Welcome to NECF. We're thrilled you're here.
Make sure to stay with us till the end, where
we'll share some great resources to deepen your
faith. Now, let's dive into this week's sermon.
Look at verse 15, Ephesians chapter 5, verse
15. I want you to walk with your Bible. I mean,
I want everybody to open his Bible because...
I believe that you should be looking at your
Bible. Don't just be walking. Don't just be walking.
That's the essence of Bible teaching. That's
the essence of Bible teaching, that to also study
the Bible together. And so study means to pay
attention, to pay attention to detail, to pay
attention and be focused. Look at verse 15. See
then that you walk circumspectly. That word means...
to walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise,
redeeming the time because the days are evil.
Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what
the will of the Lord is. That word redeeming
the time means make most of every opportunity.
That means the time there is opportunities. You
understand? Now, we're here in Cyprus. We have
an opportunity. You are here in the church, you
have an opportunity to study the Word, to pay
attention to what you are taught. He said, redeeming
the time, which means that the way to redeem
the time, because when last year, if you were
16, this year you are 17. And that means 17 will
never come again. But how to redeem opportunities
is to make most of the opportunities. I have
talked to so many of us that are here. Some of
you may not have liked the courses you are taking
now in school, you are studying, because they
forced it on you. Daddy and mommy said, if you
don't study engineering, I will not pay your
school fees. So you have no choice than to study
what they have imposed on you. But one thing
that... And not a lot of young people need to
understand is that whether you are an adult or
a young person, you have to understand that somebody
will take decision for you. Oh, are you getting
me? Are you getting me? Now, are you the president
of your country? So that means somebody is taking
decision on your behalf and is going to affect
you. So don't always look at it as if, you know,
the way we used to paint it in the sand. This
is what I want to do. Yes, it's good that parents
allow us to make our choices. But sometimes when
you don't have a choice, what I'm trying to say
is that in life, it's a reality. We're not saying
that it's good for a curse to be imposed upon
you. We're saying that is a reality. It happens
in life. Some decisions are made, not without
you. Whether you like it or not. He knew man
would fall. Man would die. But he needs to be
rescued. You do understand what I'm saying? We
say that word Ezar means a savior, a rescuer.
Ezar, E -Z -E -R. It's a rescuer. So when Jesus
took on flesh, are we together? When he took
on flesh, that is Ezar coming to help man. That
is Ezar coming to help man. Did you understand
what I'm saying? He rescued man from darkness.
He rescued man. So that word means rescuer. It
means a deliverer. One who saves you. One who
takes you from darkness and from death. And we
saw. That the woman is not man's Ezzah. Because
the woman that is coming to a man's life, or
a man coming to a woman's life, you know, we
always describe it in the other way. But it's
both coming to each other's life. Are we together?
So, when they come to each other's life, when
a woman comes to a man's life, she is not coming
as a savior. You understand what I'm saying?
She is not a rescuer. She's not coming to save
the man from darkness. Except you are darkness.
I know and I know. When I married my wife, I
was in the light. And I'm still in the light.
And I'll continue to be in the light. You understand?
You remember Ephesians 5? It says you were in
darkness, but now you are light in him. So my
wife did not come to give me light. And God did
not institute the marriage to bring... people
into light. I know some people say, I am with
him because I want to convert him. Thank you,
Holy Spirit. God has not put marriage as a means
to bring people into light. So the woman is not
coming to rescue the man from darkness. No. There
is nowhere, at no point, that the scripture teaches
that the woman is man's Ezzah, is man's helper.
So helper in that context, helper in this text
is not literal. It's not saying that she is your
house help. Do you understand what I'm saying?
I know this teaching is spoiling some men's strong,
strongest scripture in their arsenal in bringing
their wives into subjection. When the wife want
to complain and say, don't you know that? He
say, I want to remind you what the Bible says.
He say, you are my helper. Did you realize that?
Brother, don't you think you are wicked? That
her father took her to school, pay her school
fees. She went to the university, got degree.
Her degree was not in Kuchino. And then you carried
her and said she must continually cook for you.
How about now? Don't you see that your heart
is terrible? Okay, wait. Give birth to a child.
Give birth to a daughter. Train her. Which one
is it? Medicine. Train her in medicine. I think
here we pay about 13 ,000 euros, right? Or thereabout.
That's about 22 ,000, 22 million, probably thereabout
in Nigerian, whatever, Naira. Are we together?
