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Hallelujah. Thank God for the opportunity to
be in church. living worthy of the kingdom, the
kingdom of God. You know, we've been studying
the book of Philippians for, this is the third
time today. And the last time we stopped at,
where did we stop? We stopped at chapter 2, verse
what? All right, verse 2. Chapter 2, verse 11.
Amen. So we, in case you are new here, we've
been considering a topic, living worthy of the
kingdom. And as a background, what we've been...
we've been seeing or we've been studying together,
as believers, we've established that we belong
to the kingdom of God. Now, when you become born
again or when you become a believer, what we
mean by being a believer is someone that believes
in Jesus Christ as his Lord and as Savior. We
call you a believer because you believe in this
truth that Jesus Christ is God who became man
and came down on earth. And then he died for
the forgiveness of the sins of men. This is what
embodies the Christian faith. Without this foundational
truth, then we cannot consider you a Christian.
Because what makes you a Christian is the faith
you have in this truth. But first of all, God
became man. And in his humanity, he died. He
suffered and then he died. He died on the cross.
And the reason why he had to die... was for the
sins of men. He became a substitution for men.
So all who believe in this truth come into a
union with God. They come into fellowship with
God. And so we that believe are called Christians.
In chapter 2 from verse 5 thereabout, we see
where Paul was using the concept, was using the
example of Jesus Christ to explain the humility
that we often have as men. He says, let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
Who is this Christ Jesus? Verse 6, he said, who
being in the form of God, rather we'll say, who
is God, did not consider it robbery to be equal
with God, but made himself of no reputation.
This is what Jesus Christ went through. He made
himself of no reputation, taking the form of
a born servant and coming in the likeness of
men. So Jesus Christ, was not created. Jesus
Christ is not part of the creation, but he is
God. Who decided to take the likeness of men,
was it? And being found in the appearance of
a man, he humbled himself and became obedient
to the point of death. And this death is the
death of a criminal, the death of someone that
has committed an offense. that the consequences
of that offense is death on the cross. Therefore,
in this death, God also has highly exalted him
and has given him the name, not a name, but specifically
gave him the name, which is above every other
name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should
bow of those in the heaven and of those on the
earth and of those under the earth. And that
every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father. So we pitched
our tent here last time. And we established that
as kingdom citizens, we have to live in peace
and harmony with one another. This was one of
the content of Paul's letter to the Philippians.
As kingdom citizens, we have to live in peace
with one another and harmony with one another.
having the same mind and your full accord, because
a kingdom that we belong to, when it is divided,
when we are separated, when we are not in unity,
when we are not living in harmony, there is no
how we will fulfill the purpose of God for our
lives. There is no how we will be able to do
the biddings of God on earth, except we walk
together, except we are united. Nobody can serve
the purpose of God alone. Nobody has the ability
to serve the purpose of God alone. So we saw
how important it is for us to live in harmony.
And we said also that the kingdom of God is a
kingdom of honor. We live honoring one another
regardless of status. Whether you are young,
you're old, whether you are rich or you're poor,
whether you are European or African, whatever
country you're coming from, whether you're a
leader or you're a worker, whatever your position
is in society, we live. honoring one another.
And honor is our culture as Christians. Honor
is our lifestyle as Christians. We honor one
another because God dwells in each and every
believer. So we honor one another because God
lives in us. And we said that this kingdom is
a kingdom that is also defined by selflessness.
Sacrificial living is what defines the culture
of This kingdom of God we belong to. And we saw
this exemplified in the early church where they
lived their life sacrificially. They gave their
all. They ensured that none among them was in
lack. They sold their properties. They shared
among themselves their resources. And none was
in lack of anything. So selflessness is what
also... describe the kind of kingdom that we
belong to. So if we belong to the kingdom of
God, then we must live worthy of our kingdom.
We must be able to express this culture of our
kingdom, which is sacrificial living. Hallelujah.
