WEBVTT 00:00:02.060 --> 00:00:07.580 Hi there. Welcome to NECF. We're excited to share 00:00:07.580 --> 00:00:10.699 today's message with you. Don't go anywhere. 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:14.500 Stay with us till the end for some valuable resources 00:00:14.500 --> 00:00:18.359 to enrich your faith. Here's today's sermon. 00:00:23.859 --> 00:00:26.440 Hallelujah. Thank God for the opportunity to 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:34.560 be in church. living worthy of the kingdom, the 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.500 kingdom of God. You know, we've been studying 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:39.579 the book of Philippians for, this is the third 00:00:39.579 --> 00:00:42.659 time today. And the last time we stopped at, 00:00:42.759 --> 00:00:45.759 where did we stop? We stopped at chapter 2, verse 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:48.399 what? All right, verse 2. Chapter 2, verse 11. 00:00:48.619 --> 00:00:52.240 Amen. So we, in case you are new here, we've 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:55.579 been considering a topic, living worthy of the 00:00:55.579 --> 00:00:58.640 kingdom. And as a background, what we've been... 00:00:59.229 --> 00:01:01.149 we've been seeing or we've been studying together, 00:01:01.310 --> 00:01:04.709 as believers, we've established that we belong 00:01:04.709 --> 00:01:07.030 to the kingdom of God. Now, when you become born 00:01:07.030 --> 00:01:10.269 again or when you become a believer, what we 00:01:10.269 --> 00:01:12.849 mean by being a believer is someone that believes 00:01:12.849 --> 00:01:19.049 in Jesus Christ as his Lord and as Savior. We 00:01:19.049 --> 00:01:21.950 call you a believer because you believe in this 00:01:21.950 --> 00:01:24.950 truth that Jesus Christ is God who became man 00:01:24.950 --> 00:01:28.400 and came down on earth. And then he died for 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:31.560 the forgiveness of the sins of men. This is what 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:34.900 embodies the Christian faith. Without this foundational 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:38.280 truth, then we cannot consider you a Christian. 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:41.540 Because what makes you a Christian is the faith 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:44.840 you have in this truth. But first of all, God 00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:49.439 became man. And in his humanity, he died. He 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:52.420 suffered and then he died. He died on the cross. 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:55.459 And the reason why he had to die... was for the 00:01:55.459 --> 00:01:58.739 sins of men. He became a substitution for men. 00:01:59.099 --> 00:02:03.159 So all who believe in this truth come into a 00:02:03.159 --> 00:02:05.379 union with God. They come into fellowship with 00:02:05.379 --> 00:02:08.599 God. And so we that believe are called Christians. 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:14.900 In chapter 2 from verse 5 thereabout, we see 00:02:14.900 --> 00:02:17.680 where Paul was using the concept, was using the 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:22.840 example of Jesus Christ to explain the humility 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:26.060 that we often have as men. He says, let this 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:29.180 mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:32.620 Who is this Christ Jesus? Verse 6, he said, who 00:02:32.620 --> 00:02:35.539 being in the form of God, rather we'll say, who 00:02:35.539 --> 00:02:39.340 is God, did not consider it robbery to be equal 00:02:39.340 --> 00:02:42.800 with God, but made himself of no reputation. 00:02:42.939 --> 00:02:45.419 This is what Jesus Christ went through. He made 00:02:45.419 --> 00:02:48.759 himself of no reputation, taking the form of 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:52.319 a born servant and coming in the likeness of 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:55.810 men. So Jesus Christ, was not created. Jesus 00:02:55.810 --> 00:02:59.270 Christ is not part of the creation, but he is 00:02:59.270 --> 00:03:02.590 God. Who decided to take the likeness of men, 00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:06.509 was it? And being found in the appearance of 00:03:06.509 --> 00:03:11.050 a man, he humbled himself and became obedient 00:03:11.050 --> 00:03:15.750 to the point of death. And this death is the 00:03:15.750 --> 00:03:19.250 death of a criminal, the death of someone that 00:03:19.250 --> 00:03:22.680 has committed an offense. that the consequences 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:25.659 of that offense is death on the cross. Therefore, 00:03:25.800 --> 00:03:29.319 in this death, God also has highly exalted him 00:03:29.319 --> 00:03:34.159 and has given him the name, not a name, but specifically 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:37.300 gave him the name, which is above every other 00:03:37.300 --> 00:03:41.860 name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:45.099 bow of those in the heaven and of those on the 00:03:45.099 --> 00:03:49.330 earth and of those under the earth. And that 00:03:49.330 --> 00:03:53.509 every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord 00:03:53.509 --> 00:03:56.750 to the glory of God the Father. So we pitched 00:03:56.750 --> 00:04:00.430 our tent here last time. And we established that 00:04:00.430 --> 00:04:05.169 as kingdom citizens, we have to live in peace 00:04:05.169 --> 00:04:07.289 and harmony with one another. This was one of 00:04:07.289 --> 00:04:12.110 the content of Paul's letter to the Philippians. 00:04:12.409 --> 00:04:15.370 As kingdom citizens, we have to live in peace 00:04:15.370 --> 00:04:17.069 with one another and harmony with one another. 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:21.990 having the same mind and your full accord, because 00:04:21.990 --> 00:04:24.889 a kingdom that we belong to, when it is divided, 00:04:25.009 --> 00:04:27.350 when we are separated, when we are not in unity, 00:04:27.449 --> 00:04:29.629 when we are not living in harmony, there is no 00:04:29.629 --> 00:04:32.209 how we will fulfill the purpose of God for our 00:04:32.209 --> 00:04:35.129 lives. There is no how we will be able to do 00:04:35.129 --> 00:04:38.649 the biddings of God on earth, except we walk 00:04:38.649 --> 00:04:42.490 together, except we are united. Nobody can serve 00:04:42.490 --> 00:04:44.550 the purpose of God alone. Nobody has the ability 00:04:44.550 --> 00:04:49.139 to serve the purpose of God alone. So we saw 00:04:49.139 --> 00:04:51.480 how important it is for us to live in harmony. 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:56.040 And we said also that the kingdom of God is a 00:04:56.040 --> 00:05:00.300 kingdom of honor. We live honoring one another 00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:03.199 regardless of status. Whether you are young, 00:05:03.259 --> 00:05:06.459 you're old, whether you are rich or you're poor, 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:09.500 whether you are European or African, whatever 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:11.720 country you're coming from, whether you're a 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:13.899 leader or you're a worker, whatever your position 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:18.490 is in society, we live. honoring one another. 