A year. And you do that for five, six years,
right? When you are finishing, that means you
must have paid up to about 70 something thousand
euros, right? Are we together? Doctors in the
house, right? Imagine you paid that money, you
understand? Some of you, even to help your roommates,
you say, brother, the Lord will help us. Now,
somebody trained his daughter with such money.
And you will carry her and keep her in the house
to be cooking for you. Didn't you see the way
your heart is? And you will not do the same.
So the point I'm trying to say is that there
is nowhere in scripture because the water helper
tells us of a message of salvation. Remember,
he said, in the day you eat it, you will die.
And he said, and the Lord said, the next scripture.
I don't want a man to be in that position. He
said, I have already made a provision for his
rescue. And I am his helper. Are we together?
I used to like that song. My, my helper. My.
It's just that the other line, that's just the
problem. Maybe you have to adjust that. That
word. There is something that makes me come into
your. Where have you been? That's just the line
that is. Where have you been? You understand?
Since the day we received him, we have come into.
And we have been there. We will remain there
forever. Glory to Jesus. You have not gone anywhere.
Not there is something. You are already there.
So adjust that line. But else, I love this song.
You know what I'm trying to say? So the point
I'm trying to point out is that marriage is a
union. It's a mutual union. Oh, let me say it
again. Marriage is a mutual union. It means a
symbiotic relationship. It's not a commensal
relationship where only one benefits. It's not
also parasitic where one is harmed. No. It's
a symbiotic relationship. So the man helps the
woman. The woman helps the man. If you are using
that word literally, it's not just one way. You
come together to be a team, to be able to do
greater things so that when you get married,
you become better, both of you. You do that in
business. When two people join hands to come
together, they join thinking, they join energy,
they produce a better thing than each one of
them will have done it. Are we together? Marriage
is a union where we both help each other. Are
we together? Therefore, woman is not the help
of man. Glory to Jesus. Now look at verse 21.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall
on Adam, and he slept. And he took one of his
ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. Then
the rib which the Lord God had taken from man,
he made into a woman. And he brought her to the
man. I want you to pay attention, please. Note
something in verse 21. Particularly, took one
of his ribs. In verse 21. And then the rib which
the Lord God had taken from man, he made into
a woman. Verse, note that word. The reap which
the Lord or which the Lord had taken. Verse 22.
You know, people have used this verse also to
take it very literal that and they call the woman
the missing reap. Meaning that the man has one
reap missing because God took it and from the
woman. So the woman is one reap. The man is left.
with 23 rips, that this one is missing. And I
have checked. I had to go online again. I become
foolish for just a few seconds. I said, let me
check, you understand? I know this is, Pastor,
anything is possible. Pastor Emma recently, he's
had to become pharmaceutical, international relations.
So there is nothing that you cannot create. Hallelujah.
But paucococci is a red anatomy. You understand?
Now you understand that first and foremost, I
check to find whether there is any normal human
being. You understand? First, any normal man
that has an incomplete rib. You understand? And
I have found none. Then I check, okay, let me
check any woman. Any normal woman that has only
one rib and I couldn't find. Okay. And then I
check, I discover that every, regardless of sex,
every person, male, female, have 12 pairs of
ribs. That's 24, right? 24. The exception is
abnormal. What is abnormal? Maybe you had an
accident and then some, the curse just broke
someone's. Or? You went for cosmetics these days.
Hey, Jesus. There is a cosmetic surgery they
do these days that they remove your lips to make
your waist align. You know what I'm saying? I
saw one woman, she removed six of her lips. What
is it? That she wants to make herself happy.
She's on YouTube. That she wants to look... Oh,
Jesus. She wants to look like a cartoon. That's
what will make her happy. You see this place
very thin. If it is that one, that's artificial.
It's not normal. Or a side accident, or you have
a genetic disease, you understand. Or sometimes
even can be removed surgically for any kind of
maybe disease, when maybe you have discomfort
around this area there, so they have to remove
it to help you feel, I mean, to relieve you from
the pain. But besides these cases I've mentioned,
normal human beings come with complete rifts.
Then that means, how did it happen? Is it mutation?
When God removed that of Adam, and then over
there they give birth, then there's mutation,
and then the other one grows back. Or what? I
don't understand. So what I'm trying to say,
I want you not to throw away your brain when
you are reading the scripture. Do you understand
what I'm trying to say? Yes, don't throw away
your brain. You need to ask questions. Remember,
don't forget. When you are reading. That Adam
didn't read anatomy. And I mean Moses did not
read anatomy. Moses is a prophet. And the goal
of Moses is not to give you a textbook of anatomy.
