Sermon
Our Union in Christ pt. 3
Publisher transcript
Transcript
-
Hi there, welcome to NECF. We're excited to share today's message with you. Don't
-
go anywhere, stay with us till the end for some valuable resources to enrich your faith.
-
Here's today's sermon.
-
Alright, so the title is still Our Union with Christ, right? The title is Our Union with
-
Christ. We are continuing and that is why John chapter 14 has been read again, right?
John 14 chapter mention
-
And it's been read so that we can carry on from where we stopped the other day, right?
-
However, for those of you that were not in the previous two teachings, you can always
-
listen to the teachings, right? You just have to go to ncf.church, right? And you'll find
-
our sermons there, right? And you can listen to our sermons. I'm sure there are other means,
-
it's probably on Spotify, you can listen to it on Spotify. And also, I think they are
-
creating a platform that will also be made available for us when it's ready. So there's
-
so much resources that makes the messages available to you. So let's pay attention and
-
listen and do well to visit the church website to get those messages.
-
Alright, so John chapter 14 has been read for us. And from the last time we picked out
John 14 chapter mention
-
two things, right? We picked out two words that reflect manifestation, something related
-
to manifestation. And we said that the theme of the year, first of all, to reiterate is
-
manifesting the kingdom of God, right? In NACM, our theme for this year is manifesting
-
the kingdom of God. And all the teachings that are coming are aligning with that so that
-
as believers, we can manifest the kingdom of God, right? Paul would tell the church
-
in the current year and said, I don't want you to be ignorant of the things of the spirits.
-
So one of the things that it tries to kill in the church in current is ignorance, which
-
does not necessarily mean not knowing, but deliberately doing the wrong thing, right?
-
So ignorance of things of the scriptures. So we try as much as possible to clear our
-
minds so that we can comprehend the scripture. So the two words continuing from the last
-
time, the two words who can remind us, there are two words that we were treating. The last
-
teaching was on a Wednesday and we talk about two Greek words that we try to explain. Who
-
14 verse eight, it says, Philip said to him, Lord, show us the father and it is what? Enough
-
for us, right? And it's enough for us. And that's word show, right? Is Dick and Noel,
-
right? That word show is Dick and Noel, Dick and Noel, D-I-K-E-N-U-O, show us the father.
-
So that's the first word, which is Dick and Noel. And the second word, which is similar,
-
is found in the second question or the third question of that chapter, verse 22. I said,
-
Judas, not Iscarius said to him, Lord, why is it that you will manifest yourself to us
-
and not to the world? And the word there was using my brother's reading as unveil, right?
-
Unveil here used manifest and that word is emphanizal, E-M-P-H, E-M-P-H-A-N-I-Z-O. And
-
just to reiterate, to understand what was going here, Philip said to him, Lord, show
-
us the father. Now this is after Christ had explained to them that I am the way, the truth
-
and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. If you had known me, you would
-
have known the father also. And we emphasize that Christ is showing them an identity, is
-
manifesting himself to them. This is what we see John writing. So Christ is manifesting
-
an identity to the disciples, revealing himself, I am in the father and the father is in me.
-
What Christ is doing there is what we can say, emphanizal, is explaining to them his
-
identity, who he is. And that is why in verse 22, Judas Iscarius asks the question, why
-
is he manifesting himself to us? So Jesus was really telling them about their identity.
-
So emphanizal is mostly identity based, reflecting a people that have been brought forth, right?
-
We saw that in previous scriptures about those who were resurrected after Christ rose, showing
-
themselves, manifesting themselves to people, right? So we see that that emphanizal is something
-
that is linked to the salvation work of God and is linked to the identity. Now, why did
-
Philip ask this question, which is show us the father, right? That word show, like we
-
said, is there now. And it simply means after we have heard of an identity, right? It simply
-
means to prove something. So Philip was saying, now that you have told us the father and we
-
have heard that you are in the father and the father is in us, now show us a thing,
-
right? Show us a thing that will show us the father. So he was looking for works, he was
-
looking for maybe I would say more teachings, okay, teach us more about the father, show
-
us signs actually. It's like showing us signs of the father. That is why the answer Jesus
-
gave was quite, was quite different from the way he answered the first tomers and the way
-
he answered Judas. He said, have I not been with you? He said, how have I been with you
-
so long and you do not still know me, Philip? Just like I'm revealing an identity to you,
-
you are asking for works, you are asking for teachings, you are asking for proofs, yet
-
I'm revealing myself to you, I've made myself manifest, yes, you want to see something.
