WEBVTT 00:00:01.340 --> 00:00:06.639 Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.660 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.939 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:17.879 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:23.239 right in. So let's go back to the text that we 00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:27.039 have the Bible reading. In case you want to write 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:30.320 a topic. I have been, I was struggling to get 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:33.179 a topic for this. That's right. The family affair. 00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:47.539 Family affair. It's not a TV series. Because 00:00:47.539 --> 00:00:49.280 it's sounding very casual. It's sounding somehow 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:53.140 not theological. And that's how I want it to 00:00:53.140 --> 00:01:01.390 be. The family affair. Part one. It's not Nollywood. 00:01:02.670 --> 00:01:07.030 Amen. Matthew 18 from verse 18 to 20. Let's go 00:01:07.030 --> 00:01:11.870 to Matthew 18 from verse 18 to 20. Assuredly, 00:01:11.870 --> 00:01:16.930 I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will 00:01:16.930 --> 00:01:22.230 be bound where? Will be bound in heaven. We know 00:01:22.230 --> 00:01:25.650 what heaven is, right? From January to now, we've 00:01:25.650 --> 00:01:28.390 been talking about heaven. Whatever you bound 00:01:28.390 --> 00:01:32.489 on earth, will be bound in heaven, and whatever 00:01:32.489 --> 00:01:37.189 you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again 00:01:37.189 --> 00:01:41.489 I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth 00:01:41.489 --> 00:01:46.530 concerning anything they act, it will be done 00:01:46.530 --> 00:01:51.450 for them, by who? By my Father in heaven, for 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:55.510 where two or three are gathered together in my 00:01:55.510 --> 00:02:02.219 name. I am there in the midst of them. Hallelujah. 00:02:03.659 --> 00:02:07.019 So one of the general, let me begin from misconception. 00:02:07.379 --> 00:02:12.020 One of the general misconception we have about 00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:18.900 verses 18 to 20 is that the text here is about 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:24.319 prayers, right? Whatever you bind on earth will 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:27.620 be bound and then Oftentimes, when we want to 00:02:27.620 --> 00:02:30.000 pray, that is the scripture we go to when we 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:38.979 want to bind and cast out. So, particularly verse 00:02:38.979 --> 00:02:40.919 18, look at verse 18. It says, I surely I say 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:43.180 to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound 00:02:43.180 --> 00:02:45.659 in heaven and whatever you lose on earth will 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:49.080 be lost where? In heaven. And oftentimes, this 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:52.800 particular verse is used for binding and losing 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:58.539 what? Demons, right? It's used for binding and 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:02.759 losing demons of which the context is not about 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:06.680 casting devils. Hallelujah. It's not about casting 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:08.520 devils. Now, we're not saying that the believer 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:11.860 does not have the authority to cast out devils. 00:03:11.860 --> 00:03:15.680 No. What we're saying is that if your inspiration 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:18.639 for casting devils is from this scripture, then 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:21.099 you are misappropriating the scripture because 00:03:21.099 --> 00:03:23.759 that is not what the text is about. Of course. 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:27.819 There are other scriptures that empower the believer 00:03:27.819 --> 00:03:32.599 with the knowledge of casting out devils. And 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:37.560 this one is not one of it. We misconstrue verse 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:40.879 19 to 20. Verse 19 to 20. Again, I say to you, 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:45.199 if two of you agree on earth concerning anything 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:49.659 that they ask, it will be done for them by my 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:52.259 Father in heaven. For where two or three are 00:03:52.259 --> 00:03:54.979 gathered together in my name, I am there in their 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:58.280 midst. So, we misconstrue this text, particularly 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:00.780 these two verses, to be a prayer of agreement. 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:04.419 You know, when we come together, let's agree. 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:06.599 The Bible says that where two or three are gathered 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:09.159 in my name, I am there in their midst. That is 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:11.840 true. Alright? It's true. God is always with 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:14.199 us. And where believers gather, God is in the 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:17.720 midst of believers. Hallelujah. And then they 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:22.230 say, whatever you agree, right? If two of you 00:04:22.230 --> 00:04:26.149 shall agree concerning anything, anything here 00:04:26.149 --> 00:04:31.370 has context. Anything is not just anything. Are 00:04:31.370 --> 00:04:34.790 we together? If two of you agree that something 00:04:34.790 --> 00:04:36.910 evil should happen to somebody, then God is not 00:04:36.910 --> 00:04:39.670 involved in that one. So it's not just blanket 00:04:39.670 --> 00:04:42.230 anything. In fact, even in the anything, there's 00:04:42.230 --> 00:04:45.129 a context to the anything that is discussed in 00:04:45.129 --> 00:04:48.350 that particular text. So it is very important 00:04:48.350 --> 00:04:52.439 that we put context into consideration when we 00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:58.279 come to scriptures. So, similar scriptures teaches 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:00.319 us about prayers and the believer's authority 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:04.120 over devils. But as I said, Matthew 18, 18 to 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:10.639 20 is not one of them. So, context of any scriptural 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:14.480 verse is very important in understanding Bible 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:17.879 truth. And we will not be tired of it. emphasizing 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:21.740 this every time we come to teach the Bible. Because 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:26.040 without proper interpretation of the text, as 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:30.220 we always say, worship cannot be effective. Hallelujah. 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:38.120 You cannot worship God with a lie, with an actress. 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:42.560 Okay? So the Bible must be properly explained. 