Latest / Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons / The Issues About Women’s Liberty: The Giving of the Law (Part 29)
Transcript
- 0:01Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is
- 0:06designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
- 0:09walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
- 0:14the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
- 0:18right in. Colossians chapter 2 I'm trusting God
- 0:29we're supposed to finish off the last part for
- 0:32this today. Amen. I guess is it 29 today? Hallelujah.
- 0:49Colossians chapter 2 verse 15. Having disarmed
- 0:56principalities, and powers. He made a public
- 1:00spectacle of them triumphing over them in it.
- 1:06So let no one judge you in food or in drink,
- 1:14or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbath,
- 1:22which are a shadow of the things to come, where
- 1:26the substance Let no one cheat you of your reward,
- 1:36taking delight in false humility and worship
- 1:40of angels, intruding into those things which
- 1:46he has not seen. from whom all the body nourished
- 2:02and knit together by joints and ligaments, grow
- 2:06with the increase that is from God. Therefore,
- 2:13if you died with Christ from the basic principles
- 2:18of the world, why, as though living in the world,
- 2:24do you subject yourself to regulations, do not
- 2:28touch? do not test, do not handle, which all
- 2:35concerning this, which concerning things which
- 2:42perish with the using, according to the commandment
- 2:46and doctrine of men. These things indeed have
- 2:51an appearance of wisdom in self -imposed religion.
- 2:57false humility and neglect of the body, but are
- 3:05of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
- 3:11Chapter 3 verse 1. If then you were raised with
- 3:14Christ, seek those things which are above, where
- 3:18Christ is sitting, at the right hand of God.
- 3:23Set your mind on things above, not on the things
- 3:27on the earth for you will die and your life is
- 3:33hidden with christ in god hallelujah so what
- 3:39i will just do today is just to look at the implications
- 3:43for getting involved in the worship of angels
- 3:47the implications of getting involved in the worship
- 3:54of angels. In other words, what is the implication
- 4:02of practicing the law? Even while you are saved,
- 4:07even while you have been purchased, you have
- 4:13been redeemed by the blood, what is the implication
- 4:16of practicing the law? Look at verse 17. after
- 4:24the two of collusions. He said, which are a shadow
- 4:29of the things to come, but the substance is of
- 4:33Christ. Verse 16, so let no one judge you in
- 4:38food or in drink, or regarding a festival, or
- 4:42a new moon, or sabbaths. He was just describing
- 4:48the law, and which we said, That actually involved
- 4:54in the law means involved in the religion of
- 4:57angels or in the worship of angels And then he
- 5:04said the law verse 17 is a which are a shadow
- 5:08of the things to come but the substance Is of
- 5:16Christ Another word the shadow of the things
- 5:22to come. What is shadow? I mean, for a long time
- 5:27I've read shadow, you understand, as something
- 5:33actually like symbol or directing you to Christ,
- 5:37like a signboard, you know something? Like when
- 5:40you stand like this, you see, you point to this
- 5:42place, this is the place, understand. What is
- 5:46shadow? Of course, here is talking about the
- 5:49law, that the law is a shadow. are we together
- 5:52and if we read in order of i think we i made
- 5:57mention of that hubris chapter 10 well let me
- 6:01read eight first hubris chapter eight look at
- 6:17verse four Well, let me read from verse one so
- 6:21that we understand. Now this is the main point
- 6:26of the things we are saying. We have such a high
- 6:30priest who is seated at the right hand of the
- 6:34throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister
- 6:39of sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which
- 6:43the Lord erected, not man. Verse 3, for every
- 6:48high priest is appointed to offer both gifts
- 6:51and sacrifice. Therefore it is necessary that
- 6:54this one also have something to offer. For if
- 6:58he were on earth, talking about Christ who is
- 7:01a high priest, he said he will not be a priest
- 7:07since there were priests who offered gifts according
- 7:14to what? according to the law. So you say they
- 7:18were a priest. If you had been on earth, because
- 7:22the tabernacle of the high priest with her is
- 7:25not made with hands. You say, if you were on
- 7:27earth, you would not be a priest. Because there
- 7:30were already people occupying that place. Are
- 7:33we together? They did so, offer sacrifices, according
- 7:37to what? According to the law. You say, who served?
- 7:41That is what they did. The system. self as what?
- 7:45As a copy and as a shadow of the things to come.
- 7:52That's what the point I'm trying to make. So
- 7:54there's a system of the law that's a shadow of
- 7:58the things to come. Chapter 10 verse 1. For the
- 8:03law, having a shadow of the good things to come
- 8:09and not look at the what? And what? not the very
- 8:16image of the things can never with these sacrifices
- 8:21which they offer continually year by year make
- 8:27those who approach perfect. Now it's already,
- 8:32this place is trying to give us already what
- 8:35shadow means. But when you look at the word shadow
- 8:37in Greek is the word scare that is S. T -I -A
- 8:49S -K -I -A In Greek it means darkness of error
- 8:57darkness of error or adumbration or adumbration
- 9:06talking about something that's faintly represents
- 9:12or cast a shadow. What we're trying to say is
- 9:17that if I stand here, this light is showing my
- 9:22shadow. That means I am the real. Are we together?
- 9:27This one is what? Is the unreal. Are we together?
- 9:30So if you want to shake hands with me, will you
- 9:34shake hands with the real or with the unreal?