00:05:19.009 --> 00:05:23.129 And honor is our culture as Christians. Honor 00:05:23.129 --> 00:05:27.050 is our lifestyle as Christians. We honor one 00:05:27.050 --> 00:05:30.310 another because God dwells in each and every 00:05:30.310 --> 00:05:33.129 believer. So we honor one another because God 00:05:33.129 --> 00:05:36.730 lives in us. And we said that this kingdom is 00:05:36.730 --> 00:05:39.170 a kingdom that is also defined by selflessness. 00:05:40.110 --> 00:05:43.490 Sacrificial living is what defines the culture 00:05:43.490 --> 00:05:48.129 of This kingdom of God we belong to. And we saw 00:05:48.129 --> 00:05:52.829 this exemplified in the early church where they 00:05:52.829 --> 00:05:55.449 lived their life sacrificially. They gave their 00:05:55.449 --> 00:05:59.250 all. They ensured that none among them was in 00:05:59.250 --> 00:06:02.649 lack. They sold their properties. They shared 00:06:02.649 --> 00:06:05.970 among themselves their resources. And none was 00:06:05.970 --> 00:06:10.949 in lack of anything. So selflessness is what 00:06:10.949 --> 00:06:13.360 also... describe the kind of kingdom that we 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:16.540 belong to. So if we belong to the kingdom of 00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:19.360 God, then we must live worthy of our kingdom. 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:22.560 We must be able to express this culture of our 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:25.259 kingdom, which is sacrificial living. Hallelujah. 00:06:26.220 --> 00:06:30.100 So we also emphasize a point here last time about 00:06:30.100 --> 00:06:33.620 humility. And of course, we saw Paul use Jesus 00:06:33.620 --> 00:06:38.839 Christ as an example for us to learn from, to 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:42.670 emulate always. Hallelujah. So from verse 12, 00:06:42.689 --> 00:06:45.610 he says, therefore, verse 12 to 18, he says, 00:06:45.670 --> 00:06:49.129 therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, 00:06:49.129 --> 00:06:55.149 not as in my presence only, but how much more 00:06:55.149 --> 00:07:00.490 in my absence, work out your own salvation with 00:07:00.490 --> 00:07:05.810 fear and what? And trembling. For it is God who 00:07:05.810 --> 00:07:09.790 works in you both to will and to do for his good 00:07:09.790 --> 00:07:14.290 pleasure. Do all things without complaining and 00:07:14.290 --> 00:07:19.629 disputing, that you may become blameless and 00:07:19.629 --> 00:07:23.610 harmless children of God without fault in the 00:07:23.610 --> 00:07:28.209 midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among 00:07:28.209 --> 00:07:32.110 whom you shine as light in the world, following 00:07:32.110 --> 00:07:35.509 fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice 00:07:35.509 --> 00:07:39.550 in the day of Christ, that I have not run in 00:07:39.550 --> 00:07:45.899 vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a 00:07:45.899 --> 00:07:50.399 drink offering on the sacrifice and service of 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:54.339 your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:58.600 Verse 18. For the same reason, you also be glad 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:02.680 and rejoice with me. Hallelujah. So from this 00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:06.160 part of the epistles, we see Paul here is writing 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:09.600 to the church and is calling them. to shine as 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:14.560 light in what? In a crooked generation. You know, 00:08:14.579 --> 00:08:19.759 the word crooked here is a metaphor. Amen? It's 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:23.000 a metaphor for a generation that is perverse, 00:08:23.060 --> 00:08:26.600 a generation that is not acknowledging God, a 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:30.579 generation that does not live to honor God. And 00:08:30.579 --> 00:08:32.519 if Paul can call his own generation crooked, 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:34.639 then I don't know what Paul will say to our generation 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:38.899 today. Twisted would be an understatement because 00:08:38.899 --> 00:08:40.980 I don't know how corrupt his generation was compared 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:44.399 to our generation today. But despite the nature 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:47.100 of the society as of then, Paul is calling them 00:08:47.100 --> 00:08:51.200 to what? To live as light, to be the light in 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:54.399 their generation. So we must also go back, you 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:57.559 know, and put ourselves in the position of the 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:00.580 Philippian church and contextualize this text 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:04.259 to our own generation. It's a calling upon the 00:09:04.259 --> 00:09:08.659 believer. To do what? To live as what? To shine 00:09:08.659 --> 00:09:11.840 as light in the world, in this world, in this 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:14.919 world. Hallelujah. So from the first part of 00:09:14.919 --> 00:09:17.440 verse 12, let's take it a bit slowly. It says, 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:21.000 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:24.639 not as in my presence only, but how much more 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:30.480 in my absence. So here Paul is requiring their 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:35.460 obedience. to God's word in his absence, even 00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:37.980 as they've always obeyed what in his presence. 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:42.500 He says, as you have always obeyed, not as in 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:45.600 my word, in my presence only, which means that 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:48.139 they've always obeyed in his presence. And what 00:09:48.139 --> 00:09:50.960 he's calling them to do here is not only to obey 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:54.360 as he was in their presence with them, but how 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:59.120 much more in his absence he require them to continue. 00:09:59.929 --> 00:10:03.210 to live in the obedience of God's word. Their 00:10:03.210 --> 00:10:07.509 obedience to God's word must not be for eye service. 00:10:07.789 --> 00:10:13.090 Amen? For them to be able to shine as light in 00:10:13.090 --> 00:10:15.590 a crooked generation, for them to be able to 00:10:15.590 --> 00:10:21.009 live a life worthy of their calling as children 00:10:21.009 --> 00:10:24.269 of God, as members of God's family, they must 00:10:24.269 --> 00:10:27.950 be able to live in obedience even in this absence. 00:10:29.029 --> 00:10:31.450 while he is there with them and even in his absence. 