-
Nevertheless, Jesus said, verse 11, believe me that I am in the father, again reiterating
-
the same thing, that's about the identity, right? Or else, okay, believe on the account
-
of the works that you see. So, diaconal goes with works most of the time, reflected in
-
works. So this is where we stopped the last time and now we need to build on it today.
-
So we can say, am for needs or identity based proof of salvation to show that one is safe
-
and this is what diaconal is to show a proof of something, right? So you have to do something
-
external to present that, oh, I am the Christ, right? That was literally what he was saying,
-
using that word to show things, to show works. So today we would pick and finis of first
-
and talk about it much more and what we want to talk about much more is the identity in
-
union with Christ, right? Our identity in union with Christ. So like a subheading of
-
this is like our identity in union with Christ. So what identity do you have? Now that you
-
are in the father, the father is in me and we are with Christ. What is our identity?
-
We need to understand the identity of the believer. So last week when Pastor Victor
-
was teaching, he made a prophecy on something and he talked about something in his introduction
-
and he said, it is not gender based. Who remembers? He said, it is not ethnic based. The identity
-
and the message is not gender based, is not ethnic based, is not culture based. So therefore,
-
right, you don't need to struggle, you know, with your outward looking, you're struggling
-
with it, right? You don't need to struggle with that. You know, he even mentioned something.
-
He said, because of the way the mind has been structured, the emphasis has been on the physical.
-
But when it comes to the believer, the first identity of the believer, you can write it
-
down, is that the believer is spiritual. The believer is a spirit, is spiritual. This is
-
the first identity that we must understand so that we don't struggle with how you look,
-
right? Nobody can talk you down on how you look because you are spiritual. This is important.
-
This is also important because when you understand that you are spiritual, you will be bold to
-
manifest the kingdom of God. When you understand that you are spiritual, that you are a spirit,
-
you will be bold to do it, to manifest the kingdom of God. Because I will not, we're
-
going to explain today how that spirit comes to be, right? So what I'm going to explain
-
here is to make you become bold to manifest the kingdom of God, knowing that you are a
-
spirit and you're spiritual, right? So some people when they tell them, you have to manifest
-
the kingdom of God, they just think that something has to come upon them before they can manifest,
-
right? Not from within them. When you talk about people manifesting the kingdom of God,
-
they believe that they have to be pushed. They have to, oh no, manifesting the kingdom
-
of God is something spooky. It's not, right? Manifesting the kingdom of God is not something
-
spooky. It's not something that cannot be explained. But where it begins is to first
-
understand our identity, right? That we are spiritual and how the spiritual came to be
-
is what we will see today. All right, so the believer's identity is spiritual first because
-
the kingdom itself is spiritual. The believer's identity is spiritual because the kingdom itself
-
is spiritual. So we have been teaching about this kingdom and we say that the kingdom of
-
God is not a location, right? It's not a location. It's not a place where we go and we sit and
-
gather. But it is spiritual, talking about the dominion and the influence of all that
-
Christ has done. So it is not physical but spiritual, talking about the dominion and
-
the influence of all that Christ has done. So it will mean that the death, the burial
-
and resurrection of Christ brought dominion, right, and influence and this is spiritual.
-
All right, let's start with the first scripture. Let's go to Genesis 1 verse 1. Genesis 1 verse
-
1. Genesis 1 verse 1. Now I said, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Next.
-
The earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep and the Spirit
-
of God was hovering over the face of the waters. I think I'm going to use my Bible so media
-
team you can present that to the church. I'm just going to use my Bible so we can move
-
fast. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form
-
and void and darkness was over the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering
-
over the face of the waters. Right? So what we are seeing here is God's intention, right,
-
we've taught this before, God's intention to unite with man, okay? God's intention to
-
do it, to unite with man. It says the heaven and the earth, right? And Perseus also had
-
taught us that actually if you read the verse 2 you would understand what the earth is because
-
verse 2 says the earth was without form and darkness was on the face of the deep. Right?