So we also emphasize a point here last time about
humility. And of course, we saw Paul use Jesus
Christ as an example for us to learn from, to
emulate always. Hallelujah. So from verse 12,
he says, therefore, verse 12 to 18, he says,
therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only, but how much more
in my absence, work out your own salvation with
fear and what? And trembling. For it is God who
works in you both to will and to do for his good
pleasure. Do all things without complaining and
disputing, that you may become blameless and
harmless children of God without fault in the
midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among
whom you shine as light in the world, following
fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice
in the day of Christ, that I have not run in
vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a
drink offering on the sacrifice and service of
your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
Verse 18. For the same reason, you also be glad
and rejoice with me. Hallelujah. So from this
part of the epistles, we see Paul here is writing
to the church and is calling them. to shine as
light in what? In a crooked generation. You know,
the word crooked here is a metaphor. Amen? It's
a metaphor for a generation that is perverse,
a generation that is not acknowledging God, a
generation that does not live to honor God. And
if Paul can call his own generation crooked,
then I don't know what Paul will say to our generation
today. Twisted would be an understatement because
I don't know how corrupt his generation was compared
to our generation today. But despite the nature
of the society as of then, Paul is calling them
to what? To live as light, to be the light in
their generation. So we must also go back, you
know, and put ourselves in the position of the
Philippian church and contextualize this text
to our own generation. It's a calling upon the
believer. To do what? To live as what? To shine
as light in the world, in this world, in this
world. Hallelujah. So from the first part of
verse 12, let's take it a bit slowly. It says,
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only, but how much more
in my absence. So here Paul is requiring their
obedience. to God's word in his absence, even
as they've always obeyed what in his presence.
He says, as you have always obeyed, not as in
my word, in my presence only, which means that
they've always obeyed in his presence. And what
he's calling them to do here is not only to obey
as he was in their presence with them, but how
much more in his absence he require them to continue.
to live in the obedience of God's word. Their
obedience to God's word must not be for eye service.
Amen? For them to be able to shine as light in
a crooked generation, for them to be able to
live a life worthy of their calling as children
of God, as members of God's family, they must
be able to live in obedience even in this absence.
while he is there with them and even in his absence.
So also our obedience to God's word must be on
sight and off sight. If I'm using the right word.
We must be very intentional about our word, our
living, to honor God with our lives. Their obedience
must not be when Paul is with them because some
people can want to be obedient, especially because
the Apostle Paul is around. So they want to demonstrate,
they want to live. In light of the word, when
they come to church, everybody looks holy and
spiritual. But when they travel to a new location,
the dynamics of their life changes because they
are out of sight. We see Jesus speaking similarly
in his teaching. Matthew 6, verse 1 to 4. Matthew
6, verse 1 to 4. Jesus speaking in a similar
tone. He says, take heed that you do not do your
charitable deeds before men. to be seen by men,
otherwise you have no reward from your Father
in heaven. Now, our Father is in heaven. Therefore,
when you do charitable deeds, do not sound a
trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and the streets that they may have
glory from men. So the focus of what they do
here is for men to see. The goal of their...
Good works of their righteousness. Some translations
would translate the charity work as righteousness.
Their righteousness, the things they do which
are right before men, is for men to see. Their
goodness is for men to see. Do not sound a trumpet
before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues
and in the streets, that they may have glory
from who? From men. So their focus is to please
men. Their glory is from men. Of course, this
language here, right? Verse 4. Hallelujah. So
the focus of the righteous act here is what?
It's for men to see their goodness. It's for
men to see their goodness. I want us to read
this in the NLT. Give me this text. It's in Matthew
6 in the NLT. It says, Don't do as hypocrites
do, blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets
to call attention to their acts of charity. So
what they do is for sure, is for men, for men
to see that, oh, this person is charitable, this
person is good, this person is righteous, this
person is living right. I tell you the truth,
they have received all their rewards, all the
rewards they will ever get. But when you give
to someone in need, which is the charitable,
which is the goodness, the work of righteousness,
don't let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing. Verse 4. Give your gift in private,
and your Father who sees everything will reward
you. And also Matthew 23. Matthew 23 in the NLT,
still in the NLT. Matthew 23, verse 1. Then Jesus
said to the crowds and to his disciples, the
teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees,
are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.
So, practice and obey whatever they tell you.
Don't follow their example. Now, it's an example
that is a focus here. For they don't practice
what they teach. They crush people with impossible
religious demands and never lift a finger to
ease the burden. Look at verse 5. It says, everything
they do is what? It's for show. On their arms,
they wear... Extra white prayer boxes, you know,
in the Jewish tradition. They write, you know,
today we have armbands, right? They write prayers.
They have, yes, prayer shows. In our generation
today, we say you have t -shirts that have design
of Jesus over it. You know, you have walking
the light behind you. And I'm a child of God
in the front of your shirt. And look at the way
they dress. And they wear robes with extra long
tassels. They look holy from their appearance.
They look godly from their appearance. Full of
sure. Just stop at verse 5. And everything they
do, the Bible says is what? It's for sure. It's
for sure. It's for sure. So that men will see
and reckon them as what? As righteous people.