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:46.660 The Bible must be properly explained. And that 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:50.339 is how we actually worship God effectively. Hallelujah. 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:55.180 So what is the text about? Jesus here was teaching 00:05:55.180 --> 00:05:59.699 about forgiveness and reconciliation. Jesus here, 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:06.500 the binding and losing is concerning reconciliation, 00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:11.420 forgiveness and reconciliation in the family. 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:16.779 It is about forgiveness and reconciliation in 00:06:16.779 --> 00:06:19.920 the family and not about prayers or casting out 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:26.600 devils. Now, verse 15 to 17 gives us context. 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:34.699 Okay? Verse 15 to 17 gives us context. It says, 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:38.879 moreover, if your brother, so it means that Jesus 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:40.939 was speaking about a relationship between who? 00:06:41.180 --> 00:06:44.600 Between brothers, right? Between brothers. If 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:48.540 your brother sins against you, go and do what? 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:52.300 And tell him his fault between you and him alone. 00:06:52.819 --> 00:06:56.980 If he hears you, you have what? You have gained 00:06:56.980 --> 00:07:02.839 your brother. But if he will not hear, take with 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:08.360 you one or two more. By the mouth of two or three 00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:13.740 witnesses, every word may be established. And 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:17.199 if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:20.480 But if he refuses even to hear the church, let 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:24.259 him beat you like what? Like a heathen and a 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:28.060 tax collector. And surely I say to you, whatever 00:07:28.060 --> 00:07:32.199 you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:35.220 whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in 00:07:35.220 --> 00:07:46.259 heaven. that they ask, it will be done for them 00:07:46.259 --> 00:07:50.360 by my Father in heaven. For where two or three 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:53.279 are gathered together in my name, I am what? 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:56.680 I am there in the midst of them. Hallelujah. 00:07:57.339 --> 00:08:02.399 So we can see that Jesus is actually outlining 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:07.079 the steps that family members, family members 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:10.579 will take towards what? Forgiveness and reconciliation. 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:14.279 So the conversation here is concerning forgiveness 00:08:14.279 --> 00:08:18.279 and reconciliation. Don't just put forgiveness 00:08:18.279 --> 00:08:23.060 alone. Forgiveness and reconciliation. Because 00:08:23.060 --> 00:08:26.019 without reconciliation, then I don't think that 00:08:26.019 --> 00:08:35.440 forgiveness is complete. Hallelujah. So how did 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:41.259 he conclude that it is a family affair? First 00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:45.019 of all, we saw in verse 15, as I said, that it 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:48.259 is an affair between brothers. It says, if your 00:08:48.259 --> 00:08:52.639 brother sins against you, if he hates you, you 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:55.779 have been your brother. So if your Bible is yours 00:08:55.779 --> 00:08:58.700 on the land, wherever you see brother, right? 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:03.940 If your brother sin against you, go and tell 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:07.759 him his fault and you and him alone, if he hates 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:10.580 you, you have what? You have... Your brother, 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:12.620 on the line of the word, gain your brother is 00:09:12.620 --> 00:09:21.299 a brother. Invariably a sister. Okay? So, this 00:09:21.299 --> 00:09:26.600 is a family affair. We can also see in verse 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:35.360 17. It says, verse 17, that is a church family 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:46.389 matter. Right? Verse 17. And if he refuses to 00:09:46.389 --> 00:09:50.370 hear them, tell it to who? Tell it to the church. 00:09:52.669 --> 00:09:56.169 Tell it to the church. And believe me, the church 00:09:56.169 --> 00:10:01.549 is not your Facebook status. That's not where 00:10:01.549 --> 00:10:05.870 the church is, okay? It's not your Instagram 00:10:05.870 --> 00:10:08.669 status. Because that's where we know people's 00:10:08.669 --> 00:10:15.090 offense. Must do. That's the world's way of doing 00:10:15.090 --> 00:10:20.090 things. So, it is a church family matter. Tell 00:10:20.090 --> 00:10:22.789 it to the church. But if he refuses to even hear 00:10:22.789 --> 00:10:25.750 the church, so he said, family matter? Is it 00:10:25.750 --> 00:10:29.029 church family matter? Later on in verse 21, we 00:10:29.029 --> 00:10:32.730 see Peter overwhelmed by Jesus' explanation in 00:10:32.730 --> 00:10:34.909 verse 21. Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, 00:10:35.750 --> 00:10:38.850 how? How often should my brother sin against 00:10:38.850 --> 00:10:42.309 me? So Peter knows that he understood what Jesus 00:10:42.309 --> 00:10:44.110 was teaching. Jesus was speaking about what? 00:10:44.549 --> 00:10:49.490 The brotherhood. A family matter. Right? How 00:10:49.490 --> 00:10:56.389 often should my brother, my brother sin against 00:10:56.389 --> 00:11:02.350 who? Against me. Not against God. Okay? Sin against 00:11:02.350 --> 00:11:06.490 you. Sin against me. Sin against... You, an individual, 00:11:06.590 --> 00:11:11.990 a human being, not against God. So it is a family 00:11:11.990 --> 00:11:18.230 matter. It is a family matter. Hallelujah. Now 00:11:18.230 --> 00:11:21.490 I want us to establish this fact again that the 00:11:21.490 --> 00:11:26.450 family that we're talking about here is not necessarily 00:11:26.450 --> 00:11:32.570 a biological family. Okay? It is the family of 00:11:32.570 --> 00:11:36.909 God. It is what Pastor was telling us last week, 00:11:36.970 --> 00:11:39.889 that whenever we gather together in this place, 00:11:39.990 --> 00:11:42.230 the meeting we have here is a supernatural gathering. 00:11:42.649 --> 00:11:47.169 All right? It's a supernatural gathering. We 00:11:47.169 --> 00:11:50.909 are supernatural. We are super humans, but we 00:11:50.909 --> 00:11:54.830 are in the natural. So it is a supernatural gathering 00:11:54.830 --> 00:12:04.570 of believers. It is a supernatural family, not 00:12:04.570 --> 00:12:08.009 necessarily a biological family. But of course, 00:12:08.029 --> 00:12:10.590 biological family members can be your spiritual 00:12:10.590 --> 00:12:12.950 family, can be part of your supernatural family. 00:12:13.070 --> 00:12:16.990 But not every biological family member is your 00:12:16.990 --> 00:12:23.830 supernatural family member. Hallelujah. But your 00:12:23.830 --> 00:12:27.509 biological family can be your supernatural family. 