-
Darkness was on the face of the deep and when we read 2 Corinthians you can put it down
-
across Genesis 1.1, right? You can even write it in your Bible, just put that Genesis 1.1
-
and 2 together and put this scripture 2 Corinthians 4.4. 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4. It says, was
-
this mind the God of this age as blinded who do not believe lest the light of the gospel
-
of the glory of Christ who is the image of God should shine on them. Right? We need to
-
read some more context to that so that we can understand it. So verse 5 of it says,
-
for what we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as the Lord with ourselves as
-
servants for Jesus sake. Verse 6, for God who said, let light shine out of darkness
-
as shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
-
of Jesus Christ. Again, let light shine out of darkness as shown in our hearts to give
-
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. So it means that
-
the heart of man is where the darkness is, right? The heart of man is where the darkness
-
is. When they're talking about the heart of man, they're not talking about this heart
-
that is physical. They are talking about the frame mind of man that aligns with unbelief.
-
So the heart of man is darkened, right? The heart of man is darkened and therefore we
-
see that it's nothing physical. It's not talking about physical. It's talking about people
-
who have not believed. The verse 4 of that 2 Corinthians chapter 4 reveals it that in
2 Corinthians 4 chapter mention
-
their case, the God of this world blinded their minds of the unbelievers to keep them
-
from seeing the light of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. So anyone who has
-
not seen the gospel, who has not understood Christ, is blind and is in darkness. Do we
-
say that? Does that mean that they are in a place where there is no electricity? Okay,
-
so it means it's not physical, right? Does that mean that if you remove their hearts
-
and you check it, it will be dark? Does it what it means? It doesn't mean that, right?
-
So if you check them and you go for an X-ray, you will see red, right? I mean, if I'm right,
-
you know. So it means that it's nothing physical. We need to pay attention to that. It also
-
means that what is darkened is their understanding. It means that when a message is presented
-
to them, right, they will say, no, this message is a lie. That's what they do to the gospel.
-
When they say Jesus is Lord, they say, no, that's a lie. That's what an unbeliever does.
-
He's as plain as saying, it's a lie. Like, I don't believe this gospel. If you don't
-
believe something, it means you don't believe it because it's a lie. That's what you have
-
positioned yourself to be. So therefore, the matter that was being dealt with in Genesis
-
1 and Genesis 2 is the matter of the darkness in the heart of man. So from there, we already
-
saw that this matter is spiritual, right? It's spiritual. Now let me show you something
-
else in verse 3 to add up to it. Or same in verse 2. He said, and the spirit of God was
-
hovering over the face of the water. And the spirit of God, that word is ruach heluhim.
-
It's not spirit of God as to mean God is on the throne. Then the spirit of God is now
-
walking around and checking how, no, no, that's not what it means. It means God himself. There's
-
no off in the Hebrew version where it is written. There's no off. There's no spirit of God.
-
It is the spirit who is God. Let me not use who is God because that will mean another
-
T-S-K-S thing for those of you that know. But I'm not going to use that. It means the spirit
-
God, right? It means spirit God, ruach heluhim himself. So that is God. And that means it's
-
about a spiritual matter because the person who wants to unite the heart of man to himself
-
is spirit. The heart of man itself cannot be same. So it's a spiritual matter. So from
-
the beginning we can see that what God intends to do is not to make you to be yellow, is
-
not to make you to be dark, is not to make you to have jerrycoys like I said last week,
-
but to make you a spirit that is in union with the spirit of God. That is the first
-
thing. Spirit that is in union with ruach heluhim himself. From this point you should
-
begin to have boldness because the goal of this teaching is to make you bold, to manifest
-
the kingdom. I say it again. So when you understand that what God planned from Genesis is that
-
he wants you to be in union with him, it means you are a spirit, right? And that should give
-
you boldness. Okay, let's see further. Let's go to John, no Ezekiel 36, 22-32. These are
-
scriptures we've touched very well. Ezekiel 36. Can we read from verse 19? Let us just
-
pay some little bit of context to these. It says, verse 19 says, I scattered them among
-
the nations and they were dispersed through the countries in accordance with their ways
-
and their deeds. I judged them, but when they came to the nations, where they came, they
-
profaned my name in that people said of them, these people are the Lord's, yet they go out
-
of his land. But I had concern for my holy name, which is the house of Israel, which
-
the house of Israel had profaned and among the nations to which they came. Now the context
-
of this is the Israel's unbelief, right? The Israel's unbelief. And what we see there,
-
right? What we see there, can we observe? It said, they profaned my holy name. Why?