- 9:37Are we together? When the scripture talks about
- 9:41shadow, it talks about something that is faintly
- 9:45represented in the sun. Amen. So, there are many
- 9:52features of Victor you can never see from the
- 9:58shadow of Victor. Are we together? If you say
- 10:00you want to study me, like Pastor Cosimo, Dadu,
- 10:04Anatomy, Nitia Kadava, they sleep with cadaver
- 10:09they eat with cadaver hallelujah they are not
- 10:14they didn't study shadow did you understand trying
- 10:16to say amen they did not study shadow they brought
- 10:23the cadaver they were seeing it they were walking
- 10:26on the cadaver are we together amen if you have
- 10:30a doctor that walk on the shadow don't go to
- 10:32that doctor are we together amen so What the
- 10:41Bible is trying to say is that you can never
- 10:44study the real from the shadow Did you get what
- 10:48I'm trying to say? So the Bible says not a war
- 10:55tax the law is not the reality Are we together
- 11:02that it is not the real thing Now read that verse
- 11:1017 go back to that Colossians Let's read that
- 11:14verse 17. He said which are a shadow of the things
- 11:19to come You see that? He said but the substance
- 11:25is Christ that was substance in Greek is Soma
- 11:30S -O -M -A It it means literally body You did
- 11:35get all the point so you can say The body, just
- 11:39like I give an example, my body, me, me, me,
- 11:45that is Soma. The shadow is not the real Victor.
- 11:50Me, my body, you can see me, you can touch me
- 11:54in the sun, is the substance, that's the reality.
- 12:03So the reality is Christ, not the shadow. So
- 12:21what are we trying to say? We're trying to say
- 12:26that the reality and the shadow are two different
- 12:30systems. That is, what the reality will give
- 12:34you, the shadow cannot give you. The revelation
- 12:38in the reality, you can't see it in the shadow.
- 12:49The shadow brings death, the reality brings life.
- 12:58The shadow is darkness, but the reality is light.
- 13:10You want life is in the real, not in the shadow.
- 13:20Therefore, you cannot expect the shadow. What
- 13:29again? Death, because there is death in shadow.
- 13:34Eh? Darkness. Eh? to teach you about light and
- 13:40life. Are we together? We said the real or the
- 13:45reality, which is Christ, is different from the
- 13:52shadow. The shadow brings darkness. The shadow,
- 14:00so you cannot study the shadow, which is darkness
- 14:04to see light. Which means you cannot study the
- 14:10shadow. Which brings death to receive life. Did
- 14:15you get what I'm trying to say? Now look at what
- 14:24Paul outlined more. When he did a very intelligent
- 14:31thing here. He described the first thing by 16.
- 14:40He said, food and drink. What Paul grouped it
- 14:44is that that's dietary regulations. Did you get
- 14:48what I'm trying to say? Dietary what? Regulation.
- 14:53You know, there are some people who believe to
- 14:55please God, you can eat certain things. Did you
- 15:00get what I'm trying to say? That's why he said
- 15:02you cannot, you see. you cannot have life or
- 15:07you cannot get God's acceptance from following
- 15:11the shadow because in the shadow there is no
- 15:15you can't have acceptance of God so Paul is saying
- 15:20don't allow anyone to judge you you understand
- 15:24he said in food and drink in other way we can
- 15:26say the dietary regulations don't eat pork don't
- 15:31eat rat don't eat lizard Don't eat, what do you
- 15:35call it? Shellfish, you know shellfish? All those
- 15:39crab. And the rest, they are family. Amen? Lobsters,
- 15:47you get the point? Even though today it has become
- 15:50a symbol of luxury. But if you eat it, these
- 15:57things, we even have one in Nigeria, they call
- 16:01it Taitos, right? Dietary regulation. If you
- 16:09read Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, you will
- 16:14see all kinds of dietary regulations there. Are
- 16:18we together? All kinds of dietary regulations.
- 16:24We can even classify the issue of communion in
- 16:30that category. You know, some people believe
- 16:34when you take bread and wine, that's when you
- 16:38will have God's favor, God's protection. And
- 16:44so you take things out of context. In fact, to
- 16:50make it, that's those people who are in the,
- 16:57if you take it much more, you move to our brothers.
- 17:02that take Eucharist. They believe that to be
- 17:10able to be safe, you need the Eucharist. That
- 17:15as you eat it, you eat literally the body of
- 17:18Jesus. And they pick it from John chapter six,
- 17:26when Jesus said, if you eat my body and drink
- 17:30my what? my blood, that's when you will have
- 17:34life or eternal life. Are we together? The question
- 17:39is, you want to ask, who has ever eaten Christ's
- 17:43body? The disciples that were with him, did they
- 17:50eat his body? If you read in that content, you
- 17:55will see that even then they were confused. They
- 17:57didn't understand what he was saying. That was
- 17:59why they were angry. So how did this person talk
- 18:02to us like this? Eat your body? You know what
- 18:05I'm saying? And they were angry to stone him.
- 18:13Jesus was not talking literally. I mean, we cherry
- 18:17pick scripture anyhow. Why won't you take the
- 18:20other one that Jesus said literally? That if
- 18:22your hand causes you to sin, you should cut it
- 18:24off. Did you understand what I'm saying? Why
- 18:28didn't you take that one literally? We say, no,
- 18:30Jesus was not talking about that if your eye
- 18:32causes you to sin, how many times your eyes has
- 18:35caused you to sin? Why didn't you plug it? But
- 18:40it is that one that said, if you eat my body,
- 18:43you think he's talking about his physical body.