00:12:39.050 --> 00:12:42.970 So, we learn from our previous teaching on the 00:12:42.970 --> 00:12:46.669 kingdom of God that a church is what? Is the 00:12:46.669 --> 00:12:49.929 household of God, which is the family of God. 00:12:50.490 --> 00:12:54.549 Now, this family is also what we've called what? 00:12:54.570 --> 00:12:58.070 The kingdom of God, isn't it? The family of God, 00:12:58.169 --> 00:13:02.570 the household of God is the kingdom of God. Look 00:13:02.570 --> 00:13:08.279 at Jesus' follow -up reply to Peter. In verse 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:12.679 22. Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how 00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:15.539 often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive 00:13:15.539 --> 00:13:19.879 him? Up to seven times. We're going to look at 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:22.720 where Peter was inspired to ask for seven times. 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:27.000 Jesus said to him, I do not say to you up to 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:30.860 what? Up to seven times. But up to what? Seventy 00:13:30.860 --> 00:13:36.299 times seven. Then the follow up. to the answer 00:13:36.299 --> 00:13:38.960 is the verse 23 where Jesus began to give the 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:41.720 parable. He says, therefore the kingdom of heaven, 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:44.379 which means that the family that God is talking 00:13:44.379 --> 00:13:47.019 about is actually the kingdom of what? The kingdom 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:51.039 of heaven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:53.899 like a certain king. So Jesus was explaining 00:13:53.899 --> 00:14:01.240 a supernatural family. He's explaining the relationship 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:04.500 within the supernatural family. within the kingdom 00:14:04.500 --> 00:14:15.100 of God, within believers. Hallelujah. So we become 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:18.919 members of the family of God through our faith 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:21.320 in Jesus Christ. We are just laying foundation 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:24.200 before we go into dealing with the matters that 00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:28.019 concerns our lives. We become members of this 00:14:28.019 --> 00:14:34.460 family, the family of God. Through faith in Jesus 00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:39.700 Christ. Through faith in Jesus Christ. So if 00:14:39.700 --> 00:14:41.639 there is a member of your family that has not 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:45.679 believed in Jesus Christ, then you are not... 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:49.879 He is not part of your supernatural family. Biologically, 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:53.259 you are siblings, right? But spiritually, you 00:14:53.259 --> 00:14:58.980 are not brothers. Are we together? That should 00:14:58.980 --> 00:15:01.799 give you... The necessity to preach the gospel 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:03.799 to your brother, to your sister, to your siblings, 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:11.539 to your parents. Amen. So we have the right into 00:15:11.539 --> 00:15:14.879 the family of God by faith. John 1, verse 12. 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:22.379 John 1, verse 12, it says, But as many as received 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:27.490 him, right? As many that received him, To them, 00:15:27.490 --> 00:15:31.809 he gave the right, he gave the authority to become 00:15:31.809 --> 00:15:34.549 what? To become the children of God. To those 00:15:34.549 --> 00:15:40.149 who believe in his name. Only to those who believe 00:15:40.149 --> 00:15:43.909 in his name that has come into this union of 00:15:43.909 --> 00:15:47.230 God. The union of the family have become part 00:15:47.230 --> 00:15:52.429 of the family of God. 1 John 3, verse 1 and 2. 00:15:55.179 --> 00:16:07.200 1 John 3, verse 1 and 2. 1 John. Behold what 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:11.740 manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:16.179 that we should be called the children of God. 00:16:16.500 --> 00:16:21.460 Therefore the world does not know us, because 00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:27.679 it does not know him. Beloved, now, when? Now, 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:33.419 all right? We are the children of God. Now, we 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:35.679 are the children of God. And how do we become 00:16:35.679 --> 00:16:38.980 the children of God? By faith in Jesus Christ. 00:16:39.659 --> 00:16:41.919 And it has not yet been revealed what we shall 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:46.899 be, but we have, we know that when he is revealed, 00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:49.960 we shall be like him, for we shall see him as 00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:57.009 he is. So through Christ, believers receive adoption 00:16:57.009 --> 00:17:02.289 as sons into the family of God. Through Christ, 00:17:02.429 --> 00:17:06.230 through faith in Christ. Through faith in Christ. 00:17:06.769 --> 00:17:09.130 Not just by coming to church and becoming part 00:17:09.130 --> 00:17:11.950 of a social garden, but by putting your faith 00:17:11.950 --> 00:17:18.910 in Christ, you become part of a family. Galatians 00:17:18.910 --> 00:17:23.759 chapter 4 verse 4. Galatians 4, verse 4 to 7. 00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:26.720 It says, But when the fullness of time has come, 00:17:27.019 --> 00:17:30.980 God sent forth his Son, of course, Jesus Christ, 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:37.220 born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:42.099 those who were under the law, that we might receive 00:17:42.099 --> 00:17:49.440 adoption as sons. And because you are sons, that 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:53.259 is those who have believed. God has sent forth 00:17:53.259 --> 00:18:00.039 the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:05.619 out, Abba, Father. Therefore, you are no longer 00:18:05.619 --> 00:18:11.119 a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:12.660 of God through Christ. You know, there are some 00:18:12.660 --> 00:18:13.940 people who have thought that when you become 00:18:13.940 --> 00:18:17.880 a believer, then you are not a son yet. You are 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:21.390 a child. Then as you grow, then you now will 00:18:21.390 --> 00:18:24.809 grow into sonship. I mean, it will contradict 00:18:24.809 --> 00:18:29.430 so many biblical texts. Hallelujah. The moment 00:18:29.430 --> 00:18:32.849 you believe, all right? The moment you believe, 00:18:33.009 --> 00:18:36.069 you have the seal of sonship on you, which is 00:18:36.069 --> 00:18:38.730 the spirit of God that has been put in you, the 00:18:38.730 --> 00:18:42.589 believer. Romans 4, verse 14. Romans 4, verse 00:18:42.589 --> 00:18:53.329 14. Romans chapter 4, verse 14. For if those 00:18:53.329 --> 00:19:05.809 who are of the law, Romans 8, 14, sorry. Romans 00:19:05.809 --> 00:19:13.470 8, 14. For as many are led by the Spirit of God, 00:19:13.930 --> 00:19:20.200 these are the sons of God. For you do not receive 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.619 the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you 00:19:23.619 --> 00:19:28.140 receive the spirit of adoption, by whom we cry 00:19:28.140 --> 00:19:36.339 out, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself bears witness 00:19:36.339 --> 00:19:40.559 with our spirit that we are what? That we are 00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:44.539 the children of God. And if children, then heirs, 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:49.059 heirs of God and join heirs with Christ. If indeed 00:19:49.059 --> 00:19:53.500 we suffer with him, that we also be glorified 00:19:53.500 --> 00:19:57.759 together with him. Hallelujah. So we have, we 00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:01.200 share in the spirit of God. You know, we are 00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:06.740 all sons of God, children of God, because we 00:20:06.740 --> 00:20:09.220 have the spirit of God equally in all of us. 