to take the glory for everything they have done.
You did a project, before we know it you are the one that have, even if you did all, you
do not display yourself heartily as five.
It is not conceited.
What does it mean to be conceited?
To be arrogant and inflated with pride from your words.
The way we hear you speak to your brothers, this sounds condescending because you've hit
some level of knowledge.
You know some Greek and Hebrews and then you become condescending.
You start looking down on people.
You feel that you are already down.
Nobody is your friend.
Are you not so unaware that everybody is avoiding you?
Because the moment they come close to you, you make them feel less of themselves.
So what do they do when they see you, they greet you and they move.
Even on Sunday, nobody wants to shake your hand because they don't know the word, even
when you are given word of knowledge.
There are some people who say look for a neighbor, they avoid you.
Nobody wants to even hold your hands and pray with you.
You miss the blessing of men.
Are we together?
Because men are an asset in your life that God has put around you.
You miss the blessings of men.
You miss the blessings of men that have been arranged to be a blessing to you, that are
supposed to uplift you, that are supposed to correct you, that are supposed to furnish
you.
You miss the blessings of friendship, people at your own level.
Because everybody will be avoiding being with you.
And I can assure you that you cannot live alone.
This Christian life is meant to be lived in the community.
Are we together?
We are meant to live in the community.
You have root to lead us.
Yes, it is not root, unmanly.
Even if you are older than a person, it does not act unbecomingly.
Love, what kind of love?
God's love in us does not insist on his own rights.
I don't want to begin to say something because you think it's your mother and I'm discussing
your poop it.
A brother and a sister did business in this church.
They wanted to tear their clothes because of commission.
Some of you, when you start coming, will not see.
We've taught you enough to start knocking your head physically.
I mean, what inspired that kind of violent lifestyle?
You always want to do what?
To be the one to gain.
You don't know.
Let me tell you something.
You don't know if your brother gains.
It's better.
It's to your own advantage.
You don't know.
The moment you see your sister is blessed, envy enters.
When you begin to feel uncomfortable at the blessings of others, it means that you have
a fundamental problem that needs to be checked because you cannot enjoy the blessings of
others if you are envious of them.
Even if you are in a problem, they want to help you, you say no.
Come on, I'm okay.
I'm okay.
You're not really okay.
You need help.
And allow people to help.
You see pride, envy.
There are conjunct twins.
If you separate one, the other will die.
And it's not love.
It's not walking in love.
Love does not seek its own way.
For it is not self-seeking.
It is not touchy or any little thing you provoke.
People are even scared of even telling you that this thing you did is not right because
they don't know how you respond.
Everybody is very, oh, when it comes to, ah, bro, Matthew, not you.
Ah, his case is different.
And you can, even your leaders are not comfortable speaking to you because of the response that
can come from you.
It is not self-seeking.
It is not touchy or fretful or resentful.
It takes no account of evil done to it.
It pays no attention to what is so far to wrong.
I've explained this before.
You have an archive full of everybody's sin that have committed sin against you in this
church.
If you are 50 years old and you are keeping wrong of everybody in your life that has offended
you, you have a very big library.
It does not rejoice at what injustice serves him right.
It deserves it.
And unrighteousness but rejoices when the right and truth prevails.
Verse seven, love bears up under anything.
If I were the one that wrote this thing, you would say, oh, I'm saying it because I've
not experienced what you've experienced.
Well, it's the Bible.
It's above my experience, actually.
The Word of God is above our individual experiences.
Love bears up under anything and everything that comes.
Is ever ready to do what?
To believe the best of every person.
You at the moment, see, there are some people that don't believe that anything good can
come out of people.
Anything you just hear about people, no, it's not possible.
You may not affect it now.
You don't believe that people can be good.
You don't believe that people can get better.
You don't believe that people can grow.
You don't believe that people can actually be great in what they do.
It hopes are faithless, which means that it doesn't fade away under all circumstances.
It endures everything without what?
Without weakening.
I mean, it perseveres.
Love never fails.
It never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end.
As for prophecies, you can prophesy.
And what will happen?
They will fail.
Whether there are tongues, a prophecy, the gift of what?
Go back.
A prophecy, that's a gift of interpreting the divine will and the purpose.
It will be fulfilled and does it and pass away.
As for tongues, they will be destroyed and ceased.
As for knowledge, the knowledge you have, it will pass away.
It will lose its value and be superseded by truth.
For our knowledge is fragmentary, incomplete and imperfect.
And our prophecy, our teaching is fragmentary, incomplete and imperfect.
