Episode 73: World vs. Christ

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit forever. Amen.

Glory be to the everlasting mercies which sent you to us, O

Christ, the light of the world and the life of all.

Give us wisdom by your law and enlighten our impulses by your

knowledge. Sanctify our souls by your

truth, and grant that we may be obedient to your words and may

fulfil your commandments at every hour.

O you who enlightens the rationale with the knowledge of

your greatness, do enlight, O my Lord, our thoughts that we may

meditate upon your holy and divine scriptures at all times,

O Lord of all, Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever.

Amen. I was watching an episode of

Shark Tank and noticed quite evidently, the scrutiny those

presenting a product or business idea experience prior to the

members of the cast. That is, the sharks either

commit financially or pass altogether.

Now, some wise and significant questions are posed to the

presenter, and rightly so. You know, the whole idea is to

be certain that an investment will pay off as claimed, as

projected, as described and as expected.

Now we can say that that is a good method and process to adopt

when evaluating the world and what it has to offer versus

Christ and His promises. Let's put it in practice.

Let me pose you a question. What is the most beneficial

thing, most important thing that you have invested in and are

expecting and praying and hoping and anticipating, investing in a

for a great return. You're anticipating a great

return, a successful investment. Is it finances?

Well, let me tell you, they are too often disappointing.

Let me take you back to the stock purchase frenzy.

You remember that? I think it was during COVID.

Robbie buy some of these stocks cause Elon Musk just sneezed and

that's a good sign. Robbie, buy some of these

stocks. You know, some of my beloved

deacons and beloved brothers and sisters would recommend and I

would adhere to it. I would go and buy some stocks

right when I check what I have today.

Now I'll just leave it at that. So finances can disappear just

like that. Taking losses is a norm in this

world, beloved, because this world is a loser.

It's a losing world. Is it relationships?

Allow me to politely and respectfully ask you yes, you

who are listening or watching? What number of girlfriend or

boyfriend or partner are you on? How many?

And I'll leave it at that. As far as relationships are

concerned, health. Let's not even go there.

Back in 2010 when I arrived in California, I was adamant.

I would walk 2 to 3 miles in that blistering heat during

midday, right. I remember going to Arizona for

a youth conference. It was at it was 103 or 113°.

And my dear sister, cousin Rita, we were driving home and I said,

Rita, I'm going to go for a walk.

She goes where I'll be. I said, you know, in the

streets. I'm going to go for a walk at

twelve, 1:00 in the in the afternoon.

She says you'll be arrested. Robbie, you can't walk in these

heat. I was adamant.

I want to lose weight. Well, today that's changed.

You know, sometimes some of the clergy vestments are barely

fitting me. So health is also changing,

right? How many?

Healthy, trim, ripped, stacked, 6 packed athletes are hit with

terminal diseases, illnesses, Alzheimer's, dementia,

Parkinson's, etcetera. So health is not a guarantee nor

a guaranteed payback, education, academic credentials.

Now I know many of our brothers and sisters who had who who

arrived in these Western countries with with credentials

such as pH. DS and today cannot make any use

of it because there is a lot of requirement marriages.

What about divorces? Death Does that.

That does marriages asunder unfaithfulness, cheating,

dishonesty, disrespect. How many husbands are living in

fear of the wives and vice versa?

How many husbands are unable to communicate with parents because

of their wives? Or how many wives are unable or

not permitted to communicate with their parents because of

their husbands unable to see children?

That's that's another one. Children.

Family. Friends, career, faith, church,

people causing schisms in the church and then calling for

unity. That's hypocritical, right?

You see, all of these that I mentioned, beloved, are

circumstantial. They are bound, affected by

circumstances, Marriages and all.

It's unprofitable, unfaithful, heartbreaking circumstances.

When you evaluate marriage, it's bound by these circumstances.

That's why our brothers, many of our Christian Assyrian brothers,

are fearing marriage. When you talk to them about

marriage, there's this. How should we say we're saying

this here, A heartburn reaction, a reflux reaction when you've

when you mentioned marriages. Oh, Robbie, don't talk about

marriages. No, no, no.

It's marriage today and divorce, you know, two years later.

That's why fornications, that is sexual relationships outside of

marriages are so being the norm. And on the increase, by the way,

that does not justify it. Just because marriages are not

guaranteed lack of a better term, it doesn't justify

fornication, because according to One Corinthians, chapter 6,

verses 9 and 10. Beloved, stop.

Just listen to me this few seconds.

Stop what you're doing. I encourage you.

I command you. I encourage you to read the

First Epistle of Saint Paul all to the Corinthians, chapter 6

verses 9 to 10. It specifically clearly

instructs fornicators. Those who are engaging in sex

out of marriage will not enter the Kingdom of heaven unless

they repent. So let's not justify because

marriage is fearful and it's not unpredict, it's unpredictable.

You see, the core issue and problem will all the troublesome

marriages. You'll find that the core issue

is that the couple have not understood that a relationship

in marriage is that of Christ and his church, yet it is still

circumstantial. So off the bat, that investment

which we are using marriage as an example, that investment is

not going to yield profit and grow.