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:14.700 Now the church and its members, you know, is 00:20:14.700 --> 00:20:17.730 what we call the household of God, right? It's 00:20:17.730 --> 00:20:19.509 what we call the household of God, the family 00:20:19.509 --> 00:20:23.589 of God, the church. So everybody in church here 00:20:23.589 --> 00:20:29.569 is your brother, is your sister. Hallelujah. 00:20:30.990 --> 00:20:35.750 Not by nationality, not by tribe, not by race, 00:20:35.990 --> 00:20:41.210 not by field of study, not by level of degrees, 00:20:41.549 --> 00:20:48.410 not by gender, not by age. All of us have become 00:20:48.410 --> 00:20:55.930 one part of another. There's no Greek, the Bible 00:20:55.930 --> 00:20:57.490 will say, and there's no Jew. There's no difference. 00:20:58.069 --> 00:21:00.569 So when you see somebody from Nigeria, he's your 00:21:00.569 --> 00:21:06.690 brother. He's your sister. Hallelujah. And that 00:21:06.690 --> 00:21:10.210 must be the perception of the believer. That 00:21:10.210 --> 00:21:12.690 must continuously be the mindset of the believer. 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:19.839 1 Timothy 3, verse 15. 1 Timothy 3, verse 15. 00:21:23.180 --> 00:21:27.079 But if I'm delayed, I write so that you may know 00:21:27.079 --> 00:21:31.559 how you ought to conduct yourself where? In the 00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:36.180 house of God. So there's an expectation of how 00:21:36.180 --> 00:21:38.559 believers will conduct themselves within the 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:41.920 community of believers, the house of God. Which 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:46.099 is what? Which is the church. of the living God. 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:49.680 The house of God is the church of the living 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:53.640 God, a pillar and a ground of truth. Ephesians 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:57.819 chapter 2, verse 19. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 00:21:57.819 --> 00:22:07.740 19. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers 00:22:07.740 --> 00:22:11.980 and foreigners. Talking about you, talking about 00:22:11.980 --> 00:22:14.400 I, we are no longer foreigners. We are no longer 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:19.539 strangers to ourselves. But what are we? We are 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:24.359 fellow citizens, okay? We descend and members 00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:29.960 together of what? Of the household of God. We 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:34.299 are fellow citizens. Doesn't matter the passport 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:36.279 you are carrying in the natural, whether you 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:40.599 are from Canada or you are from Nigeria. or you're 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:43.119 from Liberia, wherever you come from, what do 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:47.400 we have? We have one citizenship. And what is 00:22:47.400 --> 00:22:50.299 the citizenship we have? A spiritual citizenship. 00:22:50.900 --> 00:22:56.119 A supernatural family. And this family is an 00:22:56.119 --> 00:23:03.160 eternal family. And God is our Father. Galatians 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:16.700 6, verse 10. Therefore, as we have opportunity, 00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:22.640 let us do what? Let us do good to all. Specifically, 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:25.119 that especially is specifically what I'm talking 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:28.039 about, those who are of what? Who are of the 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:31.200 household of faith. Who are those of the household 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:34.039 of faith? Our believers, our brothers and sisters 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:40.099 in Christ. Hallelujah. So we are siblings. We 00:23:40.099 --> 00:23:43.039 are family members. So for you to tell someone 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:52.400 in church brother, brother is not a cliche. No, 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:55.559 don't call me brother. My name is Mark. Just 00:23:55.559 --> 00:23:58.640 call me Mark. I'm not a brother. We've attached 00:23:58.640 --> 00:24:03.900 the name brother to a certain form of stigma. 00:24:04.680 --> 00:24:06.720 When they call you a sister, oh, you know, you've 00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:10.940 become holy and righteous. She's a sister. See? 00:24:11.289 --> 00:24:14.549 It's an honor to be called a brother. It's a 00:24:14.549 --> 00:24:17.250 privilege to be called a sister. Whenever you 00:24:17.250 --> 00:24:21.170 call somebody brother or sister, call it with 00:24:21.170 --> 00:24:26.509 eternity in mind. Hallelujah. Call it in the 00:24:26.509 --> 00:24:28.809 context of the knowledge you have concerning 00:24:28.809 --> 00:24:36.430 what God has done. When you give, you know, you 00:24:36.430 --> 00:24:38.190 go out to preach and somebody become born again. 00:24:39.399 --> 00:24:41.519 immediately becomes one again. He's now a brother. 00:24:41.619 --> 00:24:42.980 You call him, you're a brother, you're a brother. 00:24:43.619 --> 00:24:46.660 You're my sister. You're part of my family. You're 00:24:46.660 --> 00:24:49.799 part of my spiritual family. You're part of the 00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:55.099 brotherhood. Hallelujah. So you're my brother, 00:24:55.200 --> 00:25:00.420 you're my sister. We are siblings. And we have 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:04.460 an elder brother. And it's Jesus. Hallelujah. 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:09.990 Matthew 12, verse 48. When Jesus was teaching, 00:25:10.170 --> 00:25:13.069 and they came to him, they said, Your brothers 00:25:13.069 --> 00:25:16.450 are looking for you. But he answered and said 00:25:16.450 --> 00:25:19.410 to them, One who told him, Who is my mother and 00:25:19.410 --> 00:25:23.089 who are my brothers? And he stretched out his 00:25:23.089 --> 00:25:27.269 hands towards his disciples and said, Here are 00:25:27.269 --> 00:25:38.230 my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the 00:25:38.230 --> 00:25:41.730 will of my Father in heaven is what? Is my brother 00:25:41.730 --> 00:25:45.250 and my sister and my mother. And what is the 00:25:45.250 --> 00:25:47.789 will of the Father? The will of the Father is 00:25:47.789 --> 00:25:50.130 that every man will believe in Jesus Christ. 00:25:51.190 --> 00:25:55.309 And when you become a believer in Christ, you 00:25:55.309 --> 00:26:01.849 become part of God's family. And Jesus and God 00:26:01.849 --> 00:26:04.569 and the Spirit of God in unison will become part 00:26:04.569 --> 00:26:13.589 of God's family. Hebrews 2 verse 11. Hebrews 00:26:13.589 --> 00:26:18.130 2 verse 11. It says, for both he who sanctifies 00:26:18.130 --> 00:26:21.910 and those who are sanctified, remove that din, 00:26:22.049 --> 00:26:28.349 are all of one. All right? For both he who sanctifies 00:26:28.349 --> 00:26:33.569 and those who are sanctified are all of one. 00:26:33.890 --> 00:26:36.890 For which reason he is not ashamed to call them 00:26:36.890 --> 00:26:41.849 what? Jesus is not ashamed to call you brother. 