As people that are holy and righteous. But that
is not the intent for God. That's not the intent
of God for us rather. The motive for doing good
must be to honor God and not men. Hallelujah.
The intent of living a righteous life is not
for men to see. It's for God to be honored. So
Paul would tell the church, even in my absence,
which means that my absence doesn't matter. Whether
I am present or I am absent, there's no difference.
You have a responsibility in my absence and in
my presence. Only one thing, that God must be
glorified. That you must live worthy, that your
life... must be in order of your professional
faith. That your life must be an example of the
kingdom you belong to. So the motive for living
right is not for men to see. It's not for the
leaders in the church to see that you are doing
well. It's not for you to show to people that
you are righteous. I said you or we will know
your motive after you have done good. If no one
appreciates or recognizes your efforts. We will
know your motive in church as we relate with
one another, as we serve each other, as we do
good to each other. We will know what your motive
is, right? When someone does not even recognize
the good that you are doing, when you do good
to somebody and the person, you know, the leaders
don't even see, they don't even see, you know,
in this church, nobody sees the things I do,
the effort I'm putting, right? Nobody sees the
good that you are doing. Nobody appreciates you.
Nobody even recognizes, just recognize, you know,
the help that you render to this person. Nobody
even chooses to recognize and it becomes a big
problem for you. It's a symptom that you need
to check the motive to why you are doing that
thing. It's a litmus test, right? To the motive
behind what you do. Are you doing it so that
men will applaud you? So that men will say, ah,
well done, you've done it well. So that men will
see and say, ah, this brother is a righteous
man. This sister is a righteous person. Oh, you're
doing it so that God, who sees in secret, will
be honored by the life that you've lived, by
the good conduct you've kept, by the things you
do. Our motives must be right. So your good conduct
must not be because leaders are seeing you, but
you must be consistent inside and even when you're
not on site. You must be consistent online and
even when you're offline. You must be consistent
regardless of... The location you find yourself,
you know, thank God for Cyprus. Cyprus is a transitional
place for all of us. People come and go. We've
seen people transform. Immediately, they leave
this environment. All of a sudden, we see their
posts even on social media changes. All of a
sudden, we see even their addresses begin to
change. We begin to wonder. So this sister, no,
not any CF sisters, in Jesus' name, but this
sister, the way she was looking, the way she
used to dress this way in Cyprus, the moment
she leaves this environment, Is it that there's
a transformation that happens immediately you
leave this place? Or when you were in your country,
in Nigeria, wherever country, you were looking
so holy and righteous. And the moment you leave
the comfort of your parents' house, or where
you are known, and you land in a place where
you are not known, then we see a manifestation
of a new person. The rebirth of a new person.
Actually, that is who you used to be. There's
nothing that changes. So, if you are a believer,
you must ensure, we must trust God, that our
life is consistent. We call this integrity. Hallelujah.
That we are consistent in our identity regardless
of where and when. Hallelujah. That we are known
same wherever we find ourselves. It's a responsibility
upon us as believers. This is how we will truly,
truly shine the light in this dark and crooked
generation. This is how you and I will be able
to reflect the nature of God in this generation.
We must be consistent. Of course, there's room
for us to grow. Hallelujah. There's room for
us to keep growing. We keep getting better. But
let it not be that you are known as A here. And
on the other end, you are C or you are B. We
must have a consistent identity. And our identity
must be that we are God's children. And in our
lifestyle, it's consistently growing from good
to the best. Hallelujah. So Paul here is telling
them to do what? to obey in His absence as they've
always obeyed, even in His presence. In the second
part of the verse, verse 12, it says, You know,
this has usually been misinterpreted to mean
that the Christian must work out their salvation
with fear and trembling so as not to lose it.
First and foremost, The context of the conversation
here, as we have seen, right from chapter 1,
right, into chapter 2, even from the first verses
in chapter 2, is not about salvation per se,
how to be saved or how to keep your salvation.
The context is that believers who are already
saved are asked to do what? To live a life worthy
of their identity. to live an exemplary life
of Christ as they already have in them. So in
chapter 1, verse 6, we see categorically, in
chapter 1, verse 6 of Philippians, we see Paul
would say, being confident of this very thing,
that he who has begun a good work in you, which
means that these people, God has already did
a work in them. He has already done a work in
them. That he who has begun a good work in you,
and this good work... is the salvation of their
lives. So this God has begun a good work in them
who completed until the day of Jesus Christ.