-
In that the people said to them, these people are of the Lord, and yet they had gone out
-
of his land, but I had concern for my name. So it means that, there's something I want
-
to pick it. It means that the profaning on the Lord's name, right? Is simply working
-
in unbelief, against, working in unbelief, which is against the word of God. Actually,
-
that is the profaning of the name of the Lord. When you do things, right? When the word of
-
God is presented to you and you work against it, that is profaning the name of the Lord.
-
That is what we see here. It said, they profaned my name among the nations because the nation
-
has, they said these are people of God, but they don't look like one, right? Because they're
-
not even where God says they should be. So we see that this is the problem in this context.
-
What I had concerned for my name, it said, talking about he honors his own name, right?
-
He honors his own name. Now, that word concern is not about God is worried about his reputation.
-
No, God is not worried about his reputation. Because he had said something, Israel rejected,
-
then the people of the world was, these people, they look like people that God has really
-
called them, but they are not in alignment with the word of God. That is profaning. And
-
God said, I have concerned for my, is not I'm worried about my reputation. No, I respect
-
my name. I honor my name. And that name is the word of God. Hallelujah. The name that
-
God had concerned for is not the name that is pronounced, the word Yahweh. No, that's
-
not, it's really talking about what he will do. So he said, what I will do, I will do,
-
right? What I will do, I will do. I have concerned for my name, which the house of Israel had
-
made to Israel. Israel is making it look like God has abandoned his people who remember
-
Romans. He said, has God abandoned his people? Say no, right? There are people who are believing
-
even from the house of Israel. So God says, I have concerned for my name, right? Which
-
is for the word I've spoken, I have respect for it and I'll bring it to pass. It means
-
that people will believe, right? People will believe. See, don't be concerned when you
-
go for evangelism, you are preaching, they're like, ah, people are not believing. Oh, you
-
are doing percentages. Let me tell you, God has made it that many people will believe,
-
many would come to the knowledge of Christ because God would fulfill his word. Now let's
-
see what happened after. I actually have a scripture that I actually wanted to, I will
-
talk about in line with these because I was sharing it with a post-custin yesterday night
-
when we were discussing about the scriptures. I think that scripture is Psalms 138, if I'm
-
correct. Let's go to Psalm 138. Let's go to Psalms 138 or verse, Psalm 138. I just show
-
you something there that actually would help us to understand. You know, when we teach,
-
one of the things that we do, right, is to correct, is to set straight the word of God,
-
right? Is to set straight the word of God. Let's go to verse two. Let's go to verse
-
two. I bow down towards your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast
-
love and your faithfulness for you have exalted above all things your name in some scriptures
-
it says more than your word. If your scripture say that, can you raise your hand? Okay. Did
-
you hear what I said? If your scripture says he has exalted his name, this is a good version,
-
right? More than your word. So some scriptures rather than use and they put more than. Can
-
I see that? Above all your words, yes, you have exalted, you have magnified your words
-
above all your name. Now these, you know, we always know the name is that name that
-
you pronounce, maybe Jesus, maybe Halloween, right? That name is very powerful. The name
-
of God and the word of God are not different things. The name carries what he will do.