00:26:43.869 --> 00:26:51.029 He's not ashamed to call you my family. So why 00:26:51.029 --> 00:26:53.509 should you be ashamed of calling somebody in 00:26:53.509 --> 00:27:02.789 church your brother or your sister? He's not 00:27:02.789 --> 00:27:05.549 ashamed to call us brothers, brethren. Ephesians 00:27:05.549 --> 00:27:11.289 3, verse 14 and 15. Ephesians 3, verse 14 and 00:27:11.289 --> 00:27:16.009 15. For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father 00:27:16.009 --> 00:27:19.970 of our Lord Jesus Christ. From when the whole 00:27:19.970 --> 00:27:25.109 family, where is that family? In heaven, and 00:27:25.109 --> 00:27:30.450 earth is named. Who are those in heaven? The 00:27:30.450 --> 00:27:33.250 saints, those who have slept in Christ, alright? 00:27:33.900 --> 00:27:36.460 And we that are on earth, all right, that we 00:27:36.460 --> 00:27:41.400 are named, verse 16, that he will grant you, 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:43.460 according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened 00:27:43.460 --> 00:27:46.079 with might through the spirit in the inner man, 00:27:46.279 --> 00:27:49.420 just trying to betray the family. All right? 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:54.059 So as members of God's family, we carry his divine 00:27:54.059 --> 00:27:59.759 nature. We carry God's divine nature in us. So 00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:01.480 when we begin to talk about walking in love, 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:04.410 it will be easier for us to understand. Why we 00:28:04.410 --> 00:28:07.009 should walk in love, how we should walk in love, 00:28:07.049 --> 00:28:10.390 and how we are empowered to walk in love. We 00:28:10.390 --> 00:28:13.750 have God's divine nature in us. Are we together? 00:28:14.089 --> 00:28:17.569 We have God's divine nature in us. We share in 00:28:17.569 --> 00:28:21.490 the sacred nature of God. 2 Peter 1 verse 4 talks 00:28:21.490 --> 00:28:23.589 about this. Of course, we read scripture that 00:28:23.589 --> 00:28:26.450 talks about his spirit inbearing in us. Now that 00:28:26.450 --> 00:28:30.650 spirit is God's nature in us. So whatever God 00:28:30.650 --> 00:28:36.920 will do, you can do. Hallelujah. 2 Peter chapter 00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:41.200 1 verse 4. Because you see, Peter said, how often 00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:45.440 should I forgive my brother? Right? In fact, 00:28:45.539 --> 00:28:47.000 let's look at the one before we come to this 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:49.380 one. Let's look at the one in Luke. In Luke chapter 00:28:49.380 --> 00:28:54.019 17 verse 1. To give us context to that text, 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:56.480 Luke chapter 17 verse 1. Then he said to the 00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:59.559 disciples, it is impossible that no offenses 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:03.579 should come. Alright? but war to him through 00:29:03.579 --> 00:29:07.460 whom they do come. It should be better for him 00:29:07.460 --> 00:29:09.880 if a milestone were hung around his neck and 00:29:09.880 --> 00:29:12.740 he were thrown into the sea than he should offend 00:29:12.740 --> 00:29:16.420 one of these little ones. Take it to yourselves. 00:29:18.259 --> 00:29:21.779 This is Jesus speaking. If your brother sins 00:29:21.779 --> 00:29:25.859 against you, do what? Rebuke him. Now, what is 00:29:25.859 --> 00:29:27.980 rebuke? We must understand rebuke in this context. 00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:32.319 We'll explain that subsequently. And if he repents, 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:36.579 what do you do? Forgive. Okay? Thinking about 00:29:36.579 --> 00:29:40.079 your brother. All right? And if he sues against 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:44.119 you seven times in a day, because some of us, 00:29:44.200 --> 00:29:49.079 our forgiveness has limits. It seems as though 00:29:49.079 --> 00:29:51.180 our forgiveness, once someone do something once 00:29:51.180 --> 00:29:54.440 and twice, and I say it's enough. Your cup has 00:29:54.440 --> 00:30:00.259 full. And if he sins against you seven times, 00:30:00.259 --> 00:30:05.980 where? In a day. Right? And seven times a day 00:30:05.980 --> 00:30:08.460 he returns to you saying, I repent. You should 00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:11.579 do what? You shall do what? You shall forgive. 00:30:11.819 --> 00:30:15.059 It's not an advice. It's not a counsel. It's 00:30:15.059 --> 00:30:22.579 not a plea. It's an instruction. Verse 5. And 00:30:22.579 --> 00:30:24.559 the apostles said to the Lord, increase our faith 00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:28.740 because they know what Jesus is saying. Amen? 00:30:29.140 --> 00:30:31.440 No wonder it's an increase because this thing 00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:39.660 can only be done by faith. Hallelujah. So for 00:30:39.660 --> 00:30:43.220 us to be able to do what God has done, what God 00:30:43.220 --> 00:30:47.380 is doing, right? We must be able to have a mechanism 00:30:47.380 --> 00:30:50.240 in us that allows us to do what God is doing 00:30:50.240 --> 00:30:54.980 or what God has done. So what he put in us is 00:30:54.980 --> 00:30:58.630 his spirit to enable us to do what? to do what 00:30:58.630 --> 00:31:03.250 he has done and what he's doing. 2 Peter, we 00:31:03.250 --> 00:31:08.289 are about to read, 1 verse 4, talks about us. 00:31:08.369 --> 00:31:10.549 Yes, it says, by which we have been given to 00:31:10.549 --> 00:31:25.049 us. Is it a text? Previous verse? Previous verse 00:31:25.049 --> 00:31:36.369 to read? So we have... Yes. No, not... This is 00:31:36.369 --> 00:31:39.410 not... This is not the text I'm looking for. 00:31:39.470 --> 00:31:42.890 Anyway, but give me 1 John 4, verse 8 and 16. 00:31:44.809 --> 00:31:53.410 1 John 4, verse 8 and 16. It says, He who does 00:31:53.410 --> 00:32:00.940 not love does not know God. What is God? God 00:32:00.940 --> 00:32:04.940 is what? Is it loving? Verse 15. Go back. Verse 00:32:04.940 --> 00:32:18.440 15. God is what? God. Sorry. Verse 7. Give me 00:32:18.440 --> 00:32:23.220 verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another for 00:32:23.220 --> 00:32:28.140 love is what? Is of God. And everyone who loves 00:32:28.140 --> 00:32:34.329 is what? is born of God and knows God. Verse 00:32:34.329 --> 00:32:39.869 8. He who does not love does not know God for 00:32:39.869 --> 00:32:48.390 God is what? For God is love. Verse 16. And who 00:32:48.390 --> 00:32:52.750 have known and believe the love that God has 00:32:52.750 --> 00:32:58.470 for us. God is love. And he who abides in love 00:32:58.470 --> 00:33:03.049 abides in what? In God. And God does what? God 00:33:03.049 --> 00:33:07.849 in him. Hallelujah. So God our Father is love. 00:33:07.930 --> 00:33:11.769 Therefore, we carry in us the nature of love. 00:33:13.869 --> 00:33:16.910 Hallelujah. So when we begin to talk about how 00:33:16.910 --> 00:33:19.769 we will forgive and reconcile, know already that 00:33:19.769 --> 00:33:23.269 we have God working in us to will, to do and 00:33:23.269 --> 00:33:27.890 to will according to. To do what he has desire 00:33:27.890 --> 00:33:31.710 for us to do by his spirit. So it is him that 00:33:31.710 --> 00:33:39.509 is working in us. So love is a nature and a culture 00:33:39.509 --> 00:33:46.650 of this family. Okay? Love is what? Is our nature. 