That's not his goal. Because you know Moses is
a prophet. And you know his goal. What God called
him. Then you have to be careful how he writes.
You have to pay attention because you can't just
assume that's what he meant. No. Just like I
gave you an example with Jesus. You know why
he's here or not. You know what he's about to
do. So when he was teaching and he uses parables
and he writes in that pattern, you don't think
that he's teaching people how to do business
when he gave the parable of the talent. He said,
this is the business secret of the Bible. The
business secrets from Jesus himself. However
now, that is not how to study the Bible. Go back
to that verse. Look at that verse. Let me just
do some things in that verse. Verse 21. Are you
there? And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to
Adam. I mean to fall on Adam. To fall on Adam.
What is that reap? And he slept and he took one
of his reaps. What is this reap then? If it is
not biological, if he's not talking about literature,
what is it? What is Moses trying to communicate?
Now, the first thing, you know, every teaching
we teach you, we also teach you how to read Bible.
When you encounter this kind of a thing, all
the first thing, I think I taught you during
the catatismus, one of these catatismus, I think,
no, the last, no, not this last, the 2024, the
2023. When Pastor Olu was here, you understand.
I say, how to know that you have accurately divided
the word of truth? You have to subject it through
some certain principle. You understand? One of
the principles, when you are juggling, you are
trying to understand the meaning of the word.
We just did that in the cell with the issue of
water and the spirit. Are we together? One of
the things we did was to follow through John.
And look, how did he use water? Are we together?
From chapter 3, we look at the context of discussion,
and the context includes a number of things.
One is to look at the immediate context. What
is the major theme discussed there? The theme
discussed is being born again, which means being
born of what? Of the Spirit. And how will you
do that? How will you be born by the Spirit?
By faith. Did you understand what I'm saying?
That is the theme. nowhere physical water is
mentioned. Then that means, and that's the only
place he said water and the spirit. And John
was writing it to say to us that Jesus was saying
it as a further explanation. Because in verse
3, he told him that except you are born again,
you will not see the kingdom. And the man didn't
understand and took it literally. Although he
was a Pharisee, although he was a teacher of
the law, he never understood what born again
means. He thought that a man would be born twice,
meaning he has to go back to his mother's womb.
You understand? And then he asked Jesus, what
do you mean? And then Jesus said, no, no, no,
no, no, no. This is what I mean. And then he
reiterated himself. In verse what? Verse 5. That
means whatever he's saying in verse 5 is not
different from what he was saying in verse 3.
And then he further verse 6, verse 7, and then
continues. When you move to chapter 4, you saw
Jesus with the Samaritan woman, right? And then
they were talking about there was literal water
there. But he uses that also figuratively. He
said, I will give you the living water. Will
you mean? Jesus is talking about that. The woman
also did not understand. She has to begin to
ask, you don't have the, you don't have anything
to draw the water. How are you going to give
me? Then Jesus began to explain further. When
you read chapter 7, again he talks about water.
He calls it the living water. What we are trying
to say is that if you follow the author, you
will know what he means. Now again, what we will
do, we will follow Moses. How did he use the
word reap? Are we together? Are we ready? Okay,
let's follow Moses. Let's look at how did he
use the word reap in his writings. Hallelujah.
Exodus chapter 25. Exodus 25. So just follow
me quickly. Exodus 25 verse 18. Sorry, verse
8 to 14. Exodus 25. Verse 8. And let them make
me a sanctuary, that I might dwell among them
according to all that I saw you. That is the
pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of
all furnishing, just so you shall make it. Verse
10. And they shall make an ark of acacia wood,
two and a half cubits. Shall be its length. A
cubit. And a half. Its width. And a cubic. And
half its height. Verse 11. And you shall overlay
it with pure gold. Inside. And outside you shall
overlay it. And shall make on it. A molding.
Of gold. All around. Look at verse 12 please.
And you shall cast. Full. Of the gold. That word
sight is the same word as rip. The word there
in Hebrew is selah. S -E -L -A. Selah. S -E -L
-A. That's the word in Hebrew. So that word sight
is the same word selah. Let's continue. He said,
and two rings on the other side. And you shall
make pole of acacia wood and overlay them with
gold. You shall put the pole into the rings on
the side of the ark. That the ark will be carried
by them. Now look at that word. He said the rings,
verse 14. That word sides. Sides is also means.