00:10:31.929 --> 00:10:35.570 So also our obedience to God's word must be on 00:10:35.570 --> 00:10:38.970 sight and off sight. If I'm using the right word. 00:10:39.210 --> 00:10:41.990 We must be very intentional about our word, our 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:45.769 living, to honor God with our lives. Their obedience 00:10:45.769 --> 00:10:48.269 must not be when Paul is with them because some 00:10:48.269 --> 00:10:51.110 people can want to be obedient, especially because 00:10:51.110 --> 00:10:55.129 the Apostle Paul is around. So they want to demonstrate, 00:10:55.470 --> 00:10:59.029 they want to live. In light of the word, when 00:10:59.029 --> 00:11:01.169 they come to church, everybody looks holy and 00:11:01.169 --> 00:11:03.429 spiritual. But when they travel to a new location, 00:11:03.730 --> 00:11:05.970 the dynamics of their life changes because they 00:11:05.970 --> 00:11:11.110 are out of sight. We see Jesus speaking similarly 00:11:11.110 --> 00:11:15.789 in his teaching. Matthew 6, verse 1 to 4. Matthew 00:11:15.789 --> 00:11:18.129 6, verse 1 to 4. Jesus speaking in a similar 00:11:18.129 --> 00:11:21.950 tone. He says, take heed that you do not do your 00:11:21.950 --> 00:11:26.580 charitable deeds before men. to be seen by men, 00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:30.659 otherwise you have no reward from your Father 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:35.379 in heaven. Now, our Father is in heaven. Therefore, 00:11:36.100 --> 00:11:40.620 when you do charitable deeds, do not sound a 00:11:40.620 --> 00:11:44.440 trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:47.399 synagogues and the streets that they may have 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:50.639 glory from men. So the focus of what they do 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:54.419 here is for men to see. The goal of their... 00:11:54.779 --> 00:11:57.159 Good works of their righteousness. Some translations 00:11:57.159 --> 00:12:00.139 would translate the charity work as righteousness. 00:12:00.500 --> 00:12:03.159 Their righteousness, the things they do which 00:12:03.159 --> 00:12:07.379 are right before men, is for men to see. Their 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:10.120 goodness is for men to see. Do not sound a trumpet 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:13.600 before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:17.480 and in the streets, that they may have glory 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:21.679 from who? From men. So their focus is to please 00:12:21.679 --> 00:12:39.090 men. Their glory is from men. Of course, this 00:12:39.090 --> 00:12:53.200 language here, right? Verse 4. Hallelujah. So 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:56.259 the focus of the righteous act here is what? 00:12:56.379 --> 00:13:00.419 It's for men to see their goodness. It's for 00:13:00.419 --> 00:13:03.419 men to see their goodness. I want us to read 00:13:03.419 --> 00:13:05.899 this in the NLT. Give me this text. It's in Matthew 00:13:05.899 --> 00:13:22.559 6 in the NLT. It says, Don't do as hypocrites 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:25.279 do, blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:29.279 to call attention to their acts of charity. So 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:32.159 what they do is for sure, is for men, for men 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.600 to see that, oh, this person is charitable, this 00:13:34.600 --> 00:13:37.179 person is good, this person is righteous, this 00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:41.379 person is living right. I tell you the truth, 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:45.580 they have received all their rewards, all the 00:13:45.580 --> 00:13:48.830 rewards they will ever get. But when you give 00:13:48.830 --> 00:13:50.970 to someone in need, which is the charitable, 00:13:51.049 --> 00:13:53.250 which is the goodness, the work of righteousness, 00:13:53.629 --> 00:13:56.110 don't let your left hand know what your right 00:13:56.110 --> 00:13:59.070 hand is doing. Verse 4. Give your gift in private, 00:13:59.230 --> 00:14:02.429 and your Father who sees everything will reward 00:14:02.429 --> 00:14:07.169 you. And also Matthew 23. Matthew 23 in the NLT, 00:14:07.250 --> 00:14:09.549 still in the NLT. Matthew 23, verse 1. Then Jesus 00:14:09.549 --> 00:14:13.090 said to the crowds and to his disciples, the 00:14:13.090 --> 00:14:15.690 teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees, 00:14:16.269 --> 00:14:19.250 are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. 00:14:19.490 --> 00:14:23.889 So, practice and obey whatever they tell you. 00:14:23.950 --> 00:14:27.309 Don't follow their example. Now, it's an example 00:14:27.309 --> 00:14:29.830 that is a focus here. For they don't practice 00:14:29.830 --> 00:14:33.149 what they teach. They crush people with impossible 00:14:33.149 --> 00:14:36.690 religious demands and never lift a finger to 00:14:36.690 --> 00:14:39.009 ease the burden. Look at verse 5. It says, everything 00:14:39.009 --> 00:14:42.970 they do is what? It's for show. On their arms, 00:14:43.250 --> 00:14:47.919 they wear... Extra white prayer boxes, you know, 00:14:47.940 --> 00:14:51.559 in the Jewish tradition. They write, you know, 00:14:51.580 --> 00:14:54.620 today we have armbands, right? They write prayers. 00:14:55.039 --> 00:15:01.220 They have, yes, prayer shows. In our generation 00:15:01.220 --> 00:15:03.600 today, we say you have t -shirts that have design 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:05.740 of Jesus over it. You know, you have walking 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:08.080 the light behind you. And I'm a child of God 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:10.700 in the front of your shirt. And look at the way 00:15:10.700 --> 00:15:13.419 they dress. And they wear robes with extra long 00:15:13.419 --> 00:15:16.820 tassels. They look holy from their appearance. 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:21.120 They look godly from their appearance. Full of 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:23.360 sure. Just stop at verse 5. And everything they 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:25.940 do, the Bible says is what? It's for sure. It's 00:15:25.940 --> 00:15:28.559 for sure. It's for sure. So that men will see 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:30.860 and reckon them as what? As righteous people. 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:35.039 As people that are holy and righteous. But that 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:37.039 is not the intent for God. That's not the intent 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:40.679 of God for us rather. The motive for doing good 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:45.100 must be to honor God and not men. Hallelujah. 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:50.080 The intent of living a righteous life is not 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:53.419 for men to see. It's for God to be honored. So 00:15:53.419 --> 00:15:56.419 Paul would tell the church, even in my absence, 00:15:56.779 --> 00:15:59.580 which means that my absence doesn't matter. Whether 00:15:59.580 --> 00:16:01.899 I am present or I am absent, there's no difference. 