-
So there is nothing like he has exalted his name more than. He has exalted his name, his
-
word. That's actually what is there. Just the same we saw Ruach Elohim, right? So the
-
authors and the translators put these things there for readability also sometimes based
-
on their understanding. So God's word is his name and that's word he will do. He is not
-
concerned about his reposition. His respect is for what he has said and he will do. Now
-
let's continue in that Ezekiel 36. So if you now go to verse 22, now watch. So we are said
-
that what God would do, right, is his name, right? His name is what he will do and is
-
the word, right? And is to bring Israel to the fulfillment of what he will do. So from
-
verse 22, he began to explain what God would do, right? He said, therefore to the house
-
of Israel, to seize the Lord, it is not for your sake, it is not for what you have done
-
it, O Israel, that I am about to act, but for my name's sake, my holy name, what can
-
we replace that holy name with? His word, right? We can replace that word because of what God
-
has spoken. Which are profaned among the nations to which you came, right? And I will vindicate
-
the holiness of my great name. Which you are profaned among the nations, which you are
-
profaned among them and the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord. When
-
I come through you, I will vindicate my holiness before their eyes. Next. I will take you from
-
among the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own
-
land. I will sprinkle clean water on you. Can you see the vindication of God? Right?
-
It's salvation, it's cleaning, it's bringing people to a position where they are supposed
-
to be. And you shall be cleaned from all your uncleanness and all your idols. I will cleanse
-
you. And I will give you a new heart, a new spirit, and I will put within you. And I will
-
take the heart of stone from your flesh. I will give you the heart of flesh. And I will
-
put my words, my spirit within you and cross you to walk in my status and be careful to
-
what to obey my rules. Did you see? He said he will do what? I will put my spirit within
-
you. Right? He's talking about our spirit and our spirit in union with Christ, in union
-
with God. He will clean us. I will save you. I will bring you to a place where we will
-
be together. All this stated here, a heart of stone, a heart of flesh, and all of that
-
are figurative to explain a spiritual reality that happens in the believer. So the believer
-
is spiritual. Hallelujah. See, I am spiritual. I have a spirit within me. And I am in union
-
with the spirit of God. Amen. Well, let's go to, let's progress. First John 4.13. First
-
John 4.13. It's about this we know that we abide in him and he in us because he has done
-
what? He has given us a spirit. Right? This is now later on after the spirit has been
-
given. He has given us what? His spirit. So every believer has a spirit of God. And it's
-
not about like, you know, sometimes with the way we picture it is that God is inside his
-
jacket. Right? It is just, it is, right? It's technically true. But the right explanation
-
is that you are in union. Your spirit and God's spirit are in union together. That's
-
what his spirit is. Right? It's within your spirit and you in him. Don't forget 14. I
-
will be in you, you will be in me. We will be together with the father. So spiritual
-
So buddy, hour is coming and is now. When the true worshipers will worship the father
-
in spirit and truth for the father is seeking such people, right? Such people to worship
-
him. So God is spirit and those who worship him in spirit must, sorry, those who worship
-
him must worship in spirit and truth. So God is spirit and it will give bread towards spirits.
-
God is spirit and it will give bread towards, he's not spooky. Don't look at it like something.
-
No, no, no. God is spirit and it will give bread to spirits. That is why you are less,
-
I mean, I'm not saying you should take care of yourself. We don't discourage that. But
-
your concern and your worry is not this jacket. How does jacket use? No, your concern, your
-
worries, not how this jacket works. So when you want to go and manifest the kingdom of
-
God, say, ah, I have to put on white suit like Pastor Imau for the anointing to flow.
-
And then I need to speak like Pastor Custin, then walk like Pastor. You know, these things
-
come with the movements. Or you want to preach to someone, I'm not well dressed, ah, you
-
know, you are covered already, right? You are modest, right? I need to look good. You
-
know, the gospel must be packaged. You know, you need to put on some shining, looking,
-
spray yourself. So when you come and say, have you believed? The person will smell your
-
arouse. Okay, because who came with something? No. As you wake up in the morning, you brush
-
it, it will go out. You just walk in, you find someone, you can preach the gospel because
-
it's about your spirit that is ready to teach the world to explain the world to people.
-
You are not limited by your physical appearance. You are not. So it's a God of spirit. And
-
we that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Another scripture, John 3, 6.
-
Let's go to John 3, 6. John 3 verse 6. Or let's see. Okay, good. So now this is now
-
the explanation, right? The statement I made, the explanation is that, that which is born
-
of the flesh is flesh. And that which is born of the spirit is what? Spirit. That which
-
is born of the spirit is spirit. You are spirits, right? You are a spirit. Can you take verse
-
37 of the same John? Let me see if I play something there. John 3 verse 37. Okay, it's
-
not up to, okay, not up to 37. 36. John 3, 34. Let's go to 34. 34. Yes, thank you. For
-
he, whom God has sent, utters the word of God, for he gives the spirit without measure.