The rip. What can you see here? That means we
see now here in this text, rip. Rip as what?
Side of an ark. The rip here is what? The sides
of what? An ark. Look at Exodus 26. Exodus 26.
Look at verse 20. And for the second side of
the tabernacle. Now look at that what side again.
Is the word to reap. Which is selah. Side of
the tabernacle. The north side. There shall be
20 boats. Look at verse 26. Verse 26. So Exodus
26. We read verse 20. Now 26. And you shall make
bars of acacia wood. Five of the boats of one
side. That word side again. Is the word what?
Reap. Selah. Look at verse 27. What do you see
again here? That means here, reap is what? The
site of what? The tabernacle. Are we together?
Oh, are you with me? Sight of what? The tabernacle.
Look at chapter 27. Chapter 27. Chapter 27, verse
7. The pole shall be put in the rings, and the
pole shall be on the two sides of the altar to
bear it. Two sides of the altar. That was sight
again. That was sight again. Here we see is a
sight. of the altar. Side of the ark, side of
the tabernacle, side of the altar. Look at chapter
30 verse 4. Chapter 30 verse 4. Chapter 30 verse
4. We're still in Exodus 30 verse 4. Two gold
rings you shall make for it. On the molding on
both sides you shall place them on it. two sides.
Now that word side, again, both its sides. Sides.
You shall place them on its two sides and they
shall be holders for the poor witch to bear it.
So we see side. Reap a side, O Selah. Chapter
36. Chapter 36. Verse 25. And for the other side,
that word side is Selah, of the tabernacle. Move
to verse 31 of that. Exodus 36. And he made bars
of acacia wood, five for the boat on one side
of the tabernacle. One side of the tabernacle,
verse 32. Five bars for the boat on the other
side of the tabernacle. Now, you could see that
in all these verses, verse 31, verse 32, verse
25. Again, what do we see? Reap of Selah. As
what? Sides of the tabernacle. Sides of the tabernacle,
verse 37. Sorry, chapter 37. Next is chapter
37, verse 3. And he casts for it four rings of
gold, for gold to be set in its corners, in two
rings on one side. That word side again is rip.
And two rings on the other side of it. Again,
we see sides. Look at verse 5 of that chapter
37. Are you there with me? He said, and he put
the pole into the rings at the side of the ark
to bear the ark. That side again. 27, verse 27.
Verse 27 of chapter 37. He made two rings of
gold for it under its molding. By two corners.
By two corners. On both sides. As holders for
the pole. With which to bear it. Look at chapter
38. 38 verse 7. 38 verse 7. Then he put the pole.
Into the ring. On the side of the altar. With
which to bear it. He made the altar hollow. With
both sides. Of the altar. That word sight again.
What can we see here? That means Selah. As all
we are. This is. They enter in all Moses writings.
You understand. These are places Moses used the
same word. With that word he used in Genesis.
We see it as the sight of a building. Of a tabernacle.
The sight of an ark. Sight of the altar. Sight.
So in all these instances, Moses taught rips
in reference to building. Moses taught what?
Rip in reference to what? Building a tabernacle.
Because all these things we talk about is about
the building of a tabernacle. Are we together?
The building of a tabernacle. Now, I want you
to note something again because we are trying
to look contextually. Why will Moses be using
this same word? That's the question I want to
ask now. Why would Moses be using this same word
in reference to a tabernacle? Why would Jesus
be using a lot of parables with agriculture?
Are you together with me? Are you together with
me? Because the choice of Christ to use more
of agriculture to speak about what he wants to
speak is in reference to his audience. Oh, are
we together? Oh, are we together? Amen. I want
you to note Moses' choice of what? Moses' choice
of even the issue of tabernacle was because of
the experience of the Israelites. The issue of
tabernacle is not a strange thing to Israel.
Are we together? The children of Israel are conversant
with tabernacle, with temples in Egypt because
that is where idol worship takes place. Are we
together? Idol worship takes place where? In
a tabernacle. So when Moses was using to build
a tabernacle, he didn't choose that because he
just wanted to choose that to communicate the
gospel. Because I think we did hypodigma, right?
When we are dealing with Leviticus, the gospel
in Leviticus. We even studied the issue of in
Hebrew and we saw that the tabernacle. was a
hypodigma, was an example, was a pointer. Are
we together? To the building that God will do.