- 18:48Hallelujah. So what we're trying to say is that
- 18:51you can practice the law and which we are doing
- 18:56it. That is the religion of angels. That is the
- 19:04religion of angels. Then he talks about the sacred
- 19:08days. Look at it, it was 16. That's the second
- 19:11one. First one died three regulations. Then he
- 19:17say regarding what? Festival, new moon, and Sabbath.
- 19:24Religious festival, this is talking about what
- 19:27they do annually. Like for example, the Passover.
- 19:32Are we together? He talks about the new moon.
- 19:36New moon has to do with monthly festivity. Amen?
- 19:41Are we together? Or monthly celebration? The
- 19:46supper has to do with weekly. You know what to
- 19:49do weekly. We still have believers that follow
- 19:53or keep the seven day. You know what I'm saying?
- 19:59Nope. Why we are trying to speak like this? Because
- 20:03we're trying to read and see what is the implication
- 20:07of living according to the law. You know, I've
- 20:11had many believers say, no problem now, there's
- 20:13no problem at least. Since we are not sinning
- 20:16directly, it's also worshipping God in different
- 20:19ways. No, you cannot worship God by the law.
- 20:24It's not possible. Did you hear what I said?
- 20:28You cannot worship God through the law. It's
- 20:35not possible. Just like you cannot receive life
- 20:39through the law. You cannot receive God's acceptance
- 20:46through the law. No. Not at all. Then the last
- 21:00part that Paul talked about in the sack. Look
- 21:07at down when he talked about verse 20. Therefore,
- 21:13if you died with the Christ from the basic principles
- 21:16of the world, why as though living in the world,
- 21:21do you subject yourself to regulations? Do not
- 21:25touch, do not taste, and do not handle. This
- 21:31poll is trying to do is what we call the rituals
- 21:34of purity and asceticism. This issue of abstinence.
- 21:40You know abstinence? That is, don't touch certain
- 21:42things. If you read particularly Leviticus 15,
- 21:48Numbers 19, you will see the outline of what?
- 21:52Of all the things. Don't touch this dead body.
- 21:56You know, some of us still do it. in our villages
- 21:58you understand if your mother died they say no
- 22:01children are not allowed to touch the mother's
- 22:04body did you understand say because if you touch
- 22:06her that means you also follow and or something
- 22:09all kinds of you know what i'm trying to say
- 22:12that so they have all these things if you touch
- 22:16this this is how you're going to you have to
- 22:17be purified kept outside the camp for so so number
- 22:20of days before you can come in there you are
- 22:22purified so all this touch not Don't do this,
- 22:26don't do that, understand? Or at certain time,
- 22:30you cannot eat this, you cannot eat that. For
- 22:34the sake that you are preserving purity. Are
- 22:38we together? Paul says that all these are what?
- 22:46Are commandment of man. He said they have a form
- 22:50of wisdom. They have an appearance of wisdom.
- 22:55But they lack, they lack the value in restraining
- 23:07one from sexual, what? Indulgence or desires.
- 23:19Hallelujah. So we have so many things today in
- 23:23different form. Many people practice the law,
- 23:27even as believers. There are a list of it. See
- 23:36people carrying bottles all around, or holy water,
- 23:40or handkerchief, they call it mantu, for protection.
- 23:46The God of my papa, he will put it inside. He
- 23:52will carry the Holy Spirit. Oh God. As I said,
- 24:06you know, when those days we used to take the
- 24:11wine and the cup in the sun, even back at home,
- 24:16I used to ask, why do we take the bread and the
- 24:18wine? He said, well, the Bible commanded it and
- 24:26Jesus commanded it to do this in remembrance
- 24:29of me. Why do you want to remember him? The question
- 24:34is that, do I need to take the bread and the
- 24:36wine to remember Jesus? Do you have memory problem?
- 24:41I mean, you know, there are some certain questions
- 24:43you need to ask. I mean, you need to ask the
- 24:46question, but you know, he said, that's just
- 24:48what Jesus said we should do. You know, certain
- 24:52spiritual things are mysterious. You just have
- 24:57to believe to go because what we are taught as
- 24:59faith is abstract, that is believing in something.
- 25:03You understand? That's not Bible faith. Bible
- 25:07faith is not, I was afraid, Bible faith is not
- 25:10just, it's not hinged upon nothing. It's not
- 25:15just positive thinking. It will happen. I told
- 25:18you it's going to happen. Hallelujah. What will
- 25:21happen? Who say it will happen? Did you understand
- 25:24what I'm trying to say? What are you holding?
- 25:26Who said it? It's not just positive thinking.
- 25:30I'm optimistic. No, that's not faith. No. We
- 25:42have studied in this church. You see, when you
- 25:45study the entire book of John, you will know
- 25:48what remember means. Did you understand what
- 25:50I'm trying to say? You know, some of us, we read
- 25:53Bible as if those who wrote it were Englishmen.
- 26:01Remembering does not mean to recall. It's not
- 26:04talking about memory. It's talking about understanding.
- 26:12Do this because at the last supper, he was teaching
- 26:16them, illustrating what he would do. So he said,
- 26:21eat this, do this. Knowing and understanding
- 26:27is about myself. That's what it means by do this
- 26:31in remembrance of me. He's also saying, continue
- 26:34to do it so that you can recall. No, that's not
- 26:37the meaning. Hallelujah So that's why you must
- 26:54be committed to understanding the world Some
- 27:00say you have to be baptized in the Sun for you
- 27:03to be saved the code scriptures here and there
- 27:08Jesus said again that Jesus suffered in the Sun
- 27:13Unless you're born of water He said water. Gone
- 27:20of water and the spirit. How can you remove the
- 27:25water and only speak about the spirit? If you
- 27:34are in this church for a long time, by now I
- 27:38believe you don't have a problem with that. We
- 27:41have taught you how to read the Bible in context.