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:05.779 You have a responsibility in my absence and in 00:16:05.779 --> 00:16:09.279 my presence. Only one thing, that God must be 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:12.059 glorified. That you must live worthy, that your 00:16:12.059 --> 00:16:16.429 life... must be in order of your professional 00:16:16.429 --> 00:16:21.210 faith. That your life must be an example of the 00:16:21.210 --> 00:16:24.190 kingdom you belong to. So the motive for living 00:16:24.190 --> 00:16:26.350 right is not for men to see. It's not for the 00:16:26.350 --> 00:16:28.169 leaders in the church to see that you are doing 00:16:28.169 --> 00:16:30.870 well. It's not for you to show to people that 00:16:30.870 --> 00:16:33.830 you are righteous. I said you or we will know 00:16:33.830 --> 00:16:39.690 your motive after you have done good. If no one 00:16:39.690 --> 00:16:42.539 appreciates or recognizes your efforts. We will 00:16:42.539 --> 00:16:45.379 know your motive in church as we relate with 00:16:45.379 --> 00:16:48.539 one another, as we serve each other, as we do 00:16:48.539 --> 00:16:50.259 good to each other. We will know what your motive 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:54.460 is, right? When someone does not even recognize 00:16:54.460 --> 00:16:56.340 the good that you are doing, when you do good 00:16:56.340 --> 00:16:59.120 to somebody and the person, you know, the leaders 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:01.299 don't even see, they don't even see, you know, 00:17:01.299 --> 00:17:04.140 in this church, nobody sees the things I do, 00:17:04.180 --> 00:17:06.680 the effort I'm putting, right? Nobody sees the 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:08.539 good that you are doing. Nobody appreciates you. 00:17:09.369 --> 00:17:12.190 Nobody even recognizes, just recognize, you know, 00:17:12.210 --> 00:17:13.910 the help that you render to this person. Nobody 00:17:13.910 --> 00:17:17.289 even chooses to recognize and it becomes a big 00:17:17.289 --> 00:17:19.190 problem for you. It's a symptom that you need 00:17:19.190 --> 00:17:20.890 to check the motive to why you are doing that 00:17:20.890 --> 00:17:25.849 thing. It's a litmus test, right? To the motive 00:17:25.849 --> 00:17:28.109 behind what you do. Are you doing it so that 00:17:28.109 --> 00:17:31.589 men will applaud you? So that men will say, ah, 00:17:31.609 --> 00:17:33.769 well done, you've done it well. So that men will 00:17:33.769 --> 00:17:35.509 see and say, ah, this brother is a righteous 00:17:35.509 --> 00:17:38.630 man. This sister is a righteous person. Oh, you're 00:17:38.630 --> 00:17:42.490 doing it so that God, who sees in secret, will 00:17:42.490 --> 00:17:44.930 be honored by the life that you've lived, by 00:17:44.930 --> 00:17:47.809 the good conduct you've kept, by the things you 00:17:47.809 --> 00:17:51.849 do. Our motives must be right. So your good conduct 00:17:51.849 --> 00:17:56.470 must not be because leaders are seeing you, but 00:17:56.470 --> 00:17:59.990 you must be consistent inside and even when you're 00:17:59.990 --> 00:18:03.809 not on site. You must be consistent online and 00:18:03.809 --> 00:18:06.089 even when you're offline. You must be consistent 00:18:06.089 --> 00:18:08.480 regardless of... The location you find yourself, 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:11.000 you know, thank God for Cyprus. Cyprus is a transitional 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:13.980 place for all of us. People come and go. We've 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:15.559 seen people transform. Immediately, they leave 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:18.519 this environment. All of a sudden, we see their 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:20.839 posts even on social media changes. All of a 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:22.660 sudden, we see even their addresses begin to 00:18:22.660 --> 00:18:25.599 change. We begin to wonder. So this sister, no, 00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:28.799 not any CF sisters, in Jesus' name, but this 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:31.559 sister, the way she was looking, the way she 00:18:31.559 --> 00:18:34.700 used to dress this way in Cyprus, the moment 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:37.069 she leaves this environment, Is it that there's 00:18:37.069 --> 00:18:38.730 a transformation that happens immediately you 00:18:38.730 --> 00:18:41.230 leave this place? Or when you were in your country, 00:18:41.289 --> 00:18:44.109 in Nigeria, wherever country, you were looking 00:18:44.109 --> 00:18:46.170 so holy and righteous. And the moment you leave 00:18:46.170 --> 00:18:48.430 the comfort of your parents' house, or where 00:18:48.430 --> 00:18:50.509 you are known, and you land in a place where 00:18:50.509 --> 00:18:52.230 you are not known, then we see a manifestation 00:18:52.230 --> 00:18:55.029 of a new person. The rebirth of a new person. 00:18:55.490 --> 00:18:57.210 Actually, that is who you used to be. There's 00:18:57.210 --> 00:18:59.930 nothing that changes. So, if you are a believer, 00:19:00.029 --> 00:19:03.549 you must ensure, we must trust God, that our 00:19:03.549 --> 00:19:08.779 life is consistent. We call this integrity. Hallelujah. 00:19:09.299 --> 00:19:13.680 That we are consistent in our identity regardless 00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:17.859 of where and when. Hallelujah. That we are known 00:19:17.859 --> 00:19:21.619 same wherever we find ourselves. It's a responsibility 00:19:21.619 --> 00:19:25.339 upon us as believers. This is how we will truly, 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:28.480 truly shine the light in this dark and crooked 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:31.480 generation. This is how you and I will be able 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:34.400 to reflect the nature of God in this generation. 00:19:34.940 --> 00:19:37.380 We must be consistent. Of course, there's room 00:19:37.380 --> 00:19:40.980 for us to grow. Hallelujah. There's room for 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:43.900 us to keep growing. We keep getting better. But 00:19:43.900 --> 00:19:46.519 let it not be that you are known as A here. And 00:19:46.519 --> 00:19:48.640 on the other end, you are C or you are B. We 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:52.480 must have a consistent identity. And our identity 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:54.740 must be that we are God's children. And in our 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:58.359 lifestyle, it's consistently growing from good 00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:01.759 to the best. Hallelujah. So Paul here is telling 00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:07.420 them to do what? to obey in His absence as they've 00:20:07.420 --> 00:20:10.059 always obeyed, even in His presence. In the second 00:20:10.059 --> 00:20:16.539 part of the verse, verse 12, it says, You know, 00:20:16.579 --> 00:20:20.240 this has usually been misinterpreted to mean 00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:22.819 that the Christian must work out their salvation 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:29.059 with fear and trembling so as not to lose it. 00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:32.029 First and foremost, The context of the conversation 00:20:32.029 --> 00:20:35.509 here, as we have seen, right from chapter 1, 00:20:35.630 --> 00:20:39.549 right, into chapter 2, even from the first verses 00:20:39.549 --> 00:20:42.470 in chapter 2, is not about salvation per se, 00:20:42.549 --> 00:20:45.609 how to be saved or how to keep your salvation. 