Are we together? Amen. So when Moses make a choice
to build the tabernacle and to describe it, he
is speaking from a point to make his audience
have a connection to what he's saying. So note
this one, that the deliverance. Let me tell you
one thing. Tabernacle, the knowledge of the tabernacle
or temple emanates from Egypt because Egypt is
a place of idol worship. That's where they knew.
So most times when we describe the exodus of
Israel from Egypt, we describe it as if God is
just saving them from oppression. But it's not
just oppression. Yes, it's oppression. But equally,
God was saving them from idol worship. Because
when he told Moses, he said, go and tell Pharaoh
that I want my people to go and serve me. Are
we together? Hallelujah. So God was not just
only saving Israel from oppression in Egypt,
but he was saving them also from idol worship,
from idol worship. Hallelujah. He was saving
them from idol worship. Now, let me give you
just an introduction of something. Look at Exodus
12. I want to just show you that Egypt, about
tabernacle and idol worship, Israel lent it from
where? From Egypt. So when Moses was speaking
using tabernacle, they understood what Moses
was communicating. They understood what Moses
was communicating. Exodus chapter 12, verse 12.
For I will pass through the land of Egypt. On
the night, and I will strike all the firstborn
in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and
against all the gods of who? The gods of Egypt.
And I will execute the judgment. I am the Lord.
The gods of Egypt. The gods of Egypt. The gods
of Egypt. Look at Joshua 24. Joshua 24. Joshua
24. Look at verse 14. 24 verse 14. Now, therefore,
fear the Lord. Serve him in sincerity and in
truth. And put away what? The goat which your
father served on the other side of the river.
In where? Oh, talk to me. In where? In Egypt.
That's where they learned it. That's where they
learned it. Look at Ezekiel 20. That's where
I will stop. Look at Ezekiel 20. Ezekiel 20.
And we shall continue from there. All glory to
Jesus. What I'm trying to say is that when you
see Bible writers use things, it is not accidental.
They don't just choose what have hazardly. They
choose it deliberately. Are we together? That's
what we're trying to communicate. Are you in
Ezekiel? Ezekiel 20. Look at verse 5. Let me
read quickly here because I want you to see.
so much here before we close excuse me verse
five say to them so says the lord on the day
when i choose israel and raise my hand in an
oath to the descendants of the house of jacob
made myself known to them in the land of egypt
i raise my hand in an oath Verse 7. With the
idols of Egypt, I am the Lord your God. But,
verse 8, they rebel against me and will not obey
me. They did not all cast away the abominations
which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake
the idols of Egypt. Then I said, I will pour
out my fury on them and fulfill my anger against
them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I
acted for my name's sake, that I should not be
profaned before the Gentiles, among whom they
were, in whose side I had made myself known to
them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
made them to go out of the land of Egypt and
brought them into the wilderness and I gave them
my status and showed them my judgment which even
man does he shall live by them moreover I also
gave them my sabbath to be a sign between them
and me that they might know that I am the Lord
whom sanctified them. Yet the house of Israel
rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did
not walk in my status. They despise my judgment,
which if a man does, he shall live by them, and
they greatly defile my Sabbath. Then I said,
I will pour out my fury on them in the wilderness
to consume them, but I acted. For my name's sake,
that it shall not be profane before the Gentiles,
in whom side I had brought them out. So I also
raise my hand in an oath to them in the wilderness,
that I will not bring them into what? Into the
land which I had given them flowing with milk
and honey, the glory of all the lands. Verse
16. Because they despised my judgment and did
not... But I said to them, to their children
in the wilderness, I said to their children,
he said, do not walk in the status of your father,
nor observe their judgment, for nor defile yourself
with their what? With their idols. Now, when
Moses make a choice to build a tabernacle and
to use the word to reap and to describe, sorry,
he was not describing anatomy. He was describing
and using things familiar to his audience. using
things familiar to his audience to communicate
something. Are we together? So even the Israelites
were delivered from Egypt. Even though they were
delivered from Egypt, they were still not free
from what? For their idols. They were not free.
They were not free. That thing they have imbibed
was following them. When we come, we will see
some of the trouble that they had in the wilderness.
And then the idea is that we are following gradually.
to come to understand what was Moses communicating
when he used that the Lord took a rip, took a
rip and built into a woman. What did he mean
by that? But one thing I want you to understand
is that at this moment, that Moses was not communicating
by logic. Are we together? That that word rip
is a term in building and the building is about
the tabernacle. And he... The tabernacle is about
what they are familiar with. And he's using that
to communicate the plans of God for their life.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We're thankful you joined
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with us next time. God bless.