-
Now this was a discussion about Jesus, right? Some people saw Jesus baptizing and all of
-
that. We can read from verse 31. Verse 31. It says, he who comes from above is from above.
-
Again, reiterating this thing, spiritual. He who is on the earth belongs to the earth
-
and speaks in an earthly way, he who does, he who comes from heaven is from above. He
-
bears witness so that, he bears witness to that which he has seen and heard, yet no receives
-
and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whosoever receives his testimony sets his
-
seal to this, that God is true. Verse 34. For he who God has sent, speaks the word of
-
God, utters the word of God, for he gives his spirit without measure. The father loves
-
the son and he has given all things into his hands. Whosoever believes in the son has eternal
-
life. Whosoever does not obey the son shall not see life, but the word of God remains
-
on him. The emphasis is that he's talking about Christ and he says he gives his spirit
-
without measure. It means without restriction. It means first, in the context of Christ,
-
Christ is fully God and fully man. Are we together? Right? He's fully God and fully
-
man. It's not like, oh, it's 50% in measure. Right? It's like, I don't know, there's what
-
they call maybe graduated cylinder. I think I've heard that word somewhere. I can use
-
that. Yes. Like a portion measured of God, granted to Jesus to carry. Right? So that
-
the remaining part will be topped up by human. That is not what it's saying. He's fully God
-
and he's fully man. Right? So the extent of God's spirit is in him. And therefore, when
-
you are being given birth to, you are not half spirits. You are not half spirits. Like
-
I'm spirit half and I have other parts. You are fully spirit as well. You know, the mathematics
-
does not work. Right? The mathematics of half plus half has to be one. I think I was talking
-
to someone. They want it to be one. Right? That's why they are making it 50-50. But they
-
can explain 100-100. Right? So the point is you are fully spirit. The spirit of God is
-
granted onto you, not in a measure because you are given birth to by Christ. So some
-
people say, oh, that is, you know, some people, they can manifest speaking in tongues. Some
-
people, they cannot speak in tongues. You know, it is given in measure. No, no, no,
-
no. They even bring that there. You know, that is what it will mean. And that is why
-
when we teach, we teach you very well to know that you can manifest all that is found in
-
the spirit of God. Hallelujah. Say I can manifest all that is found in God. Hallelujah. So not
-
with a measure. Right? It's not an extent, but fully spirit. So because we are coming
-
from that and we are fully spirit. Now let me go to Hebrews 7 verse 9. You are from God.
-
You are spirit. Your spirit is given birth to by the spirit of God. Sorry, Hebrews 12
-
7 to 9. Hebrews 12 7 to 9. Hebrews 12 verse 7 to 9. It is for discipline that you have
-
to endure. For God is treating you as sons. For one son is there whom the father does
-
not discipline. If you are left without discipline in which all have participated. Oh, stop.
-
Let me finish reading. Then I'll come to this. In which all have participated. Then you are
-
illegitimate children and not sons. Next. Besides this, we have earthly fathers who
-
disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the father
-
of spirits and words and leave? Now go back to 7. Let's start picking it one one. It is
-
for discipline that you have to endure. It means that the reason why we endure is for
-
training. The word discipline there is not punishment. Okay. So put it in your mind is
-
not punishment. It is training. People endure training. You suffer punishment. Let me put
-
it that way. You endure training. It is training. God is treating you as sons. Right? For one
-
son is there whom the father does not discipline. So he is bringing in the concept of family
-
here. Okay. The father disciplines a son. The next. If you are left without discipline in
-
which all have participated. It means everybody that is found in God is being trained. Everybody
-
found in God is being trained and you have to be trained and you have to endure. So here
-
again it shows it is not punishment because all have participated in this discipline,
-
in this training. Now it says then you are electing me children. It means how would you
-
come into a place where you have not been trained? So the next verse. Besides this we
-
have earthly fathers. Now this earthly fathers is very important because it will help us
-
to understand the father of spirits. Right? It will help us to understand the father of
-
spirits. Now we have earthly fathers who have disciplined us and we respected them. Right?