00:20:46.009 --> 00:20:48.690 The context is that believers who are already 00:20:48.690 --> 00:20:54.430 saved are asked to do what? To live a life worthy 00:20:54.430 --> 00:20:57.609 of their identity. to live an exemplary life 00:20:57.609 --> 00:21:01.470 of Christ as they already have in them. So in 00:21:01.470 --> 00:21:04.150 chapter 1, verse 6, we see categorically, in 00:21:04.150 --> 00:21:08.589 chapter 1, verse 6 of Philippians, we see Paul 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:10.690 would say, being confident of this very thing, 00:21:11.170 --> 00:21:14.430 that he who has begun a good work in you, which 00:21:14.430 --> 00:21:16.910 means that these people, God has already did 00:21:16.910 --> 00:21:19.529 a work in them. He has already done a work in 00:21:19.529 --> 00:21:23.009 them. That he who has begun a good work in you, 00:21:23.109 --> 00:21:25.650 and this good work... is the salvation of their 00:21:25.650 --> 00:21:29.589 lives. So this God has begun a good work in them 00:21:29.589 --> 00:21:32.789 who completed until the day of Jesus Christ. 00:21:33.109 --> 00:21:35.470 So Paul has already articulated from this verse, 00:21:35.549 --> 00:21:38.990 from the beginning, clearly that God is faithful 00:21:38.990 --> 00:21:42.430 to keep the believers. So we cannot assert that 00:21:42.430 --> 00:21:45.329 the believer in this verse is walking out of 00:21:45.329 --> 00:21:47.269 salvation, is keeping himself, is keeping his 00:21:47.269 --> 00:21:50.730 salvation. God is the one that is faithful. To 00:21:50.730 --> 00:21:52.930 keep the believer. So Paul cannot come in chapter 00:21:52.930 --> 00:21:57.069 2, verse 12, and ask them to work to secure or 00:21:57.069 --> 00:21:59.970 to preserve their salvation. And that would be 00:21:59.970 --> 00:22:03.490 a contradiction. In verse 13, we see clearly, 00:22:03.690 --> 00:22:05.769 because, of course, it's the same conversation. 00:22:06.170 --> 00:22:10.230 It says, for it is God, because he didn't stop 00:22:10.230 --> 00:22:12.410 in verse 2. He says, for it is God who works 00:22:12.410 --> 00:22:17.369 in you, but to do what? But to will and to do 00:22:17.369 --> 00:22:20.420 for his good pleasure. So God is the one that 00:22:20.420 --> 00:22:23.000 is working in the believer. We must read the 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:25.819 scripture not in phrases if we must understand 00:22:25.819 --> 00:22:29.220 the scriptures. To make meaning in order to interpret, 00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:31.880 we mustn't just read in phrases because reading 00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:33.779 in phrases will lead us to misinterpretation 00:22:33.779 --> 00:22:37.640 of a text. So I want us to read verse 6 concurrently 00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:39.960 together with verse 13 and we'll make sense of 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:42.480 God's faithfulness in this conversation. Verse 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:44.720 6, chapter 1, verse 6. It says, being confident 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:48.589 of this very thing, maybe media can keep... Give 00:22:48.589 --> 00:22:52.150 us chapter 1, verse 6, and also chapter 2, verse 00:22:52.150 --> 00:22:54.329 13 together. I want to see the consistency of 00:22:54.329 --> 00:23:05.450 Paul's communication here. He says, And then 00:23:05.450 --> 00:23:11.049 he made a statement again in verse 13 of chapter 00:23:11.049 --> 00:23:20.940 2. He says, but to will and to do of his good 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:23.759 pleasure. This in no way relinquish the responsibility 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:27.240 of giving the believer to himself. Hallelujah. 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:31.660 God himself is responsible for what? For giving 00:23:31.660 --> 00:23:37.200 the believer. So salvation is completely the 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:40.420 work of God in the life of the believer and not 00:23:40.420 --> 00:23:43.779 the believer's effort. Ephesians 2, verse 8 to 00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:46.240 9, you can see that there. Ephesians 2, verse 00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:48.460 8 to 9 talks about, you know, by grace we've 00:23:48.460 --> 00:23:51.059 been saved and it's none of our works, but it 00:23:51.059 --> 00:23:53.299 is God's work in us for grace. By grace you've 00:23:53.299 --> 00:23:55.480 been saved through faith and that not of yourself, 00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:59.619 it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest anyone 00:23:59.619 --> 00:24:04.480 should boast. And God will finish what he has 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:07.359 established in the believer. Hebrews 7, verse 00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:12.650 25. Hebrews 7, 25. He says, therefore, he is 00:24:12.650 --> 00:24:16.190 also able. Who is able? The Christian? Who is 00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:22.589 able? God is able to the autumns, to save to 00:24:22.589 --> 00:24:26.009 the autumns those who come to God through him 00:24:26.009 --> 00:24:28.990 since he always lives to make intercession for 00:24:28.990 --> 00:24:31.789 them. So God has the ability to keep the believer, 00:24:31.950 --> 00:24:35.109 to uphold the believer. Then what will Paul be 00:24:35.109 --> 00:24:37.690 referring to? Walk out your salvation with fear 00:24:37.690 --> 00:24:39.859 and trembling. It is the same conversation we've 00:24:39.859 --> 00:24:42.400 been making. It means to show forth the life, 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:46.039 right, that the believer already has. In other 00:24:46.039 --> 00:24:50.480 words, to live worthy of your calling as one 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:53.619 who has been saved, as members of God's kingdom. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:57.440 I want us to read Philippians 2, verse 12 and 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:01.400 13 together in the NLT. It has a better rendition 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:06.519 of this text. It says, Dear friends, You always 00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:11.019 follow my instructions when I was with you. And 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:14.579 now that I am away, it is even more important. 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:16.700 Now look at the way they walk out your salvation. 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:21.200 It says, walk hard to do what? To show the result 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:23.279 of your salvation, which means that you are saved 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:27.200 and you have salvation. So what are you to do? 00:25:27.599 --> 00:25:30.599 You are to walk. What is the walk in there? To 00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:33.660 show the result. To show that you are saved. 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:36.299 To show that you are a Christian. To show that 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:39.859 you've been saved from sin. Obeying God with 00:25:39.859 --> 00:25:44.559 deep reverence and fear. Verse 13. For God is 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:48.200 working in you. Who is doing the working? God 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:52.319 is enabling the believer. Giving you what? The 00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:56.700 desire and the power to do what pleases him. 00:25:56.799 --> 00:26:00.700 Hallelujah. So God here has the ability, has 00:26:00.700 --> 00:26:03.599 given us the ability rather, He has implanted 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:06.380 in the believer the ability to do what? To show 00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:09.859 forth the life that has been put in him. To express 00:26:09.859 --> 00:26:12.140 the God kind of life that is in the believer. 