00:33:47.769 --> 00:33:52.529 So love is my nature. And it is our culture. 00:33:53.769 --> 00:33:59.369 It's our culture. It's a nature and also our 00:33:59.369 --> 00:34:02.269 culture. What is a culture? Culture is what we 00:34:02.269 --> 00:34:07.589 do. It's what we do always, not just do it once. 00:34:10.150 --> 00:34:16.969 All right? It's what we do always. John 13, verse 00:34:16.969 --> 00:34:26.309 34 and 35. And the commandment I give to you, 00:34:26.469 --> 00:34:32.070 that you do what? That you love one another. 00:34:34.269 --> 00:34:36.369 Is he talking about the world? No, he's talking 00:34:36.369 --> 00:34:40.989 about believers, disciples here. By this, all 00:34:40.989 --> 00:34:45.530 will know that you are my disciples, if you have 00:34:45.530 --> 00:34:53.510 love for one another. 1 Peter 2, 17. 1 Peter 00:34:53.510 --> 00:35:02.929 2 .17 Honor all people. Do what? Love the brethren. 00:35:03.130 --> 00:35:07.630 Love the brotherhoods. Love the brotherhoods. 00:35:07.909 --> 00:35:21.190 Hebrews 13 .1 Let brotherly love cease to exist. 00:35:21.869 --> 00:35:26.969 Is that what he's saying? Let what? Broadly love. 00:35:27.070 --> 00:35:32.690 Do what? Continue. This should be a memory verse 00:35:32.690 --> 00:35:37.449 for you for this week. Let broadly love continue. 00:35:37.929 --> 00:35:43.929 Four words. Let broadly love what? Continue. 00:35:45.409 --> 00:35:50.170 It is our culture. It is our lifestyle to love. 00:35:50.860 --> 00:35:54.800 First of all, we love one another. Hallelujah. 00:35:55.500 --> 00:35:58.820 Because we have the nature of God in us, we must 00:35:58.820 --> 00:36:01.400 love the members of our supernatural family. 00:36:02.539 --> 00:36:08.119 Tell your neighbor, you must love me. Tell your 00:36:08.119 --> 00:36:10.199 brother and your sister, say, you must love me. 00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:24.309 Say, I must love you. Ephesians 5, verse 1 and 00:36:24.309 --> 00:36:33.110 2. Ephesians 5, because we are children of God. 00:36:33.889 --> 00:36:37.449 So therefore be imitators of God as their children. 00:36:37.570 --> 00:36:39.530 So where are we learning our love from? From 00:36:39.530 --> 00:36:45.150 God, right? And walk in love as Christ also has 00:36:45.150 --> 00:36:49.269 loved us and given himself for us an offering 00:36:49.269 --> 00:36:52.500 and a sacrifice to God. for a sweet -smelling, 00:36:52.500 --> 00:37:00.360 sour aroma. Romans 12 verse 10. Romans 12 verse 00:37:00.360 --> 00:37:06.440 10. Be kindly affectionate to one another with 00:37:06.440 --> 00:37:10.840 what? With brotherly love. In honor, giving preference 00:37:10.840 --> 00:37:14.239 one to another. Putting others first. Honoring 00:37:14.239 --> 00:37:19.139 people. Honoring ourselves. Letting love find 00:37:19.139 --> 00:37:24.710 expression. From among the family of God's people, 00:37:24.829 --> 00:37:33.409 the church, the believers. 1 Peter 1 .22. 1 Peter 00:37:33.409 --> 00:37:40.170 1 .22. Since you have purified your souls, how 00:37:40.170 --> 00:37:42.550 did you purify your souls? By believing in Jesus 00:37:42.550 --> 00:37:47.969 Christ, right? In obeying the truth through the 00:37:47.969 --> 00:37:51.170 Spirit, in sincere love. of the brethren. Do 00:37:51.170 --> 00:37:56.730 what? Love one another. How? Casually. Casually. 00:37:58.789 --> 00:38:01.590 Fervently. Right? I think the apostle told us 00:38:01.590 --> 00:38:09.150 about fervency. Right? In what? Eh? The fervent 00:38:09.150 --> 00:38:14.610 spirit. Right? Fervency. Because he would love 00:38:14.610 --> 00:38:19.489 for the brethren. That's what it means. Loving 00:38:19.489 --> 00:38:23.750 one another fervently, not casually. With what? 00:38:24.489 --> 00:38:27.869 With a pure heart. Because some of us, our love 00:38:27.869 --> 00:38:35.150 towards one another is not pure. When somebody 00:38:35.150 --> 00:38:37.150 says, I love you, it's not really that he loves 00:38:37.150 --> 00:38:40.630 you. It's beyond what he's saying. It's not from 00:38:40.630 --> 00:38:48.420 a pure heart. Hallelujah. So we must love one 00:38:48.420 --> 00:38:52.099 another from a pure heart. From a pure heart. 00:38:56.179 --> 00:39:03.260 1 John 3 verse 16 1 John 3 verse 16 Talking about 00:39:03.260 --> 00:39:09.099 the love of God. By this we know love because 00:39:09.099 --> 00:39:15.760 He laid down His life for us and we also us to 00:39:15.760 --> 00:39:18.960 lay down our life for who? For the brethren, 00:39:19.079 --> 00:39:25.739 for the brothers, for the sisters. 17. But whoever 00:39:25.739 --> 00:39:28.519 has this world's goods, he's explaining how we 00:39:28.519 --> 00:39:31.360 lay down our lives for one another, not by dying 00:39:31.360 --> 00:39:35.539 physically. Probably to, it might lead us to 00:39:35.539 --> 00:39:39.860 that. Who knows? But whoever has this world's 00:39:39.860 --> 00:39:43.639 goods and sees his brother in need and shuts 00:39:43.639 --> 00:39:47.510 up He's heard from him. How does the love of 00:39:47.510 --> 00:39:51.010 God abide in him? It's a question, verse 18. 00:39:52.070 --> 00:39:56.889 My little children, let us not love a word. In 00:39:56.889 --> 00:40:01.730 words alone, but also in our action. Let our 00:40:01.730 --> 00:40:04.469 action correspond with our words. So as you've 00:40:04.469 --> 00:40:08.250 gone around and you've professed love one to 00:40:08.250 --> 00:40:13.760 another, back your words with actions. Are we 00:40:13.760 --> 00:40:16.639 together? Let your words be accompanied with 00:40:16.639 --> 00:40:23.239 actions. Let's perform our love. Listen, love 00:40:23.239 --> 00:40:31.460 without action is a wish. Amen? Because Jesus 00:40:31.460 --> 00:40:33.380 did not just tell you, I love you. God did not 00:40:33.380 --> 00:40:37.460 just say, I love you. But what did he do? He 00:40:37.460 --> 00:40:43.349 demonstrated the love. Hallelujah. You, Cannot 00:40:43.349 --> 00:40:52.909 love God. Amen? What will you give God? Eh? You 00:40:52.909 --> 00:40:56.449 receive the love of God. Hallelujah. So we receive, 00:40:56.510 --> 00:41:01.449 because love was, we see love in sacrifice. And 00:41:01.449 --> 00:41:03.909 God has demonstrated this love by giving us Christ. 00:41:05.110 --> 00:41:09.739 So we have to allow this love. flow through us 00:41:09.739 --> 00:41:12.099 into the life of others. Not just in saying, 00:41:12.119 --> 00:41:16.460 I love you, my brother, my sister, but it must 00:41:16.460 --> 00:41:20.199 be seen in our actions, our conducts, our relationship 00:41:20.199 --> 00:41:25.500 towards one another. That is why the Bible will 00:41:25.500 --> 00:41:29.159 counsel you. If you want to marry, make sure 00:41:29.159 --> 00:41:34.619 you marry from where? From your family. Hallelujah. 00:41:35.369 --> 00:41:37.829 Because it's only this kind of marriage that 00:41:37.829 --> 00:41:46.230 you can see the genuine love of God. 1 Peter 00:41:46.230 --> 00:41:57.869 4 verse 8. 1 Peter 4 verse 8. And above all things, 00:41:58.090 --> 00:42:00.409 you see, whenever you see love, you see this 00:42:00.409 --> 00:42:05.050 sense of fervence. Alright? Above all things, 00:42:05.340 --> 00:42:08.760 Have what? What kind of love? A fervent love 00:42:08.760 --> 00:42:14.500 for one another. For love will do what? Will 00:42:14.500 --> 00:42:19.079 cover a multitude of sins. Love will cover a 00:42:19.079 --> 00:42:21.679 multitude of sins. 1 John chapter 4 verse 20. 00:42:22.300 --> 00:42:30.360 1 John 4 verse 20. So loving one another becomes 00:42:30.360 --> 00:42:33.800 a necessity. Loving your brothers and sisters 00:42:33.800 --> 00:42:38.960 in Christ becomes something compulsory because 00:42:38.960 --> 00:42:43.079 you have experienced the love of God. Therefore, 00:42:43.179 --> 00:42:46.579 you must love one another. If someone says, I 00:42:46.579 --> 00:42:51.179 love God and hate his brother, what is he? He's 00:42:51.179 --> 00:42:54.559 a liar. So you cannot come to church and say, 00:42:54.619 --> 00:42:58.000 see, I don't like Sister Christy, but our blood 00:42:58.000 --> 00:43:04.530 do not. Which blood? Is it the blood Jesus shed 00:43:04.530 --> 00:43:10.510 that does not match? Hallelujah. You know, I 00:43:10.510 --> 00:43:12.309 don't have this connection. We don't connect. 