-
So it is talking about the context of a family again. Are we together? Now shall we not be
-
much more subject? Right? The obedience to the father of spirits and leave. So this spirit
-
here is talking to children. We can replace that spirit as sons. Right? Can we replace
-
the spirit as sons? Yes. Can we say sons of God as spirits? John 1.1. I think I skipped
-
that. I did not read that. For as many as receiving, for as many as believe, again then
-
parts become what? Sons. Sons of God as spirits. And our father is God himself. So when you
-
think of yourself and you understand the fact that you are a spirit, it should be bold.
-
That tells you that you are the child of God. Right? You are the child of God. You are spirit.
-
When you think of yourself as a spirit, you should be thinking of your father who is spirit
-
and that is why I say we is the father of spirits and leave. Leave there is not like
-
you come alive. It means to be trained to be edified, to grow in him. If you read the
-
remaining part of it, you will see that that leave is not like it is talking about daily
-
living. Right? Daily living, progressive living. We will see that. So the father of spirit.
-
Now to quickly disconnect your mind so that you won't say God is not the father of all
-
spirits. First of all. Okay? God is not the father of what? All spirits. Right? All spirits.
-
God is not the father of all spirits. First, from this verse you see that he brought in
-
the concept, the author of Hebrew, brought in the concept of family. Right? In a family,
-
the father would discipline the children. The father would train the children. Therefore,
-
in God's family, he is the father of spirits. Right? And those spirits are sons. That's
-
why I made us to juxtapose so that we can understand. Those spirits are sons. Therefore,
-
he is our father and we are spirits. Good. Now let's read, let's read John 8 verse 44.
-
Let's read John 8. Let's read the book. It says you are of your father the devil and
-
your will is to do your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning and does
-
not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him when he lies he speaks his own
-
character for he is a liar and the father of lies. Did you see here? Now, it definitely
-
means that Jesus, if God is the father of all spirits, he would not be calling devil
-
having his own entity as a father. Right? So he is saying that the devil himself, right,
-
calls his own people and therefore God is not the father of the devil. Some people are
-
saying that, you know, God is not the father of demons. He is not the father of priest
-
of parties, but he is not their father. Because father means they are in the same family and
-
they coexist, but they don't coexist. Right? We will talk about that because progressively
-
in this teaching we will get to authority. Right? That's where you will understand much
-
more. Fatherhood is different from the kind of authority that is expressed over demons
-
and principalities. So we see here that he is not the father of the devil. God is not
-
the father of the devil. Right. Matthew chapter 12 verse 27 and 28 is that if I cast out demons
-
by bells above, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
-
But it is by the spirit of God that I cast out demons. If it is by the spirit of God
-
I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. The kingdom of God has come
-
to you because I cast demons out by the spirit of God. So it means that God's spirit, right,
-
and God being the father of all spirits, these demons are not included in it. Okay? They
-
are not included in it. So when we talk about those spirits, it is talking about us. It
-
is talking about us. In the context that we read, it wasn't talking about angels. It didn't
-
talk about angels there. Right? It didn't talk about angels. It is talking about us.
-
Right? It said the father of spirits. Now if we read Hebrews, let's go to Hebrews 1 and
-
see. Hebrews chapter 1. Can we go to verse 13? Let's just go to verse 13. Verse 13.
Hebrews 1 chapter mention
-
And to which of the angels has he ever said, okay, to which of the angels has he ever said,
-
sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? Are they not all
-
ministering spirits, right, sent to serve for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
-
This is spirits serving those who will be sons. Okay? It is ministering their ministering
-
spirits serving those who would inherit salvation. It means those who will come into God's family.
-
Right? The concept of family again. Those who will come into God's family. And that
-
is what we see there that the earthly fathers will discipline and train up their children.
-
And our spiritual father is the father of spirits. And that spirit there is those who
-
will inherit salvation. So it tells you that that context, it wasn't talking about spirits.
-
Otherwise, it will be that spirits, you know, it will be in the context of disciplined spirits.