- 27:47The Bible is not line by line. It's all verse
- 27:51by verse. If you have studied a book of John,
- 27:54you will know what it means by water. You understand
- 27:57what I'm saying? But if you say in one line,
- 27:59I'm impute your village into it. Why won't you
- 28:01listen? So all those things, what we're trying
- 28:11to say that the reason why I'm pointing this
- 28:12thing is that you can believe him. and practicing
- 28:16the religion of angels why you are a believer
- 28:19you say without holiness no one shall see the
- 28:26lord yes whose holiness your own your own so
- 28:39you are a joker so you mean you mean you mean
- 28:45You mean you are struggling that to stay holy
- 28:48so that so that you will see God your own effort
- 28:51Go and read well Are we together? Hallelujah.
- 28:57So what we're trying to say is that You can't
- 29:03get anything from human effort remember he said
- 29:06is based on the commandment and doctrine of men
- 29:10These are things carved by men You have to do
- 29:15this to see God. Is it God that said it that
- 29:18way or the man that interpreted it that way?
- 29:21That's not what God is saying. That's what we're
- 29:24talking about. Look at verse 18. So what is the
- 29:28implication? When you live with that type of
- 29:32performance mentality, that is you are living
- 29:36or you are involved in the religion of angels,
- 29:42innocent. Five ways to get favor from God. From
- 29:47where? Three ways for God to answer your prayer.
- 30:00Where did you get it? Did you see that you are
- 30:04also establishing your own doctrine? The doctrine
- 30:07of man. Hmm? Are we together? Remember those
- 30:15two guys that came? One that said, I have done
- 30:20this, done that, done this, done this, done this.
- 30:23Pay my tithes, do this. He listed all the things.
- 30:30The other one came. He came not on anything,
- 30:34but depending on the mercy of Him. Are we together?
- 30:42You see, the service of God is not based on any
- 30:45of our own merits. Are we together? Hallelujah.
- 30:53Verse 18. What is the implication of involved?
- 30:58He says that let no one cheat you of your reward.
- 31:05Why is he questioning it? Because I told you.
- 31:09When the Bible talks of a believer's reward,
- 31:12even though yes, it's based on what we do, it's
- 31:15not based on what we do on account of our own
- 31:20merit. Did you get what I'm trying to say? be
- 31:37steadfast, be immovable, always abandoning in
- 31:41the work of the Lord, knowing that your label
- 31:44in the Lord is not in vain. Your label where?
- 31:48In where? In the Lord. It's not in vain. So Paul
- 32:02cautioned and said, let no one cheat you. you
- 32:07of your reward. What Paul is trying to say is
- 32:13that one of the greatest implications is that
- 32:15there is no reward in wear, in shadow, in the
- 32:20law. That's why he's cautioning. Don't allow
- 32:23anyone. That's why he said don't allow anyone
- 32:25to judge you verse 16. And then verse 18 says,
- 32:30let no one cheat you. Don't allow it. Cheat you
- 32:35of your reward. How is it taking delight in false
- 32:40humility and in the worship of it that means
- 32:42in the worship of angels There is no reward you'll
- 32:46be cheated You'll be cheated There is no life
- 32:54in the law any work done in the law is called
- 32:58dead work That's from week from where we are
- 33:03saved Let me read some verses. I saw this verse
- 33:11in Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6. Look
- 33:19at verse 1. He said, therefore, leaving the discussion
- 33:22of the elementary principles of Christ, let us
- 33:26go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation
- 33:30of what? He said, repentance from what? So what,
- 33:35when we receive Christ, you understand? We are
- 33:38actually repenting from what? From dead walks.
- 33:47Chapter 9 verse 14. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 14.
- 33:53It says, how much more shall the blood of Christ
- 33:56who through the eternal spirit offered himself
- 33:58without spot to God cleanse what? Our conscience
- 34:03from what? Oh, are we together? From what? Death
- 34:08walks. No life is in the law. He says he cleans
- 34:13our conscience from death walks. To serve the
- 34:18living God. To serve the living God. Romans chapter
- 34:27five. Oh, Romans chapter seven. Look at verse
- 34:33five. Romans. chapter seven, verse five. He said,
- 34:39for when, please look at this, please. When we
- 34:43were in the flesh, the sinful passion, which
- 34:48we are aroused by the law, we are at work in
- 34:55our members to bear fruit. To what? To death.