So Paul has already articulated from this verse,
from the beginning, clearly that God is faithful
to keep the believers. So we cannot assert that
the believer in this verse is walking out of
salvation, is keeping himself, is keeping his
salvation. God is the one that is faithful. To
keep the believer. So Paul cannot come in chapter
2, verse 12, and ask them to work to secure or
to preserve their salvation. And that would be
a contradiction. In verse 13, we see clearly,
because, of course, it's the same conversation.
It says, for it is God, because he didn't stop
in verse 2. He says, for it is God who works
in you, but to do what? But to will and to do
for his good pleasure. So God is the one that
is working in the believer. We must read the
scripture not in phrases if we must understand
the scriptures. To make meaning in order to interpret,
we mustn't just read in phrases because reading
in phrases will lead us to misinterpretation
of a text. So I want us to read verse 6 concurrently
together with verse 13 and we'll make sense of
God's faithfulness in this conversation. Verse
6, chapter 1, verse 6. It says, being confident
of this very thing, maybe media can keep... Give
us chapter 1, verse 6, and also chapter 2, verse
13 together. I want to see the consistency of
Paul's communication here. He says, And then
he made a statement again in verse 13 of chapter
2. He says, but to will and to do of his good
pleasure. This in no way relinquish the responsibility
of giving the believer to himself. Hallelujah.
God himself is responsible for what? For giving
the believer. So salvation is completely the
work of God in the life of the believer and not
the believer's effort. Ephesians 2, verse 8 to
9, you can see that there. Ephesians 2, verse
8 to 9 talks about, you know, by grace we've
been saved and it's none of our works, but it
is God's work in us for grace. By grace you've
been saved through faith and that not of yourself,
it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest anyone
should boast. And God will finish what he has
established in the believer. Hebrews 7, verse
25. Hebrews 7, 25. He says, therefore, he is
also able. Who is able? The Christian? Who is
able? God is able to the autumns, to save to
the autumns those who come to God through him
since he always lives to make intercession for
them. So God has the ability to keep the believer,
to uphold the believer. Then what will Paul be
referring to? Walk out your salvation with fear
and trembling. It is the same conversation we've
been making. It means to show forth the life,
right, that the believer already has. In other
words, to live worthy of your calling as one
who has been saved, as members of God's kingdom.
I want us to read Philippians 2, verse 12 and
13 together in the NLT. It has a better rendition
of this text. It says, Dear friends, You always
follow my instructions when I was with you. And
now that I am away, it is even more important.
Now look at the way they walk out your salvation.
It says, walk hard to do what? To show the result
of your salvation, which means that you are saved
and you have salvation. So what are you to do?
You are to walk. What is the walk in there? To
show the result. To show that you are saved.
To show that you are a Christian. To show that
you've been saved from sin. Obeying God with
deep reverence and fear. Verse 13. For God is
working in you. Who is doing the working? God
is enabling the believer. Giving you what? The
desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Hallelujah. So God here has the ability, has
given us the ability rather, He has implanted
in the believer the ability to do what? To show
forth the life that has been put in him. To express
the God kind of life that is in the believer.
To live worthy of his identity. To be able to
live as a child of God. To be able to live as
a Christian. In verse 14 to 18, we see that Paul
further expresses how the believer will live
worthy of the gospel they have received. Especially
in verse 14, he says, What does verse 14? Yeah,
give me verse 14. It says, do everything without
what? Without complaining and arguing. So that
no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent
lives as children of God. Not that you are living
this life so that you will be a child of God.
Right? But because you are a child of God, you
must live a clean, innocent life. shining like
bright lights in the world full of crooked and
perverse people. So there must be a difference
between one that is born again and one that is
not born again. There must be a distinction between
a believer and a non -believer. There must be
a distinction between those who are of the kingdom
of light and those who are of the kingdom of
darkness. It is not complaining and disputing.
Complaining and disputing are manifestations
of another identity. which must not be seen in
the believer. Some translation translated this
complaint as grumbling, murmuring, which refers
to a secret debate in a man's heart. See, this
happens in the heart. And then we see your actions
representing, you know, what thoughts you have
in your heart. Not disputing, questioning about
what is true about God. Give me verse 15 in the
Amplified. So that you may prove yourselves.
to be blameless and guiltless, innocent and uncontaminated
children of God without blemish in the midst
of a morally what? Crooked and spiritually perverted
generation among whom you have seen as bright
lights, beacons shining out clearly in the world
of darkness. So we live in a generation where...