So the essence is that we will walk in love, that whatever we do, we allow the spirit of
God to instigate every action and every motive behind the things we do.
Walking in love, imitating the kind of love that God has demonstrated towards us.
And in our relationship and our living with one another, we allow the spirit of God to
guide our conduct, to guide our relationships.
Colossians chapter 3 verse 12, it says,
Clothe yourself therefore as God's unchoosing ones, his unpicked representatives, who are
purified and holy and well-beloved by God himself by putting on the behavior marked
by what tender heartedness, piety and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourself.
This one is not talking about low self-esteem.
Are we together?
It's not feeling, oh, I'm not worthy.
That's not what it means.
It means that you put the interests of others ahead of your own interests.
Are we together?
A lowly opinion of yourselves, dental way, patience, which is tireless and long-suffering
and has the power to endure whatever comes with good temper.
Be gentle and forbearing with one another.
And if one has a difference, a grievance or a complaint against another, readily pardoning
each other, even as the Lord has freely forgiven you.
And we noted that there must be no condition or requirements to our forgiveness.
God in Christ does not ask that condition of walking in love.
I wanted to go into the script, some texts, some biblical verses that seems to speak otherwise.
Right?
You will begin to dissect them.
For example, now some Bible scriptures seems contrary to what we've read as the gospel
of being unconditioned.
For example, now Matthew 6 verse 14-15, I think we dealt with this in the cell, we'll
do this again hopefully next time.
But let's look at Matthew 6 verse 14-15.
Matthew 6 verse 14-15 says, So if you forgive their trespasses, their reckless and willful
sins, leaving them, letting them go and giving up resentment, your heavenly Father will also
forgive, which means that our forgiveness is what makes God forgive us.
But if you do not forgive others, their trespasses, their reckless and willful sins, leaving them,
letting them go and giving up resentment, neither will your Father forgive your trespass.
So it invalidates everything we've been saying.
So if a scripture says one thing and another seems to be saying contrary in another part
of the scriptures, then there's need for us to study to understand what text is saying.
Another one, Mark 11 verse 25.
Mark 11 verse 25.
And whenever you start praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let
it drop in order that your Father who is in heaven may also, so it seems as though God
is learning how to forgive from us men.
He may also forgive your own failings and shortcomings and let them drop, which means
that if you don't forgive, God will not forgive.
And if God does not forgive, God is living in what?
God is living in malice.
God is sinning.
That's what it means.
Unforgiveness is sinning, right?
So if you don't forgive, which you are a man, you don't forgive.
And God with whole forgiveness, it means that God is in the wrong.
It means that God is not leading with the example.
So is this what the scripture is saying, Matthew chapter 18 verse 34-35, we'll also see another
one here.
This is a parable actually, Matthew 18-35.
It says, And in wrath his master turned him over, that's the unforgiving servant, to
torture us, the jailers, till he should pay all that he owed.
So also my heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive
your brother from your heart his offenses.
And then how we've interpreted this is that when we don't forgive people, God will not
forgive us.
Is that what this text is saying?
Luke 6.7, Luke 6.7, Judge not, neither pronouncing judgment nor subjecting to censure, and you
will not be judged.
Do not condemn and pronounce guilty, and you will not be condemned and pronounced guilty.
Acquit and forgive and release, give up resentment, let it drop, and you will be acquitted and
forgiven and released.
And we will keep seeing scriptures that speak, we are going to come back and we'll explain
this text.
Now I've not explained this text, alright?
We're going to have a proper understanding, and where are we going to arrive?
We're going to arrive at a point where God's love towards us was his own condition, and
God is faithful.
The Bible says that even when we remain unfaithful, he remains faithful because he cannot deny
his own nature as God.
Hallelujah.
So we're going to establish our understanding in scriptures as this.
We are talking about forgiveness, we're talking about love, we're talking about forgiving
people, forgiving people who have offended us, who have a proper understanding of what
God has done for us.
So when you come across scriptures like this, how do we interpret this text?
And I trust that God will give us understanding as we come to this word in the name of Jesus.
Close your eyes and pray and thank God for this year.
52 Sundays, or is it 53?
Plus Wednesdays, plus Fridays, sometimes you have Tuesdays.
Just appreciate God for how his word has been coming to you throughout the year, and as
we look towards the new year, that you will be a doer of God's word, that you will be
an efficient doer of God's word, that there be a desire in you to do the word and not
only here alone.
Thank you for listening to today's sermon.
Your journey matters to us.
Let's keep walking together.
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Until next time, be blessed.