It's not guaranteed to yield profit and grow because it is

circumstantial. However, marriages according to

Christ and only with Christ, where both husband and wife are

valuable and they both count and they are precious.

They're not just the material. Beloved brothers or beloved

sisters, more so beloved sisters and wives.

You're not just the material. According to some other faiths

out there, where the husband can throw acid in your face because

your food is not tasty. It happens.

I've heard it on BBC and I remember I used to listen to

this show called Every Woman. Some of the cases were just very

heartbreaking. No.

With Christ, both a husband and a wife are precious, are

valuable, and when marriages are built upon Christ with Christ,

they will have a great return here and in everlastingly or in

eternity. When marriages are entered into

and embarked on, built upon Ephesians 5 and according to the

unity of the Church and her Christ.

Now though there are there may be trials.

Now I'm not saying just because these marriages, yes, are built

upon Christ and upon Ephesians. 5 And you pray about it, and you

see God's intervention. They will still be trials and

struggles and challenges and heart breaks.

But these circumstances will not destroy and separate.

They will not end up in complete heartache, headache, court cases

and children being used as leverages.

Now I must stress, you may have misunderstood me.

I must stress that I am not whatsoever against or in any way

oppose relationships, Being healthy, obtaining your

education at the highest level, marrying the love of your life

for whom you are too willing to gather all the stars that are in

the sky and lay them at her feet.

Having children, belonging to a family, having friends, and most

definitely being active in attendance in church.

No, no, no, no. And in particular the church.

When I mentioned that you invest in the Church, I'm talking about

people. But when you invest in the

faith, the doctrine, the sacraments, the liturgy, the

services of the church, who is Christ?

You will have, yeah, you will have people that will break your

heart and disappoint you, but you're still with Christ,

beloved. Christ will overcome.

No, no, I'm not against. I'm just saying.

I'm cautioning you out there to remember that outside of Christ,

they all will be positively affected by circumstances.

And we spoke about that in all of life's requirements,

engagements, commitments that you embark on.

Examine that they are done so in the Lord, With the Lord, and by

the Lord build these little houses that you want to begin to

build on the rock of Christ and not the sand of secularism.

That way the unforeseen and normal circumstances will not

have an effective and everlasting damages or damaged

results. Saint Paul writes to Colossians

Colossians 3:17

chapter 3, verse 17 and everything that you perform in

Word and in works, everything that you want to embark on, Do

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and give thanks by him.

Wow, listen to this. Give thanks by him to God the

Father. The only Thanksgiving that God

is pleased when we utter and ascribe is only through Jesus

Christ, no one else. We cannot thank God in the name

of Muhammad. God is not pleased with that.

We cannot thank God in the name of Buddha.

God is not pleased with that. We cannot thank God in the name

of Krishna. God is not pleased with that

according to the scriptures. So everything we do, we do in

the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What does that mean? Evaluate everything?

Scrutinize everything through Christ's Measurements Proverbs,

Proverbs 3:5–6

Chapter 3, verses 5 to 6. Quoted rapidly, but only quoted.

Unfortunately. Trust in the Lord with all thy

heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding.

And I'll dare to add to that lead not upon the understanding,

the measures, the outlook of the world, but more so, and only the

Lords evaluate everything by Christ's standards, measures,

projections and outcomes which will not have any effective

destructive circumstances that will disappoint despair and

bring to destruction. For without him John chapter 15,

John 15:5

verse 5. Without Jesus Christ we can do

nothing. What we plan to embark on or

invest in life, we need to keep in mind not only the earthly

return. You know when you when you when

you marry. You want to have a a great

relationship. You want to have children, you

want to have a big family, which is great.

These are the the earthly returns, right?

We need to keep in mind not only those returns that are earthly,

but more so the heavenly returns.

You know, I think this sums it all up.

In Matthew chapter 6, verses 19 to 21, Jesus instructs do not

Matthew 6:19–21

place treasures for yourselves on the earth.

We're moth and corruption. They're your circumstances and

we can go on health and what have you, You know, do not place

treasures for yourselves on the earth.

We're moths and corrosion, this figure, and where thieves break

in and steal but place treasures for yourselves in heaven.

Where neither moth nor corrosion disfigure and where thieves

neither break in nor steal. For where your treasuries.

There is also your heart. I know contextual.

Yes, you may be saying that's contextual, speaking about

wealth and non possessiveness, right?

But this, in some way or another, is what we've been

discussing. Everything you embark on, be

sure to embark on that you will receive your reward in heaven,

including marriage and relationships and health.

Life's provisions are circumstantial.

Beloved. There is one thing, one place,

one person, that which at which and through whom what we are

promised, projected, and provided is not bound

circumstantially. And that is the joy of eternal

life in the Kingdom of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord

God. Praise and glory be to his name,

now and at all times and forever.

Amen. We hope you enjoyed this week's

message. Please don't forget to rate and

review this podcast and share with your friends and family.

For any future topics, suggestions, or to give us

detailed feedback, please visit our link in the show notes

linktr dot EE forward slash double edged sword Until next

time. God bless you all.