There must be a distinction between those who
belong to the kingdom of God and those who belong
to the kingdom of darkness. So now, in the King
James, this verse 15, which seems as though it's
in living right, then we what? That ye may be
blameless. No, we are blameless. If we read it
clearly, it's that we are blameless. We are righteous
as we saw in the NLT. It is our identity. We
are showing proof that we are the children of
God. We are showing forward to people to see.
And our intent is not people actually. It's to
honor and glorify God. Hallelujah. It's to honor
and glorify God. That our lifestyle must be that
which brings glory and honor to God. So what
characterizes our Christian service? What influences
our service in the Christendom? Why do you do
the things you do in the church? Why do you live
the life you live? What influences your behavior
as a believer? Do you serve God joyfully? Or
you have, you know, the circumstance around you
influences your service? To please people or
to please God? It is important that God is the
focus of our service. It's important that God
is the focus. It's to honor God. It should be
an expression of our love towards God because
He has loved us. And he has given us a gift.
And the gift is his life that lives in us. And
we give expression to the life. So when we talk
about loving people, when we talk about living
sacrificially, when we talk about expressing
the love of God one to another, it's because
we have the life in us. And we are meant to give
expression to this life that is in us. So I want
us to read from verse 12 to verse 18 contextually
from the NLT translation. It says, Dear friends,
You always followed my instructions when I was
with you. And now that I am away, it is even
more important, work hard to show the result
of your salvation. And how do we do it? Obeying
God with what? With deep reverence and fear.
For God is working in you. God is working in
us. He's working in you. He's transforming us
daily. Giving you the desire. We don't quench
the desire of God in our hearts. Hallelujah.
The fact that God puts a desire in your heart
does not mean that the desire will manifest itself.
You must give expression to the desire of God
within you. There is a prompting of the Spirit
of God in every believer that has the Spirit
of God. To do good is your natural behavior because
you are a man and a woman that has the Spirit
of God in you. So do not silence the prompting
of the Spirit of God to live righteously, to
do good. For God is working in you. And what
does he do? He put the desire in you. And he
gives you the power. And what is the power that
he has put in you? He lives in you, the believer,
as a spirit. So that you do what pleases him.
It should be a relief for you that you don't
have to do it by your strength. The moment you
allow the spirit and you try to please God by
your methods, outside the prescribed word of
God, which is by faith, then you go into activities.
Then you go into law. You go into doing things
just as a Pharisee. When you begin to describe
your own methods of pleasing God, apart from
what God has said, that you've pleased God by
faith. In fact, you're already, God is pleased
with you because you believe in Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah. That should be a relief for us. So
our lifestyle should not be, you know, an effort
to make God happy. Every day we want to see,
no, we are already perfected in Christ Jesus.
God has accepted us. He's happy with us. Let
me use that word, happy. He's pleased with us.
He has accepted us in Christ Jesus. So we have
to live as those who have been accepted, as those
who have been forgiven, as those who have been
cleansed, as those who have been made righteous.
We have right standing with God. So we are not
in a performance to make God happy with us. There's
nothing you can do on your own to please God.
But He... has created a way for us to please
him, and it's through Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.
So, let's continue with the reading. It says,
do everything without complaining and arguing,
so that no one can criticize you. Live clean,
innocent lives as children of God, shining like
bright lights in a world full of crook and perverse
people, meaning that our lives must be distinct,
there must be a distinction in our lifestyle.
Verse 16. All family to the word of life. And
on the day of Christ. Christ's return. I will
be proud that I did not ruin the race in vain.
That my work was not useless. But I will rejoice
even if I lose my life. Pouring it out like a
liquid offering to God. Just like your faithful
service is an offering to God. And I will all
of you. To share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice
and I will share your joy. Hallelujah. So that
is the conversation of Paul all through. That
a believer must live worthy. Continue in obedience.
In obedience to what? To all the things that
he has been saying from chapter 1 to chapter
2. To continuously live distinctively. Showing
that we are different, that we are men, that
God has changed. We are men and women that God
has transformed. And the Spirit of God lives
in us to help us to live a life that will bring
honor and glory to Him. Hallelujah. So when we
begin to say that we are to manifest the kingdom,
all we are saying is show your identity. Amen?
Show who you are. Reveal to the world who truly
you are. It's not a time to be showing a different
identity of who we are. Our generation needs
men and women. I will stand for God. That our
lifestyle will show a different life apart from
what is obtainable in the world. God is counting
on you. Not that you only go out to preach. You
know, we preach. We extend the kingdom of God
in the hearts of men, right? We expand the kingdom
of God by willing souls. The kingdom is a spiritual
kingdom and the expansion of this kingdom is
in the heart of men. Not only that, we go out
to preach. But we show the way we manifest this
kingdom by our lifestyle. We allow the lifestyle
to be seen. We are lights. And this light must
be seen. People should not mistake your identity.