-
Right? Disciplined angels. But that was not the context of it. It was actually talking
-
about the context of those who have been saved and are in God. So therefore we can say that
-
we are spirits and therefore we can manifest the things of the spirits. We can manifest
-
the spiritual kingdom of God, which is spiritual, right? We can manifest we have boldness. Why
-
should we also manifest the kingdom of God? Because our father is the one who is in charge
-
of the kingdom. Right? So we are from a kingdom where God is the father. And when we think
-
of ourselves as spirits, we should have boldness. Right? We should have boldness. So this identity
-
as spiritual enables us, right? Enables us to know, right? Enables us to know our position.
-
Of course, it talks about identity, but it's also related to position. It helps us to know
-
that there are functions that our father has instructed us that we must carry out. So first
-
we are spiritual, right? We are given birth to by God. We are born of God. Right? In that
-
kingdom there are things to do. Those things to do is what we will come back to in subsequent
-
teachings and is the diaconal. Okay? So coming back to the beginning, right? I said, Philip
-
was asking and saying, Jesus show us, right? That question is not, how can I put it? That
-
question is actually a challenge because Christ has revealed an identity to him, right? And
-
he needed to believe, right? But the works, let's go back to John 14 now. Let's go back
-
to John 14. Let's go back to John 14. We need to open it so that we can see, so that we
-
can connect this very well. So verse eight says, Philip said to him, show us, Lord, show
-
us the father. And I said that he said, prove to us the father with works, prove to us the
-
father with certain proofs, right? Don't tell, I mean, it's not about position and all that.
-
Tell us we are and show us something. And look at Jesus concluded by saying that, believe
-
that I am in the father and the father is in me in verse 11. So can we say that believe
-
that the spirit of God is in the believer and the believer is in the spirit of God?
-
Can we say that? Because Christ has mentioned that here, if you go to verse 20, let us say
-
that verse 20, in that day, you will know that I am in the father and you in me and
-
I in you, our union with God's spirit. Do we agree on that? Now look at verse 11 again,
-
go back to verse 11. Jesus now said, okay, if you don't hold on to this, there is also
-
something you can hold on to that which you requested for. Look at the works, right? Believe
-
on the works that I do. Now in our father in verse 12, truly, truly I say to you, whoever
-
believes in me will also do the works that I do and greater works than these, he will
-
what? He will do. So it means that being spiritual, you would carry out works too. Do we get it?
-
Being a spirit, your identity as a spirit is not to just be existing. Your identity
-
as a spirit is not to just have it and oh, I'm spirit. But you would do works. It's just
-
that the identity precedes the work. That is it. The identity precedes the works. You
-
can't do greater works if you're not a spirit, if your father is not a father of spirits.
-
So we can do greater works, all that we do in Christ, right? In the preaching of the
-
gospel, in the healing of the sick, right? In evangelizing, in singing, in rejoicing,
-
in shouting glory. We are doing that because first we are spirits, the identity of course,
-
then those works they follow. Those works they follow. So I like to conclude to say,
-
don't be in the act. Now that you have learned, right? You have learned that you are spirit.
-
Don't be in the act of people that will say, oh, that guy is spiritual. You, what are you?
-
So that guy is very spiritual. You know, he has a way of coordinating himself or every
-
time they come, if you go to that guy now, he will spiritualize everything. There's nothing
-
like spiritualize everything. Everything is spiritual already, right? So be bold. Don't
-
change your lingua, right? Change the way you talk, change your thinking, right? That's
-
you are spiritual. So that guy is spiritual. What about you? You're spiritual as well.
-
You do the things. It's because they see people coordinating themselves in certain ways. So
-
that guy is spiritual. So we are spirits and we will do the works of our father. Who is
-
the father of all spirits? Who he himself is spirit. Hallelujah. Have we blessed? Have
-
we learned? Can we just pray in the Holy Ghost? Can we just pray in the Holy Ghost?
-
Thank you for listening to today's sermon. Your journey matters to us. Let's keep walking
-
together. Visit our website for more resources and follow us on social media to stay up to
-
date. Feel free to check the show notes for additional insights. If today's message was
-
a blessing, share it with a friend. Till next time, be blessed.