- 35:00He said, verse six, but now we have been delivered
- 35:05from what? or talk to me from the law having
- 35:12died to what we were held by so that we will
- 35:18do what serve in the newness of the spirit not
- 35:26in the oneness of letters our service our life
- 35:32our conduct is in the newness of spirit, not
- 35:37in the letters. We were saved from the law. So
- 35:44going back to live by it is to do dead walks,
- 35:51is to live and have dead walks. We were saved
- 35:58from it. So that now we serve God in the newness
- 36:02of the spirit. not in the letters. For the letters
- 36:09telleth what the Spirit giveth life. We are ministers
- 36:14of what of the Spirit, not of letters. So when
- 36:28Paul said, I have run the race, I have found
- 36:33a good fight. I have finished my race. I have
- 36:38kept the faith. Then he said, therefore, now
- 36:43lay for me the crown of righteousness. What did
- 36:47he say he kept? He said he kept the faith, not
- 36:50that he kept the law. Are you with me? Are you
- 36:54with me? He didn't say he kept the law. He said
- 36:58he kept the faith. Faith there means he kept
- 37:00the sound doctrine. These are not letters. This
- 37:04is not the law Hallelujah So there is a kind
- 37:17of doctrine that is not the doctrine of man Look
- 37:28at that romance go back a little bit verse six,
- 37:31chapter six, verse 17. Romans chapter six, verse
- 37:3717. He said, but God be damned, that though you
- 37:43were a slave of sin, yet you observed from the
- 37:48heart that form of doctrine to which you were
- 37:53delivered. That means This doctrine, this one
- 37:59to which they were delivered is not that other
- 38:01doctrine of the doctrine of men, of the basic
- 38:05principle of the world. The one that leads men
- 38:11to death, the one that we have been delivered
- 38:14from. So the one Paul kept, he said, I have kept
- 38:19the faith, is this one, the form of doctrine
- 38:22that delivered men. He did not keep the law.
- 38:30That's why they are late for him. What? The crown
- 38:35of righteousness. So what I'm trying to say is
- 38:38that reward is keeping the doctrine that delivered
- 38:46me. That form of doctrine. That is where the
- 38:50reward is. So Paul now warns and say, eh, bro.
- 38:54He said, let no one cheat you of your reward.
- 39:01We're not talking about anything that works.
- 39:04It works. It works for me. It works for you.
- 39:07How? What's the meaning of that? When the devil
- 39:14deceived Adam and Eve, didn't it work? Is that
- 39:19righteousness? Don't talk like that. He walk?
- 39:27No. Look at that verse 18, number two. Another
- 39:35problem, a collusion, go back to that collusion.
- 39:40Two, verse 18. He said, let no one cheat you
- 39:45of your reward. Taking delight in the false humility
- 39:49and worship of angels. intruding into those things
- 39:56which he has not seen is a vainly poofed up by
- 40:04what? In his fleshy mind. One thing you will
- 40:12see in observing the law is prides. that leads
- 40:22to emptiness. Pride. Pride. Pride. When it comes
- 40:35to the things of God, you want to always speak
- 40:37as if what you have received from God was what
- 40:42you did. So when you are giving testimony, say,
- 40:46dry fasting. I was in the first day, Kalabada
- 40:51Gada. Second day, Anusa Sabada. Third day, suddenly
- 40:57the heavens opens. And I saw the Lord. I said,
- 41:02ooh. Fasting opens heavens. There is a dimension
- 41:16of God you can't touch. unless you are into intense
- 41:24fasting. The question is that what dimension
- 41:30have we not received in Christ? I'm asking you,
- 41:38which one is that man talking about again? That
- 41:41you have to receive a dimension in God by what
- 41:44you will do. Are we saying your alignment is
- 41:51not needed? No, that's not what we're saying.
- 41:55But not what you received. It pleases the Lord
- 42:05that His fullness of Godhead dwells in Him. And
- 42:10that Him is in me. Did you get the point? So
- 42:17which fullness of God have you not received in
- 42:20Christ? Which one are you talking about? Which
- 42:27one are you talking about? Philippians chapter
- 42:323, I want to show you something. Pride, there
- 42:37is pride in the law. This is why you see men
- 42:41trying to distinguish us. There are different
- 42:45kinds of graces. Which grace? Which one did this
- 42:48save you? And which one did you not save the
- 42:52other person? Verse three. He said, for we are
- 43:08the circumcision. Who worship God? In what? In
- 43:14the spirit. rejoice in Christ Jesus and have
- 43:19know what oh talk to me have know what confidence
- 43:23in the flesh and look at what Paul said though
- 43:29I also have confidence in the flesh if anyone
- 43:34else think he may have confidence in the flesh
- 43:41I have more so He said, let me just give you
- 43:45some credatia, small, small, small, small. He
- 43:49said, circumcising the eddy of the stock of Israel,
- 43:53of the tribe of Benjamin, of the Hebrews of Hebrews,
- 43:57concerning the law, a Pharisee, concerning, I
- 43:59mean zeal, he said, perfecting the, I mean, persecuting
- 44:03the church, concerning righteousness, which is
- 44:07in the law, blameless. This is the law. Did you
- 44:13understand anything? This is confidence in what?
- 44:16In the flesh. He said, if you are talking about
- 44:18that, I have more. Let me just give you some
- 44:20list, a little bit. Now say all those things.
- 44:23He said, yet, look at verse 8. Indeed, I count
- 44:28all these things lost for the excellency of the
- 44:33knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom
- 44:36I have suffered the loss of all things, and count
- 44:40them as rubbish. That I may gain Christ That
- 44:47I may gain Christ and be found in him having
- 44:52Not having my own righteousness which is from
- 44:57the Lord But that which is true Christ or true
- 45:02faith in Christ the righteousness which is from
- 45:05God by faith This is what Paul followed and dumped
- 45:13that water one. You understand what I'm saying?
- 45:17And dumped the one that have confidence in the
- 45:20flesh. And followed this one in the sand that
- 45:24Christ gave. That is humility. Right. The 13th
- 45:36verse 19. Go back to Colossians chapter 2. verse
- 45:4119. He said, I'm not holding fast to the head
- 45:47from whom all the body nourished are knitted
- 45:51together by joints and ligament, with the increase
- 45:56that is from God. He said, not holding fast.