00:26:12.220 --> 00:26:15.160 To live worthy of his identity. To be able to 00:26:15.160 --> 00:26:18.279 live as a child of God. To be able to live as 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:20.579 a Christian. In verse 14 to 18, we see that Paul 00:26:20.579 --> 00:26:22.859 further expresses how the believer will live 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:25.759 worthy of the gospel they have received. Especially 00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:30.880 in verse 14, he says, What does verse 14? Yeah, 00:26:30.940 --> 00:26:33.380 give me verse 14. It says, do everything without 00:26:33.380 --> 00:26:37.099 what? Without complaining and arguing. So that 00:26:37.099 --> 00:26:40.960 no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent 00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:43.799 lives as children of God. Not that you are living 00:26:43.799 --> 00:26:45.680 this life so that you will be a child of God. 00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:50.160 Right? But because you are a child of God, you 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:55.690 must live a clean, innocent life. shining like 00:26:55.690 --> 00:26:59.069 bright lights in the world full of crooked and 00:26:59.069 --> 00:27:01.950 perverse people. So there must be a difference 00:27:01.950 --> 00:27:05.809 between one that is born again and one that is 00:27:05.809 --> 00:27:08.009 not born again. There must be a distinction between 00:27:08.009 --> 00:27:10.609 a believer and a non -believer. There must be 00:27:10.609 --> 00:27:13.150 a distinction between those who are of the kingdom 00:27:13.150 --> 00:27:15.529 of light and those who are of the kingdom of 00:27:15.529 --> 00:27:18.170 darkness. It is not complaining and disputing. 00:27:19.009 --> 00:27:21.069 Complaining and disputing are manifestations 00:27:21.069 --> 00:27:24.109 of another identity. which must not be seen in 00:27:24.109 --> 00:27:26.869 the believer. Some translation translated this 00:27:26.869 --> 00:27:30.309 complaint as grumbling, murmuring, which refers 00:27:30.309 --> 00:27:33.950 to a secret debate in a man's heart. See, this 00:27:33.950 --> 00:27:37.289 happens in the heart. And then we see your actions 00:27:37.289 --> 00:27:39.650 representing, you know, what thoughts you have 00:27:39.650 --> 00:27:42.190 in your heart. Not disputing, questioning about 00:27:42.190 --> 00:27:46.109 what is true about God. Give me verse 15 in the 00:27:46.109 --> 00:27:49.529 Amplified. So that you may prove yourselves. 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:58.079 to be blameless and guiltless, innocent and uncontaminated 00:27:58.079 --> 00:28:00.559 children of God without blemish in the midst 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:04.019 of a morally what? Crooked and spiritually perverted 00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:08.160 generation among whom you have seen as bright 00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:12.359 lights, beacons shining out clearly in the world 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:16.759 of darkness. So we live in a generation where... 00:28:17.130 --> 00:28:19.450 There must be a distinction between those who 00:28:19.450 --> 00:28:21.930 belong to the kingdom of God and those who belong 00:28:21.930 --> 00:28:26.230 to the kingdom of darkness. So now, in the King 00:28:26.230 --> 00:28:29.130 James, this verse 15, which seems as though it's 00:28:29.130 --> 00:28:34.390 in living right, then we what? That ye may be 00:28:34.390 --> 00:28:37.130 blameless. No, we are blameless. If we read it 00:28:37.130 --> 00:28:40.750 clearly, it's that we are blameless. We are righteous 00:28:40.750 --> 00:28:44.839 as we saw in the NLT. It is our identity. We 00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:46.440 are showing proof that we are the children of 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:49.660 God. We are showing forward to people to see. 00:28:49.859 --> 00:28:52.000 And our intent is not people actually. It's to 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:55.859 honor and glorify God. Hallelujah. It's to honor 00:28:55.859 --> 00:28:59.880 and glorify God. That our lifestyle must be that 00:28:59.880 --> 00:29:02.460 which brings glory and honor to God. So what 00:29:02.460 --> 00:29:06.380 characterizes our Christian service? What influences 00:29:06.380 --> 00:29:09.740 our service in the Christendom? Why do you do 00:29:09.740 --> 00:29:13.279 the things you do in the church? Why do you live 00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:16.000 the life you live? What influences your behavior 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:20.480 as a believer? Do you serve God joyfully? Or 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:23.839 you have, you know, the circumstance around you 00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:26.339 influences your service? To please people or 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:29.500 to please God? It is important that God is the 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:32.039 focus of our service. It's important that God 00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:36.660 is the focus. It's to honor God. It should be 00:29:36.660 --> 00:29:39.279 an expression of our love towards God because 00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:42.359 He has loved us. And he has given us a gift. 00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:45.799 And the gift is his life that lives in us. And 00:29:45.799 --> 00:29:48.740 we give expression to the life. So when we talk 00:29:48.740 --> 00:29:51.059 about loving people, when we talk about living 00:29:51.059 --> 00:29:53.480 sacrificially, when we talk about expressing 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:55.720 the love of God one to another, it's because 00:29:55.720 --> 00:29:58.940 we have the life in us. And we are meant to give 00:29:58.940 --> 00:30:01.460 expression to this life that is in us. So I want 00:30:01.460 --> 00:30:04.480 us to read from verse 12 to verse 18 contextually 00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:07.599 from the NLT translation. It says, Dear friends, 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:12.200 You always followed my instructions when I was 00:30:12.200 --> 00:30:16.140 with you. And now that I am away, it is even 00:30:16.140 --> 00:30:20.119 more important, work hard to show the result 00:30:20.119 --> 00:30:23.400 of your salvation. And how do we do it? Obeying 00:30:23.400 --> 00:30:26.799 God with what? With deep reverence and fear. 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:30.640 For God is working in you. God is working in 00:30:30.640 --> 00:30:32.920 us. He's working in you. He's transforming us 00:30:32.920 --> 00:30:36.049 daily. Giving you the desire. We don't quench 00:30:36.049 --> 00:30:37.809 the desire of God in our hearts. Hallelujah. 00:30:38.190 --> 00:30:40.150 The fact that God puts a desire in your heart 00:30:40.150 --> 00:30:41.730 does not mean that the desire will manifest itself. 