20 Jan THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER
I am wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year. This is my first publication for the year 2021. It is not about writing so many messages or preaching many sermons for according to the sure, certain and certified testimony of the Scriptures it is written, And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
The heart of the matter says a servant of God is a matter of the heart. It is a matter of the heart because you are admonished to , Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23), It is a matter of the heart ,’for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Mathew 12:34b) and it is the heart of the matter because Jesus Christ says, But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment . For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Mathew 12:36-37) It is a matter of the heart for we are told that , Finally ,brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just ,whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things(Philippians 4:8) and It is the heart of the matter , For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders ,adulteries ,fornications ,thefts, false witness, blasphemies(Mathew 15:19). It is a matter of the heart because, A good man out of the good treasures of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Luke 6:45) and it is the heart of the matter, For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Mathew 6:21). However the conclusion of the whole matter is : Fear God and keep his commandments. There are four things you must no let go all the days of your life on earth and they are
1.Fear God
The scripture says that, Behold the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom (Job 28:28b) and wisdom s profitable to direct (Ecclesiastes 10:10b). Jacob swear by the fear of his father Isaac (Genesis 31:53)forgetting that the fear of man brings a snare (Proverbs 29:25a) king Saul disobeyed the commandment of God and eventually lost the throne because he said to Samuel ‘I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people and obeyed their voice’(1 Samuel 15:24) When you fear the people you will definitely follow them to do evil and the scripture says, thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil (Exodus 23:2) for you must understand that majority is not always right. The fear of losing their job makes some people to compromise and commit sin, and the fear of not having a job makes some others to compromise the word of God when it conflicts with their personal comfort. What is sex for grade ?It is nothing else than the fear of the lecturer failing you in his course if you don’t commit immorality with him. It all comes down to fear, but the question is who do you fear? The scriptures asks you why should you be afraid of a man that should die ,and of the son of man which shall be made as grass(Isaiah 51:12) If you must fear, then fear God for He is the only One who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell (Mathew 10:28)If you tell lies because of fear of man or the consequences then that same fear of man will eventually lead you to hell if you die in your sin because no one that maketh a lie shall inherit the kingdom of God (Revelation 21:27)
Fear God for it was the fear of God that directed prophet Samuel all his days that he could boldly say to the Israelites in his valedictory speech that , ‘I am old and grayheaded, and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox I have taken? Or whose ass I have taken? Or whom I have defrauded? whom have I oppressed? Or whose hand have I received bribe to blind my eyes therewith? And I will restore it to you.(1 Samuel 12: 2-3) and the people told him that he was not guilty of anything (1 Samuel 12:4) Samuel feared the LORD because it is written that the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men(1 Samuel 2:26).He grew on in grace and wisdom and therefore could tell the Israelites the importance of the fear of the LORD, ‘If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God’(1 Samuel 12:14)
Concerning our Lord Jesus Christ the scripture says, ‘Who in the days of his flesh, when he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared’ (Hebrews 5:7) If in the days of his flesh Jesus Christ feared God then who are you and who am I not to fear God? If God is your Father, where is His honour? And If He God is your Master, where is His fear? (Malachi 1:6) Don’t be like the unjust judge which feared not God (Luke 18:2) Today ask God to give you wisdom if you lack it and He will give it to you (James 1:17) and then shall you be filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40) and have the fear of the LORD, for this is wisdom.
2.Love God
If you don’t love God you cannot keep his commandments for it is written, Hear ,O Israel: The LORD: our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might(Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and it is written ,If ye love me, keep my commandments(John 14:15). Do not tell me you love God because you are a Christian and born again and yet don’t keep His commandments (John 3:3) you must be born of water and of the Spirit(John 3:5) because, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14) you must be born of water which is the word of God (Ephesians 5:26) and then you can say like David ,the sweet psalmist and prophetic king of Israel ,that, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee(Psalm 119:11) Don’t deceive yourself that you love God because you are faithful in giving your tithes of offering but don’t keep His commandments. You might be pastor, preacher, prophet, teacher, evangelist, apostle or a worker in the church but if you don’t keep the commandments of God you don’t love God. It is only you obey God’s commandments that you love Him and no matter the unfavourable or unpleasant situation you find yourself presently do not panic for the scripture tells you plainly that, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28) The question here is do you love God?
3. Love your neighbour
Again don’t deceive yourself that you love God if you hate your brother for it is written, If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also (1 John 4:20-21) In the world it is said that the way you dress is the way you will be addressed and sadly this has crept into the church today and the Apostle James told we the believers that , “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment. And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?(James 2:1-4)
How can you say that you love God when you do not fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (James 2:8) why do you have respects to person? Concerning Jesus Christ the scripture says, he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him (Isaiah 53:2b) and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him had to kiss Him as a mark of identification (Mathew 26:47-49) because it was hard to differentiate the Master from His disciples for they all dressed in a similar way yet Jesus Christ was and is the Master.
4. Please God
According to the confirmed testimony of the scripture written, And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lightening upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ( Mathew 3: 16-17) again this was confirmed and certified, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (Mathew 17:5)
You must do everything and I mean everything within your power to always please God and do the things that are pleasing to Him and God can never forsake you for as Jesus Christ said, And he that sent me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him(John 8:29)
For you to fight a successful warfare your obedience must first be fulfilled then you can be ready to revenge all disobedience (2 Corinthians 4:6) Jesus Christ fulfilled all righteousness (Mathew 3:15). The uniform testimony of the scriptures is that when a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to at peace with him (Proverbs 16:7) The fact that your enemies are at peace with you doesn’t mean that they want to be at peace with you but it simply means that they are powerless and helpless and have no other choice than to submit to you. The angels of God struck the enemies of Lot with blindness (Genesis 19:11) and He struck the enemies of prophet Elisha with blindness (2 Kings 6:17) and made them powerless and helpless. One thing you must understand today is that only after God has made your enemies to submit to you (Psalm 18:37-44) will He prepare a table before you in the presences of your enemies (Psalm 23:5a) When king Solomon’s ways pleased the LORD (1 Kings 3:10) God gave him dominion and peace on all sides round about him (1 Kings 4:24) and they brought him presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life(1 Kings 4:21) but the LORD was angry with Solomon when his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel (1 Kings 11:12) and stirred up adversaries against him like Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14) and Rezon the son of Eliadah who was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon (1 Kings 11:23-25) and Jeroboam the son of Nebat (1 Kings 11:26) You must always have the same testimony Enoch had, that he pleased God(Hebrews 11:5b)
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