- 45:59You can't live in the worship of angels and hold
- 46:02fast the head. Did you get what I'm trying to
- 46:04say? And once you are not holding the head, there
- 46:07is no growth, there is no there is no product
- 46:09that came from holding fast of the head. Did
- 46:12you get what I'm trying to say? And that's why
- 46:13it is by holding the head, the last implication
- 46:19is that you grow with the increase that is from
- 46:22God. But the one that is vainly proved, the one
- 46:28that is practicing the law cannot hold fast to
- 46:34the head. Therefore, Look at anyone that every
- 46:40day is working with weapons. Eh? A little thing.
- 46:47Holy ghost fire, holy ghost fire, holy ghost
- 46:49fire. That person is ever and perpetually a man
- 46:55in fear or a person in fear. He can never go
- 47:00to discover his own reality. Because the faith,
- 47:11his belief is in a bottle, not in the spirit
- 47:15he carries. Are we together? You want to grow?
- 47:31Live the law. Understand that which is in Christ.
- 47:37Are we together? That is how to grow. You are
- 47:41rooted in Him by revelation. You are rooted,
- 47:44you will grow in Him by understanding who He
- 47:47is. That's why this text almost is closely related,
- 47:52this verse particularly, with Ephesians chapter
- 47:544. Do you understand? If you read, you will see
- 47:58that it's talking about knitting together. How
- 48:00do you do that? It says so that you will not
- 48:02become too close to and what? And flow by every
- 48:06wind of what? by every wind of doctrine. That
- 48:11is if you have what? Grown. And the essence of
- 48:17the ministry gift is said that they will be able
- 48:21to reveal that we might come to the unity of
- 48:24faith and to the knowledge of the what? Of the
- 48:28Son of God. That is how you grow. By the knowledge
- 48:34of the Son of God. Peter said, grow in grace
- 48:37and in the knowledge. That is how you grow. You
- 48:45don't grow by the law. Because in the law, you
- 48:53can't hold fast to the head. You want to become
- 49:00a baby? Stay by practicing the law. or involved
- 49:04in the worship of angels, you will ever and perpetually
- 49:08be a baby. Today, they will say, I come from
- 49:11heaven. I saw this, I saw that. You say, what
- 49:16were they doing there? You see, because your
- 49:20focus is every day on the law. And before you
- 49:25know, today you follow these thoughts. Tomorrow
- 49:28you are here, toast to and fro. by every wind
- 49:32of doctrine. Once you are like that, you are
- 49:37a candidate of deception. If you see the horror
- 49:41of many people in the sand, so many people in
- 49:46church, I mean the horrible messages, how some
- 49:49people use God and they see the... What is Baba
- 49:54Lao in English? Native doctors! they have left
- 50:00uh busho they are wearing suit now well packaged
- 50:05selling soap come from heaven and you are there
- 50:10you didn't know are you not there oh they are
- 50:14looking at me we are raised with christ eh seated
- 50:18together where so how can somebody say he has
- 50:22been to heaven where has he been to see soap
- 50:24and say when you wash With it, you have favor.
- 50:30I have keys from heaven. I mean, how daft could
- 50:32we be? But I have come to Mount Zion. Not I will
- 50:48go. I am there, the city of the living God, the
- 50:53heavenly Jerusalem. Are we together? Amen. Amen.
- 50:59Say, I cannot be deceived. I cannot be deceived
- 51:03because I am growing in Him. And I remain in
- 51:08the church. You know, your strength is in your
- 51:13community. This level of freelancer Christianity
- 51:18is not good in the sun. Hallelujah. Are we together?
- 51:25Look at verse 20. Colossians 2 verse 20. Therefore,
- 51:31if you died with Christ from the basic principles
- 51:35of the world, why, as though living in the world,
- 51:40do you subject yourself to regulations? Do you
- 51:45subject yourself to regulations? Do not touch,
- 51:49do not taste, do not handle which all concerns,
- 51:54things which perish. with the using according
- 51:57to the commandment and doctrine of men, these
- 52:02things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in
- 52:07imposed religion, false humility, and neglect
- 52:12of the body, but are of no value against indulgence
- 52:19of the flesh. That's the one here. that you will
- 52:27not express your victory in Christ. The law only
- 52:32promotes desires of sinning. Did you get what
- 52:36I'm saying? It has no value against. That means
- 52:42there is nothing you will ever do to express
- 52:45your victory in Christ when you live by the law.
- 52:49Because there is no... There is no value against
- 52:55you to restrain yourself. I've seen so many people,
- 52:59maybe you have tried it. You think you kill sexual
- 53:03urge or immorality by fasting. Immediately after
- 53:09you finish the three -day fasting, it's as if
- 53:13they say all the demons from heaven. Did you
- 53:15understand? All the demons from heaven, you understand?
- 53:20You are sleeping eternal, oh Jesus, I bind you.
- 53:22I bind you. Bind who? You have not bind anything.
- 53:26Because in your thoughts, that it is through
- 53:29an effort of man that you are able to restrain
- 53:34yourself from indulgence of the flesh. It's not
- 53:38possible. You will fail. You will get disappointed.
- 53:41You will get discouraged. You will get confused
- 53:44until you understand who you are in Christ. The
- 53:50power is in the revelation. Understand? The power
- 53:55is in the gospel. The power is understanding
- 53:58who you are in Christ. You don't need any do's
- 54:03and don'ts. What you need is knowledge of who
- 54:07you are. That's what you need. Understand? Every
- 54:17habit, every attitude, is only destroyed, immediately
- 54:22you understand who you are in Christ. Are we
- 54:32together? Are we together? Not by do's and don'ts.