00:30:42.170 --> 00:30:44.829 You must give expression to the desire of God 00:30:44.829 --> 00:30:47.349 within you. There is a prompting of the Spirit 00:30:47.349 --> 00:30:49.910 of God in every believer that has the Spirit 00:30:49.910 --> 00:30:54.009 of God. To do good is your natural behavior because 00:30:54.009 --> 00:30:56.569 you are a man and a woman that has the Spirit 00:30:56.569 --> 00:30:59.710 of God in you. So do not silence the prompting 00:30:59.710 --> 00:31:02.109 of the Spirit of God to live righteously, to 00:31:02.109 --> 00:31:05.220 do good. For God is working in you. And what 00:31:05.220 --> 00:31:08.099 does he do? He put the desire in you. And he 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:10.039 gives you the power. And what is the power that 00:31:10.039 --> 00:31:12.440 he has put in you? He lives in you, the believer, 00:31:12.519 --> 00:31:15.039 as a spirit. So that you do what pleases him. 00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:16.880 It should be a relief for you that you don't 00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:19.460 have to do it by your strength. The moment you 00:31:19.460 --> 00:31:21.839 allow the spirit and you try to please God by 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:24.960 your methods, outside the prescribed word of 00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:27.960 God, which is by faith, then you go into activities. 00:31:28.380 --> 00:31:30.880 Then you go into law. You go into doing things 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:33.519 just as a Pharisee. When you begin to describe 00:31:33.519 --> 00:31:35.720 your own methods of pleasing God, apart from 00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:37.740 what God has said, that you've pleased God by 00:31:37.740 --> 00:31:41.079 faith. In fact, you're already, God is pleased 00:31:41.079 --> 00:31:42.960 with you because you believe in Jesus Christ. 00:31:43.380 --> 00:31:47.640 Hallelujah. That should be a relief for us. So 00:31:47.640 --> 00:31:52.200 our lifestyle should not be, you know, an effort 00:31:52.200 --> 00:31:55.339 to make God happy. Every day we want to see, 00:31:55.359 --> 00:31:59.319 no, we are already perfected in Christ Jesus. 00:32:00.180 --> 00:32:04.890 God has accepted us. He's happy with us. Let 00:32:04.890 --> 00:32:07.210 me use that word, happy. He's pleased with us. 00:32:07.869 --> 00:32:11.089 He has accepted us in Christ Jesus. So we have 00:32:11.089 --> 00:32:15.390 to live as those who have been accepted, as those 00:32:15.390 --> 00:32:17.930 who have been forgiven, as those who have been 00:32:17.930 --> 00:32:20.710 cleansed, as those who have been made righteous. 00:32:20.769 --> 00:32:23.869 We have right standing with God. So we are not 00:32:23.869 --> 00:32:27.549 in a performance to make God happy with us. There's 00:32:27.549 --> 00:32:29.789 nothing you can do on your own to please God. 00:32:29.930 --> 00:32:33.039 But He... has created a way for us to please 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:35.660 him, and it's through Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. 00:32:35.740 --> 00:32:38.079 So, let's continue with the reading. It says, 00:32:38.160 --> 00:32:40.299 do everything without complaining and arguing, 00:32:40.500 --> 00:32:44.940 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, 00:32:45.079 --> 00:32:48.680 innocent lives as children of God, shining like 00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:53.599 bright lights in a world full of crook and perverse 00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:56.440 people, meaning that our lives must be distinct, 00:32:56.720 --> 00:32:58.880 there must be a distinction in our lifestyle. 00:33:00.009 --> 00:33:05.369 Verse 16. All family to the word of life. And 00:33:05.369 --> 00:33:08.829 on the day of Christ. Christ's return. I will 00:33:08.829 --> 00:33:11.710 be proud that I did not ruin the race in vain. 00:33:12.029 --> 00:33:15.369 That my work was not useless. But I will rejoice 00:33:15.369 --> 00:33:18.869 even if I lose my life. Pouring it out like a 00:33:18.869 --> 00:33:21.609 liquid offering to God. Just like your faithful 00:33:21.609 --> 00:33:25.529 service is an offering to God. And I will all 00:33:25.529 --> 00:33:29.400 of you. To share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice 00:33:29.400 --> 00:33:33.640 and I will share your joy. Hallelujah. So that 00:33:33.640 --> 00:33:36.319 is the conversation of Paul all through. That 00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:39.819 a believer must live worthy. Continue in obedience. 00:33:40.660 --> 00:33:42.819 In obedience to what? To all the things that 00:33:42.819 --> 00:33:46.240 he has been saying from chapter 1 to chapter 00:33:46.240 --> 00:33:50.420 2. To continuously live distinctively. Showing 00:33:50.420 --> 00:33:51.839 that we are different, that we are men, that 00:33:51.839 --> 00:33:54.980 God has changed. We are men and women that God 00:33:54.980 --> 00:33:57.000 has transformed. And the Spirit of God lives 00:33:57.000 --> 00:33:59.859 in us to help us to live a life that will bring 00:33:59.859 --> 00:34:03.559 honor and glory to Him. Hallelujah. So when we 00:34:03.559 --> 00:34:06.559 begin to say that we are to manifest the kingdom, 00:34:07.240 --> 00:34:10.420 all we are saying is show your identity. Amen? 00:34:11.260 --> 00:34:14.519 Show who you are. Reveal to the world who truly 00:34:14.519 --> 00:34:19.219 you are. It's not a time to be showing a different 00:34:19.219 --> 00:34:21.519 identity of who we are. Our generation needs 00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:25.079 men and women. I will stand for God. That our 00:34:25.079 --> 00:34:29.139 lifestyle will show a different life apart from 00:34:29.139 --> 00:34:31.980 what is obtainable in the world. God is counting 00:34:31.980 --> 00:34:35.980 on you. Not that you only go out to preach. You 00:34:35.980 --> 00:34:38.480 know, we preach. We extend the kingdom of God 00:34:38.480 --> 00:34:41.880 in the hearts of men, right? We expand the kingdom 00:34:41.880 --> 00:34:44.380 of God by willing souls. The kingdom is a spiritual 00:34:44.380 --> 00:34:46.199 kingdom and the expansion of this kingdom is 00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:48.940 in the heart of men. Not only that, we go out 00:34:48.940 --> 00:34:53.039 to preach. But we show the way we manifest this 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:55.659 kingdom by our lifestyle. We allow the lifestyle 00:34:55.659 --> 00:34:59.800 to be seen. We are lights. And this light must 00:34:59.800 --> 00:35:02.280 be seen. People should not mistake your identity. 00:35:02.860 --> 00:35:05.360 People should not mistake our identity. People 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:07.119 should not begin to question whether this person, 00:35:07.179 --> 00:35:09.320 are you a Christian? Do you go to church? But 00:35:09.320 --> 00:35:12.360 people should even see clearly who you are. They 00:35:12.360 --> 00:35:15.300 saw the Christians. They saw the disciples. The 00:35:15.300 --> 00:35:17.000 way they live their lives and they call them 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:18.940 Christians because they saw something exceptional 00:35:18.940 --> 00:35:21.619 about them. They say something distinctive about 00:35:21.619 --> 00:35:24.679 them. That they live like Christ. But rather, 00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:27.679 Christ lives in them. And he lives his life through 00:35:27.679 --> 00:35:30.960 them. And they are not different from us. Hallelujah. 