People should not mistake our identity. People
should not begin to question whether this person,
are you a Christian? Do you go to church? But
people should even see clearly who you are. They
saw the Christians. They saw the disciples. The
way they live their lives and they call them
Christians because they saw something exceptional
about them. They say something distinctive about
them. That they live like Christ. But rather,
Christ lives in them. And he lives his life through
them. And they are not different from us. Hallelujah.
So the challenge for us this week, as we continue,
is that I will ensure that I give expression
to my identity. Hallelujah. That my lifestyle
must match my profession of faith. That I will
continue to live in obedience. Not influenced
by people. but by my conviction or my profession
of faith in who I believe in, in Jesus Christ.
Just begin to pray for yourself and ask God to
help you. And the prayer is this, that in all
circumstances, in all situations, in all locations,
in the open and in the secret, that my life will
bring glory to God. That my life will bring glory
to God. Perhaps you are here and then... There
is nothing of the Spirit of God in your heart
that, oh, I've not been living worthy of my identity.
I've not been living as who men should see me
as. That my profession of faith is only something
that is a show. I'm putting in a show. I'm acting.
I want you to pray at this moment that God should
help you. That God should help us. That the world
would not mistake our identity. That we will
not be reflecting a different identity apart
from who God has made us to be. It doesn't matter
whether you're a leader, whether you're a preacher,
whether you're a teacher. There's a tendency
for us to deny our identity. Circumstances will
provide themselves. Opportunities will come to
test the genuineness of our profession of faith.
As we go through this day, even today, as you're
living in this place, for the account of the
word you've received, you'll be tested. On the
account of saying you are a believer, you will
be tested. And the good news is that if you've
fallen several times, of which we all have fallen,
the good news is that in Christ, we have restoration.
So today is a fresh opportunity. Tomorrow is
a fresh opportunity. Going forward is a fresh
opportunity for us to stand in our identity,
depending on the ability of the Spirit of God.
Not on our own making, not on our own power.
Not in our own strength, but in the strength
of the Lord. I can sense that somebody here is
having regrets and remorse. It doesn't just end
in regretting. It doesn't just end in having
remorse. But are you willing to allow God to
express himself through you? Are you willing
to allow God to express his life through you?
Are you willing to allow the Spirit of God to
transform your character? Perhaps you could have
been more loving to the brother. Perhaps you
could have been more sacrificial to the sister.
Perhaps you could have glorified God in that
moment, in that hour. But then you did the contrary
to the word of God. And there's a word of comfort.
There's a fresh opportunity to represent God.
There's a fresh opportunity. See, you don't have
anything to prove to anybody. You're not living
to please men, but you're living to please God.
And if God is saying, I'm pleased with you, then
the testimony of men does not matter. First and
foremost, the testimony of God matters. And what
God has said about you in his word is what matters.
And what he's saying right now is that you are
perfected. What God is saying right now is that
you are righteous. What God is saying right now
is that you are forgiven. That's a word of hope
for somebody. What God is saying is that you
are cleansed and you are made righteous. Yes,
even you can live to represent God in this generation.
Your conduct will glorify God. Your lifestyle
will honor God. Your speech will honor God. Your
conversation with men will honor God. Give God
a chance to walk through you. He has put the
desire in you. The reason why you are feeling
remorseful is because he is walking in you. He
is prompting you. He is like a light inside you.
Illuminating and shining and showing any dark
part in you. Allow the word of God to reflect
through your life. To illuminate through your
life. Allow men. To be drawn to the goodness
of God through your life. Don't hide your light
under the bushel. Allow the forgiveness of God
to be oozing out of your life. Somebody here
is holding on forgiveness. Oh, there's an offense.
A brother, a sister has offended you. And you
find it so difficult. It's an instruction for
you to forgive and let go. Father, help us that
we will represent you here on earth. The kingdom
of God. is spiritual, the kingdom of God is heavenly,
but is seen in the activities of men on the face
of the earth. Father, that we will demonstrate
your kingdom on the earth, that we will show
forth who we are on the earth, that we will show
the difference on the earth, that there will
be no complaining and grumbling in our hearts
concerning your word, concerning what you've
called us to be and what to do. Share it with
a friend. Till next time, be blessed.