- 54:36Please take note of this last verse, verse 23,
- 54:41to remind yourself nothing you are trusting to
- 54:45overcome. To see it has gone in your life will
- 54:49ever be achieved through the law. Sin shall no
- 55:00longer have dominion over you. That is, sin shall
- 55:04no longer be your master. Why? He said, because
- 55:12you are not under the law. but under grace. Did
- 55:18you get what I'm trying to say? Which means that
- 55:22being under the law is actually being in a system
- 55:25that perpetually keep you in defeat. You must
- 55:33come to an understanding that I am under grace.
- 55:37The grace of God that bring us salvation is the
- 55:42one, understand, is the one that taught is the
- 55:46one that teach it teach us to abstain to live
- 55:52godly in this present life so you can see all
- 55:59these things that the law don't ever think that
- 56:07the law is for you i live with my children you
- 56:12would tell them 10 times In fact, if you say
- 56:16don't touch this thing, that is when their curiosity
- 56:20increase. You understand? To go and touch it.
- 56:27Because they want to know, why did they say I
- 56:30shouldn't touch it? So what am I trying to say?
- 56:43Look at verse 14, having wiped out. You can't
- 56:48be walking and carrying the things Christ has
- 56:50wiped out. Having wiped out the handwriting of
- 56:56requirement. We say that not handwriting of requirement
- 57:00means the written law that is a manuscript. The
- 57:07manuscript, the law is a wiped it out. Why are
- 57:11you going to carry it again? He said, you wiped
- 57:14it out. That was against us, and contrary to
- 57:19us. Keeping the law shows that you don't understand
- 57:24what Jesus has done. You can't be doing, or undoing,
- 57:30is that what you're saying? You can't be going
- 57:33and trying to bring what Christ has removed.
- 57:39As a believer, living by the law, is a self -sabotage.
- 57:46A self -sabotage means God has wiped out things
- 57:50that is against you and now you are bringing
- 57:52it back. He says it's contrary to you. Remember,
- 57:58in the last verse, verse 23 of chapter two, he
- 58:01said he has a what? An appearance of wisdom.
- 58:08That's all when people are dishing it up. You
- 58:10say, hmm, hmm. When we say sit down so that you
- 58:14can learn the Word of God, you don't want to
- 58:15come to church. But what we say, you see, what
- 58:18you would do is that you have the number of your
- 58:22mother, write it in a paper, paste it in the
- 58:27wall. Immediately wake up in the morning, speak
- 58:30to it three times. Mummy, ka la la la la. That's
- 58:34what you like. Because it has a what? It has
- 58:38an appearance of what? Wisdom. This is the reason
- 58:44why many men of God have used so many people
- 58:48and deceived them. Because people like law. Just
- 58:52give them what to do because they want to be
- 58:55involved so that when they come to give testimony,
- 58:58they are also included inside. Did you understand
- 59:02what I'm trying to say? Yes. They don't want
- 59:07to say, this thing look easy. Come to touch.
- 59:12Church, let's teach you the word of God to know
- 59:15who you are. To be strengthened. You say no.
- 59:28So the law is not for the righteous. What did
- 59:34I say? First Timothy chapter nine. That's what
- 59:40we're saying. It is against you. Did you hear
- 59:45what I'm saying? It is against you. Don't ever
- 59:48agree to live by the law. No matter the appearance
- 59:52of wisdom, it's against you. It's self -sabotage.
- 59:59The law is not of faith. And you are of faith.
- 1:00:07First, Timothy. Oh, God, help me. 1 Timothy 1
- 1:00:11verse 9. Look at it. He said, knowing this, that
- 1:00:17the law, is it made for you? Oh, talk to me.
- 1:00:21Is it made for you? Is it made for you? No. The
- 1:00:27law is not made for the righteous. Listen, this
- 1:00:31place when he was talking about, is not made
- 1:00:34for the righteous man. Remember when he mentioned,
- 1:00:37but. For the lawless, for the insubordinate,
- 1:00:43he's not describing conduct here. Because he
- 1:00:46says he's not meant for the righteous. He's talking
- 1:00:48about the righteousness by faith. So if he says
- 1:00:51the insubordinate is describing a person under
- 1:00:56the law, he's not discussing conduct. He's a
- 1:01:03mate for the righteous man. He's a bud for the
- 1:01:06lawless, the insubordinate. for the ungodly and
- 1:01:09for the sinners, for the unholy, the profane,
- 1:01:13for the murderers of fathers and murderers of
- 1:01:16mothers, the men slayers, for fornicators, for
- 1:01:20sodomites, for kidnappers, the liars, for...
- 1:01:24Did you understand what I'm trying to say? Is
- 1:01:30this one describing Israel? Are you with me?
- 1:01:35Is it describing Israel? Yes, these were who
- 1:01:39they were. Look at the Tronomy 31. I want you
- 1:01:45to connect with what we did. Because I am coming
- 1:01:52to wrapping this. The Tronomy 31. Look at 24.