00:35:31.739 --> 00:35:34.679 So the challenge for us this week, as we continue, 00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:37.019 is that I will ensure that I give expression 00:35:37.019 --> 00:35:40.800 to my identity. Hallelujah. That my lifestyle 00:35:40.800 --> 00:35:44.159 must match my profession of faith. That I will 00:35:44.159 --> 00:35:48.400 continue to live in obedience. Not influenced 00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:52.489 by people. but by my conviction or my profession 00:35:52.489 --> 00:35:55.929 of faith in who I believe in, in Jesus Christ. 00:35:56.190 --> 00:35:58.530 Just begin to pray for yourself and ask God to 00:35:58.530 --> 00:36:01.550 help you. And the prayer is this, that in all 00:36:01.550 --> 00:36:06.070 circumstances, in all situations, in all locations, 00:36:06.429 --> 00:36:11.969 in the open and in the secret, that my life will 00:36:11.969 --> 00:36:14.590 bring glory to God. That my life will bring glory 00:36:14.590 --> 00:36:17.920 to God. Perhaps you are here and then... There 00:36:17.920 --> 00:36:19.739 is nothing of the Spirit of God in your heart 00:36:19.739 --> 00:36:22.579 that, oh, I've not been living worthy of my identity. 00:36:23.679 --> 00:36:26.500 I've not been living as who men should see me 00:36:26.500 --> 00:36:30.000 as. That my profession of faith is only something 00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:33.699 that is a show. I'm putting in a show. I'm acting. 00:36:34.019 --> 00:36:36.000 I want you to pray at this moment that God should 00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:40.239 help you. That God should help us. That the world 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:44.559 would not mistake our identity. That we will 00:36:44.559 --> 00:36:46.500 not be reflecting a different identity apart 00:36:46.500 --> 00:36:49.980 from who God has made us to be. It doesn't matter 00:36:49.980 --> 00:36:52.280 whether you're a leader, whether you're a preacher, 00:36:52.420 --> 00:36:54.059 whether you're a teacher. There's a tendency 00:36:54.059 --> 00:36:58.199 for us to deny our identity. Circumstances will 00:36:58.199 --> 00:37:03.940 provide themselves. Opportunities will come to 00:37:03.940 --> 00:37:07.139 test the genuineness of our profession of faith. 00:37:07.400 --> 00:37:10.119 As we go through this day, even today, as you're 00:37:10.119 --> 00:37:11.579 living in this place, for the account of the 00:37:11.579 --> 00:37:13.980 word you've received, you'll be tested. On the 00:37:13.980 --> 00:37:16.239 account of saying you are a believer, you will 00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:18.500 be tested. And the good news is that if you've 00:37:18.500 --> 00:37:21.480 fallen several times, of which we all have fallen, 00:37:21.639 --> 00:37:24.579 the good news is that in Christ, we have restoration. 00:37:25.239 --> 00:37:28.300 So today is a fresh opportunity. Tomorrow is 00:37:28.300 --> 00:37:31.360 a fresh opportunity. Going forward is a fresh 00:37:31.360 --> 00:37:34.800 opportunity for us to stand in our identity, 00:37:34.940 --> 00:37:38.480 depending on the ability of the Spirit of God. 00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:41.960 Not on our own making, not on our own power. 00:37:42.909 --> 00:37:46.829 Not in our own strength, but in the strength 00:37:46.829 --> 00:37:49.789 of the Lord. I can sense that somebody here is 00:37:49.789 --> 00:37:53.250 having regrets and remorse. It doesn't just end 00:37:53.250 --> 00:37:54.989 in regretting. It doesn't just end in having 00:37:54.989 --> 00:37:57.469 remorse. But are you willing to allow God to 00:37:57.469 --> 00:37:59.309 express himself through you? Are you willing 00:37:59.309 --> 00:38:01.750 to allow God to express his life through you? 00:38:03.110 --> 00:38:05.250 Are you willing to allow the Spirit of God to 00:38:05.250 --> 00:38:07.510 transform your character? Perhaps you could have 00:38:07.510 --> 00:38:10.119 been more loving to the brother. Perhaps you 00:38:10.119 --> 00:38:11.659 could have been more sacrificial to the sister. 00:38:12.139 --> 00:38:15.420 Perhaps you could have glorified God in that 00:38:15.420 --> 00:38:19.639 moment, in that hour. But then you did the contrary 00:38:19.639 --> 00:38:22.599 to the word of God. And there's a word of comfort. 00:38:22.780 --> 00:38:25.099 There's a fresh opportunity to represent God. 00:38:25.159 --> 00:38:27.579 There's a fresh opportunity. See, you don't have 00:38:27.579 --> 00:38:31.360 anything to prove to anybody. You're not living 00:38:31.360 --> 00:38:33.400 to please men, but you're living to please God. 00:38:34.539 --> 00:38:37.590 And if God is saying, I'm pleased with you, then 00:38:37.590 --> 00:38:40.650 the testimony of men does not matter. First and 00:38:40.650 --> 00:38:42.969 foremost, the testimony of God matters. And what 00:38:42.969 --> 00:38:45.210 God has said about you in his word is what matters. 00:38:45.429 --> 00:38:46.969 And what he's saying right now is that you are 00:38:46.969 --> 00:38:49.269 perfected. What God is saying right now is that 00:38:49.269 --> 00:38:51.590 you are righteous. What God is saying right now 00:38:51.590 --> 00:38:53.690 is that you are forgiven. That's a word of hope 00:38:53.690 --> 00:38:55.570 for somebody. What God is saying is that you 00:38:55.570 --> 00:38:58.969 are cleansed and you are made righteous. Yes, 00:38:58.969 --> 00:39:03.110 even you can live to represent God in this generation. 00:39:03.769 --> 00:39:07.460 Your conduct will glorify God. Your lifestyle 00:39:07.460 --> 00:39:12.159 will honor God. Your speech will honor God. Your 00:39:12.159 --> 00:39:15.300 conversation with men will honor God. Give God 00:39:15.300 --> 00:39:18.039 a chance to walk through you. He has put the 00:39:18.039 --> 00:39:20.059 desire in you. The reason why you are feeling 00:39:20.059 --> 00:39:23.460 remorseful is because he is walking in you. He 00:39:23.460 --> 00:39:26.480 is prompting you. He is like a light inside you. 00:39:26.780 --> 00:39:29.059 Illuminating and shining and showing any dark 00:39:29.059 --> 00:39:31.500 part in you. Allow the word of God to reflect 00:39:31.500 --> 00:39:34.360 through your life. To illuminate through your 00:39:34.360 --> 00:39:37.809 life. Allow men. To be drawn to the goodness 00:39:37.809 --> 00:39:40.170 of God through your life. Don't hide your light 00:39:40.170 --> 00:39:43.110 under the bushel. Allow the forgiveness of God 00:39:43.110 --> 00:39:46.590 to be oozing out of your life. Somebody here 00:39:46.590 --> 00:39:49.309 is holding on forgiveness. Oh, there's an offense. 00:39:49.550 --> 00:39:53.030 A brother, a sister has offended you. And you 00:39:53.030 --> 00:39:56.329 find it so difficult. It's an instruction for 00:39:56.329 --> 00:39:58.590 you to forgive and let go. Father, help us that 00:39:58.590 --> 00:40:02.829 we will represent you here on earth. The kingdom 00:40:02.829 --> 00:40:07.480 of God. is spiritual, the kingdom of God is heavenly, 00:40:07.619 --> 00:40:10.280 but is seen in the activities of men on the face 00:40:10.280 --> 00:40:12.280 of the earth. Father, that we will demonstrate 00:40:12.280 --> 00:40:14.380 your kingdom on the earth, that we will show 00:40:14.380 --> 00:40:17.679 forth who we are on the earth, that we will show 00:40:17.679 --> 00:40:20.340 the difference on the earth, that there will 00:40:20.340 --> 00:40:22.380 be no complaining and grumbling in our hearts 00:40:22.380 --> 00:40:26.139 concerning your word, concerning what you've 00:40:26.139 --> 00:40:52.460 called us to be and what to do. Share it with 00:40:52.460 --> 00:40:55.480 a friend. Till next time, be blessed.