00:43:12.449 --> 00:43:15.170 You have to connect because you've been eternally 00:43:15.170 --> 00:43:18.590 connected by the Spirit of God. The problem is 00:43:18.590 --> 00:43:20.949 with you. You're not walking in love. You're 00:43:20.949 --> 00:43:25.610 walking in the flesh. If someone says, I love 00:43:25.610 --> 00:43:29.190 God and hate his brother, he is a liar. For he 00:43:29.190 --> 00:43:32.409 who does not love... his brother whom he has 00:43:32.409 --> 00:43:37.530 seen with his coro -coro eyes. How can he love 00:43:37.530 --> 00:43:44.530 God whom he has not seen? How? Verse 21. And 00:43:44.530 --> 00:43:47.030 this commandment we have from him, from God, 00:43:47.150 --> 00:43:53.510 from Jesus, that he who loves God must. Hallelujah. 00:43:53.829 --> 00:44:00.449 You must love your brother also. You must love 00:44:00.449 --> 00:44:04.929 your brother also. Even if your brother is unlovable, 00:44:05.150 --> 00:44:08.130 you must love your brother. Even if your brother 00:44:08.130 --> 00:44:11.030 is loud, you must love your brother. Even if 00:44:11.030 --> 00:44:19.230 your brother is too quiet. Even if he is as vibing 00:44:19.230 --> 00:44:26.550 like Pastor Carson, you have no choice. Hallelujah. 00:44:27.150 --> 00:44:30.269 Because we have come into union. And this union 00:44:30.269 --> 00:44:32.630 is an eternal union by the Spirit of God. So 00:44:32.630 --> 00:44:34.710 we have an obligation to do what? To love one 00:44:34.710 --> 00:44:38.869 another. Even in offenses, we are coming to that, 00:44:38.869 --> 00:44:41.670 we explain that text. We are laying a solid foundation 00:44:41.670 --> 00:44:46.090 to bring us into explaining how we, us to forgive 00:44:46.090 --> 00:44:53.349 and reconcile. So, in this family, in this relationship, 00:44:53.630 --> 00:44:56.530 the supernatural relationship, amen? The supernatural 00:44:56.530 --> 00:44:59.530 family, tell your brother, offenses will come. 00:45:01.769 --> 00:45:04.750 Hallelujah. We saw that, right? Luke 17 verse 00:45:04.750 --> 00:45:09.110 1. Offenses will what? Will come. What does it 00:45:09.110 --> 00:45:14.730 mean? Conflict will come in the household of 00:45:14.730 --> 00:45:20.909 God. In the spiritual family of God's people, 00:45:21.289 --> 00:45:26.260 conflict will do what? Will come. Hallelujah. 00:45:26.880 --> 00:45:30.219 So when there's conflict, what do you do? You 00:45:30.219 --> 00:45:34.360 run away. When there's conflict, what do you 00:45:34.360 --> 00:45:38.820 do? You change church. How many of you, your 00:45:38.820 --> 00:45:40.940 mom has offended you and decided to change family? 00:45:44.099 --> 00:45:53.199 Huh? Some people say they're all worse. Your 00:45:53.199 --> 00:45:55.079 boss annoyed you, you didn't change the job. 00:45:59.079 --> 00:46:01.980 Your lecturer offended you. You cannot even drop 00:46:01.980 --> 00:46:05.559 the course. And the moment a brother does not 00:46:05.559 --> 00:46:09.139 greet you well, you change church. Can you now 00:46:09.139 --> 00:46:15.260 say that you are the one with the problem? Leave 00:46:15.260 --> 00:46:22.340 the job now. Let's see what will you eat. Hallelujah. 00:46:23.619 --> 00:46:25.780 You will show up the next morning even before 00:46:25.780 --> 00:46:29.440 your boss. He rubbishes you. Abuse, you send 00:46:29.440 --> 00:46:33.079 dirty emails, stupid. You show up again and say, 00:46:33.159 --> 00:46:39.059 thank you, sir. Yes, sir. But little things in 00:46:39.059 --> 00:46:42.260 church, because they didn't serve you well, and 00:46:42.260 --> 00:46:46.059 you became offended. All these were hypocrites. 00:46:47.639 --> 00:46:52.199 You are one of the hypocrites. Because you also 00:46:52.199 --> 00:46:55.539 will offend people. So the Bible says that Yes, 00:46:55.579 --> 00:46:59.300 he says to them, it is impossible, right? It 00:46:59.300 --> 00:47:03.619 is impossible that no offenses should come. Which 00:47:03.619 --> 00:47:07.099 means that offenses will definitely arise from 00:47:07.099 --> 00:47:10.239 our relationship with one another. Listen, some 00:47:10.239 --> 00:47:12.059 of the conflict will arise from even being what 00:47:12.059 --> 00:47:15.239 is right. We only have differences in perspective. 00:47:16.400 --> 00:47:18.900 All right? For example, Pastor Chidi will say, 00:47:19.019 --> 00:47:22.219 this should be there and that one should be there. 00:47:22.239 --> 00:47:24.079 You are thinking this one will be there. And 00:47:24.079 --> 00:47:25.579 that one should be there. And then conflict has 00:47:25.579 --> 00:47:29.340 come. I don't like the way you talk to me. Talk 00:47:29.340 --> 00:47:32.219 to me as if I'm a child. Before you know it, 00:47:32.219 --> 00:47:36.119 emotions have rised. And then words have been 00:47:36.119 --> 00:47:40.760 said. Even the words are out of context. But 00:47:40.760 --> 00:47:42.340 we give context to the words that were said. 00:47:42.699 --> 00:47:44.860 We give meaning to what we think people are saying. 00:47:45.760 --> 00:47:48.679 And then what happens? We rise in our hearts. 00:47:48.760 --> 00:47:52.000 Alright? Offense. We see offenses rising in our 00:47:52.000 --> 00:47:58.469 hearts. So in the family of God, so long as we 00:47:58.469 --> 00:48:01.070 are in this world, offenses will come. Hallelujah. 00:48:01.710 --> 00:48:04.889 So what do we do? We prepare ourselves for offenses. 00:48:06.130 --> 00:48:10.269 Amen. We are empowered. We are waiting for offenses 00:48:10.269 --> 00:48:21.809 to come. So disagreement will come. We are not 00:48:21.809 --> 00:48:24.489 immune from disagreement and conflicts. There 00:48:24.489 --> 00:48:26.070 are several examples in Scripture. We'll just 00:48:26.070 --> 00:48:28.150 look at examples and then we continue within 00:48:28.150 --> 00:48:30.329 the midweek. There are several examples you can 00:48:30.329 --> 00:48:33.030 see in Scripture of people, of believers. Listen, 00:48:33.090 --> 00:48:37.250 I'm not talking about baby Christians. Your apostles, 00:48:37.510 --> 00:48:45.409 Apostle Paul, Galatians 2, verse 11 and 14. Not 00:48:45.409 --> 00:48:49.909 even in the book of Acts. Galatians 2, verse 00:48:49.909 --> 00:48:54.469 11 to 14. Now, when Peter had come to Antioch, 00:48:54.630 --> 00:48:57.349 who are you speaking? Paul is the one speaking 00:48:57.349 --> 00:49:00.230 here, right? Even though we've not heard Peter's 00:49:00.230 --> 00:49:02.670 side of the story. But this is Paul speaking, 00:49:02.889 --> 00:49:07.010 right? Now, when Peter had come to Antioch, what 00:49:07.010 --> 00:49:11.550 did he say? I was touching to his face because 00:49:11.550 --> 00:49:16.909 he was to be blamed. All right? For before setting 00:49:16.909 --> 00:49:21.480 me, this is what Peter was doing. For before 00:49:21.480 --> 00:49:25.000 certain men came from James, he would eat with 00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:29.940 the Gentiles, right? But when they came, he withdrew 00:49:29.940 --> 00:49:33.320 and separated himself, fearing those who were 00:49:33.320 --> 00:49:35.760 of what? Who were of the circumcision. So it 00:49:35.760 --> 00:49:42.619 seems as though Peter was not, he knew the truth, 00:49:42.679 --> 00:49:44.539 but he was not, he was not trying to please people, 00:49:44.639 --> 00:49:48.099 right? And Paul said, I withstood him, verse 00:49:48.099 --> 00:49:53.800 14. Yes, verse 13. And the rest of the Jews also 00:49:53.800 --> 00:49:58.639 played the hypocrite with him. So that even Barnabas 00:49:58.639 --> 00:50:02.820 was carried away with their hypocrisy. Verse 00:50:02.820 --> 00:50:05.940 14. But when I saw that they were not straightforward 00:50:05.940 --> 00:50:09.460 about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter 00:50:09.460 --> 00:50:12.460 before them all, if you, being a Jew, live in 00:50:12.460 --> 00:50:15.059 the manner of Gentiles and not as Jews, why do 00:50:15.059 --> 00:50:18.000 you compare Gentiles to live as Jews? Here's 00:50:18.000 --> 00:50:20.739 his confrontation. And then we will look at how, 00:50:20.860 --> 00:50:25.500 later on, Paul and Barnabas, I see Paul is very 00:50:25.500 --> 00:50:28.480 confrontational. Paul and Barnabas, Acts 15 verse 00:50:28.480 --> 00:50:41.420 36. Yes. Acts 15 verse 36. Then after some days, 00:50:41.480 --> 00:50:44.300 Paul said to Barnabas, let us now go back and 00:50:44.300 --> 00:50:47.940 visit our brethren in every, it's our ministry 00:50:47.940 --> 00:50:51.940 partners. In every city where we have preached 00:50:51.940 --> 00:50:54.380 the word of the Lord and see how they are doing. 