- 1:02:06Look at verse 24. He says, so it was when Moses
- 1:02:11had completed writing, writing the words of this
- 1:02:17law in a book, when they were finished, that
- 1:02:22Moses commanded the Levites who bore the ark
- 1:02:25of the covenant of the Lord, saying, take this
- 1:02:29book of the law and put it beside the ark of
- 1:02:34the covenant of the Lord. your God that it may
- 1:02:38be that that it may be there as a witness against
- 1:02:44who did you see what Paul was saying it might
- 1:02:51be against you for I know you are a what a rebellious
- 1:02:58and stiff mate if today while I am yet alive
- 1:03:04with you you had been rebellious against the
- 1:03:07Lord, then how much more after my death?" This
- 1:03:12is closely when Moses was about to die. When
- 1:03:18you read actually from chapter 27, which we did,
- 1:03:23the last time we were teaching or we are studying,
- 1:03:28you see that he gave them the law. He said, when
- 1:03:30you get to Canaan, that means He knew that these
- 1:03:35people, the only way you can keep these rebellious
- 1:03:40unbelievers is by giving them the law. That's
- 1:03:45the only thing. That's why Paul was saying that
- 1:03:48the law is not meant for who? For the righteous.
- 1:03:52He gave them to restrain them. So one of these
- 1:03:59laws is Deuteronomy 22 Verse five. Why did Moses
- 1:04:08gave that law? Because they are rebellious people.
- 1:04:11They are unbelievers. They are not righteous.
- 1:04:16They are not righteous. Are we together? Go back
- 1:04:21to that 22. 22 verse five. He said, and a woman
- 1:04:33shall not wear anything that pertains to a man,
- 1:04:38nor shall a man put on a woman's garment. For
- 1:04:42all who do so are an abomination to the Lord
- 1:04:48your God. Remember, this law is both for male
- 1:04:53and female. What is the problem? I want to ask
- 1:05:02you again. When Moses gave this law, was the
- 1:05:06problem about clothes or about their hearts?
- 1:05:10Or talk to me. Was the problem about clothings
- 1:05:15or about their hearts? About their hearts. The
- 1:05:18reason is because they were all believers. The
- 1:05:24problem was because they are all believers. So
- 1:05:29the focus of this text, eh, was primarily because
- 1:05:36of the people themselves. Are we together? If
- 1:05:43you read the astronomy, I mean, sorry, Leviticus
- 1:05:4518 verse 22 and 20 verse 18, there are laws about,
- 1:05:52remember what we said when we read the astronomy
- 1:05:5531? He's talking about that now I'm about to
- 1:05:59die, even the way you are behaving. He said,
- 1:06:02package this thing. As you move into that land,
- 1:06:06this is how you should condole yourself. He talks
- 1:06:08there are laws against sodomy. You understand?
- 1:06:13Sleeping with man to man and woman to woman.
- 1:06:19And now he add this one. I don't want confusion.
- 1:06:24So there is no cross dressing. so that we know
- 1:06:27this one is man, this one is woman. So that this
- 1:06:30one will not come off black and look like a woman
- 1:06:33and then move and say, I'm coming to greet my
- 1:06:35sister. And then we don't know what is happening
- 1:06:38with them. What they say, no, no, no, no, no.
- 1:06:40Never, a woman must never wear a man's garment.
- 1:06:46And a man must never wear a woman's garment.
- 1:06:51The idea is for identification who is who. because
- 1:06:54he has already given them, you can never, don't
- 1:06:57ever sleep with a man. A righteous, righteous
- 1:07:02people don't need that. This is the foundation
- 1:07:06by which that law came from. So you cannot leave
- 1:07:09this text and come and be pestin' it on my sister
- 1:07:13who is a righteous person. You are daft, you
- 1:07:15don't understand the context by which this text
- 1:07:18was given. No! See. This text, Deuteronomy 22
- 1:07:26.5, is not for believers. Tell your neighbor,
- 1:07:31tell your neighbor it's not for believers. Say
- 1:07:34it again now, it's not for believers. So don't
- 1:07:38torment my sister. Did you understand what I'm
- 1:07:42saying? This text is given to unbelievers who
- 1:07:49are rebellious, who are bent. into disobedience.
- 1:07:55Are we together? You cannot put this mark on
- 1:07:59people. It's not about a style of dressing. It's
- 1:08:06about the nature of the man. That's how the law
- 1:08:10came. You have to understand that dressing generally
- 1:08:16is influenced by culture. You understand? If
- 1:08:30you come to the northern part of Nigeria, the
- 1:08:32same country, we see you do that. Do you understand
- 1:08:36what I'm saying? Now what we're trying to say
- 1:08:38is that you cannot import all those things like
- 1:08:42that. Even within the same culture, dressing
- 1:08:45keeps changing. Do we say you should dress half
- 1:08:49naked? No, I'm going to address that. But what
- 1:08:54we are saying is that you cannot do style of
- 1:08:57dressing. Women should not wear trouser. Which
- 1:09:00wear? This text is not saying that. Did you know
- 1:09:04the type of dressing in Israel? Did you understand
- 1:09:09what I'm trying to say? So don't carry liftings
- 1:09:12that are for unbelievers and be pestilence upon
- 1:09:15who? Believers. Are we together? Hallelujah.
- 1:09:20Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I hear some of my sisters
- 1:09:23say, a -ha! A -ha! No, it's not a -ha. We have
- 1:09:27not finished. Because the problem is that, remember,
- 1:09:31the text of the Bible must be read contextually.
- 1:09:35Are we together? Can you thank the Lord? An appreciation.
- 1:09:42We appreciate you being here today. We hope you
- 1:09:45carry this word with you throughout your week.
- 1:09:48Don't forget to check the show notes for additional
- 1:09:50insights. Stay connected with us through our
- 1:09:53website or follow us on social media. If you
- 1:09:57were encouraged, share this message with someone
- 1:09:59you care about. Until next time, stay blessed.