00:50:55.480 --> 00:50:59.679 All right? Verse 7. Now Barnabas was determined 00:50:59.679 --> 00:51:02.699 to take with them John, call Mark, John Mark. 00:51:04.179 --> 00:51:07.739 But Paul insisted that they should not take with 00:51:07.739 --> 00:51:11.400 them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia 00:51:11.400 --> 00:51:14.780 and had not gone with them to the walk. Why is 00:51:14.780 --> 00:51:16.159 it that when we are doing the work, you run away? 00:51:16.380 --> 00:51:20.000 So that when the things are done, You want to 00:51:20.000 --> 00:51:21.739 come and partake in the glory. No, no, no, no, 00:51:21.739 --> 00:51:26.940 no. And I mean, Paul is right. Are we together? 00:51:27.980 --> 00:51:35.300 Peter is also right. If you look at it from different 00:51:35.300 --> 00:51:38.260 contexts, both of them are right. But this is 00:51:38.260 --> 00:51:42.820 disagreement. Hallelujah. Then the contention 00:51:42.820 --> 00:51:48.489 became what? It became so sharp. To the point 00:51:48.489 --> 00:51:53.369 that they parted from one another. Alright? And 00:51:53.369 --> 00:51:56.309 so Barnabas, he assisted and then he took Mark. 00:51:56.809 --> 00:51:59.610 Do you know why? Mark is related to Barnabas. 00:52:01.969 --> 00:52:06.690 This family relationship. So they came to Cyprus 00:52:06.690 --> 00:52:13.449 here. Okay? But Paul chose Silas and departed. 00:52:13.769 --> 00:52:17.300 Being commended by what? Now, underline this, 00:52:17.340 --> 00:52:19.659 the church, the brethren to the grace of God, 00:52:19.699 --> 00:52:22.800 because the church was part of that conflict. 00:52:22.860 --> 00:52:25.840 We'll discuss it subsequently. How the church 00:52:25.840 --> 00:52:30.440 is important in dealing with offenses and conflicts 00:52:30.440 --> 00:52:35.300 in the church. Hallelujah. Philippians 4 verse 00:52:35.300 --> 00:52:38.179 2 in the NLT. Philippians 4 verse 2. We're just 00:52:38.179 --> 00:52:40.139 looking at, pointing at examples of believers 00:52:40.139 --> 00:52:49.860 who had conflict and issues. Philippians 4 verse 00:52:49.860 --> 00:52:55.360 2. Now I appear to you, dear, whatever the name 00:52:55.360 --> 00:52:56.719 is, I don't know whether it's correct, and St. 00:52:56.920 --> 00:53:01.019 Tiki, please, because you belong to Jesus Christ, 00:53:01.380 --> 00:53:06.719 right? I beg, because you are believers, settle 00:53:06.719 --> 00:53:10.559 your what? Your disagreement. Which means that 00:53:10.559 --> 00:53:14.300 they have disagreement that Paul was aware of 00:53:14.300 --> 00:53:17.820 their disagreement. And this is Paul's premise 00:53:17.820 --> 00:53:22.699 for a context. The context is that they are believers. 00:53:24.360 --> 00:53:27.739 They both belong to the Lord. For the fact that 00:53:27.739 --> 00:53:30.380 you belong to the Lord, do what? Settle your 00:53:30.380 --> 00:53:38.500 beef. Hallelujah. So, there are examples we can 00:53:38.500 --> 00:53:41.420 see. We are not immune to having this disagreement 00:53:41.420 --> 00:53:44.820 and conflict, right? But when we have disagreement 00:53:44.820 --> 00:53:48.449 within ourselves, as family, what is our response? 00:53:49.789 --> 00:53:52.369 Do we leave the family? Do we refuse to reconcile? 00:53:52.989 --> 00:53:58.090 Do we forgive and yet not reconcile? Forgiveness 00:53:58.090 --> 00:54:01.889 and reconciliation is a very important part of 00:54:01.889 --> 00:54:06.210 our nature. Alright? And God has enumerated to 00:54:06.210 --> 00:54:09.829 us a standard and a procedure by which we must 00:54:09.829 --> 00:54:14.030 work, we must reconcile. Hallelujah. If your 00:54:14.030 --> 00:54:17.710 brother sees against you, What do you do? You 00:54:17.710 --> 00:54:20.050 don't go to your Facebook status to post about 00:54:20.050 --> 00:54:24.090 the offense of your brother. You go and tell 00:54:24.090 --> 00:54:28.909 him his fault between you and him alone. If he 00:54:28.909 --> 00:54:31.789 hears you, you have won, you have gained your 00:54:31.789 --> 00:54:35.489 brother. But if he will not hear, take with you 00:54:35.489 --> 00:54:39.989 one or two more that by the mouth of two or three 00:54:39.989 --> 00:54:44.349 witnesses, every word may be established. We're 00:54:44.349 --> 00:54:48.900 going to look at... how this works. Are you the 00:54:48.900 --> 00:54:53.079 one that has been offended? You go. Are you the 00:54:53.079 --> 00:54:55.199 one that has offended someone? What is your response? 00:54:55.800 --> 00:54:58.460 Are you the one or two that they will carry to 00:54:58.460 --> 00:55:01.400 go and reconcile? Because some of you, when someone 00:55:01.400 --> 00:55:03.019 comes and tells you that, see, Pastor Chidi, 00:55:03.179 --> 00:55:07.139 what Pastor Victor did to me, then you completely 00:55:07.139 --> 00:55:13.789 become on my own side. I win you over. Me telling 00:55:13.789 --> 00:55:16.030 you so that you will be sympathetic towards my 00:55:16.030 --> 00:55:19.489 cause. So even when we go to Pastor Victor, we 00:55:19.489 --> 00:55:23.190 are going with full force of three people. To 00:55:23.190 --> 00:55:27.650 do what? To win the argument. That is not how 00:55:27.650 --> 00:55:29.949 you go to the consul, people. So either if you 00:55:29.949 --> 00:55:32.190 are the offender, the offendee, or the offender, 00:55:32.429 --> 00:55:36.989 or the two or three that is going to the consul, 00:55:36.989 --> 00:55:39.449 there is a way. Bible teaches us how to do it 00:55:39.449 --> 00:55:41.730 and we shall see it. Hallelujah. Off your mind 00:55:41.730 --> 00:55:46.550 and bless God and bless God and thank God. Bless 00:55:46.550 --> 00:55:50.289 God for your family, for your supernatural family. 00:55:53.449 --> 00:55:56.210 And if there be anyone in your heart right now 00:55:56.210 --> 00:56:00.309 that God is bringing to your notice by the Spirit, 00:56:00.550 --> 00:56:03.989 someone that you've offended or someone that 00:56:03.989 --> 00:56:09.670 has offended you, by the leading of God's Spirit, 00:56:11.760 --> 00:56:14.519 You have to reconcile. Some of us, the people 00:56:14.519 --> 00:56:16.880 that are not even here, they might even be your 00:56:16.880 --> 00:56:22.179 family, in your country, in your school, in this 00:56:22.179 --> 00:56:29.039 church, in this family. We appreciate you being 00:56:29.039 --> 00:56:31.719 here today. We hope you carry this word with 00:56:31.719 --> 00:56:34.719 you throughout your week. Don't forget to check 00:56:34.719 --> 00:56:37.360 the show notes for additional insights. Stay 00:56:37.360 --> 00:56:39.960 connected with us through our website. or follow 00:56:39.960 --> 00:56:43.780 us on social media. If you are encouraged, share 00:56:43.780 --> 00:56:46.780 this message with someone you care about. Until 00:56:46.780 --> 00:56:48.400 next time, stay blessed.