Transcript: Great Grace Part 2 — No More Condemnation

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This message is from believers equipped, a meeting organized by the Disciples Christian Network where the word of God is taught with practicality and believers are raised to reign in life. Join apostle Emmanuel as he walks us through the word of God. Last week, I showed you how to live with greater confidence, how to live with greater boldness, and I believe that we saw the importance of knowing beyond any doubt that once you become a believer of Jesus Christ, all your sins are forgiven. I showed you that the believer is not justified by works or by the old testament laws and customs. I showed you that the believer is justified by the grace of God. And that through this grace of God, you have received the gift of righteousness. That righteousness makes you bold. Your understanding that your sins are forgiven gives you confidence. It makes you bold. And if you don't know righteousness, then you will be very limited in life.

Have you seen scriptures? The in the book of Hebrews chapter five from verse 11. Start from verse 10. The next verse. The next verse. Can we read this together everybody? In other words, as a teacher, what do you need? Solid food. And at this point in time, you should have been teachers. You should be teaching others.

But yourselves are still babes. You have become dull of hearing. You are still babes. It starts by saying in verse 11 that you have become dull of hearing. Please stay in verse 12. You have become dull of hearing. For by this time, you ought to be teachers. But you still need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God. Go to the next verse and see what happens there. It says, for everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness.

It means the word of righteousness is solid food. Yes. Did you see that? It means if you don't know righteousness, you don't know solid food. It means you are still a babe. Doesn't matter what else you know. So you can become a prayer giant, but still be a babe because you don't know righteousness. Because you don't know righteousness. We showed you last week that a lot of people believe that following the old testament laws, the old testament customs and traditions is what justifies them before God. And so there are many people who still think that living by a set of rules and regulation is what makes them accepted before God.

The kind of cloth that they should wear, the kind of food that they should eat. I grew up in that kind of a background where there were several reservations, several laws, several regulations as to what to wear, how to appear, and we're made to believe that all of this is what makes you acceptable before God. A very funny incident happened. Somebody visited us. A family friend visited us. The family friend goes to the same church as us, believes the same thing as us. Yep? Yes, sir. So you would think that we should not have too much issues. Because we share the same belief in doctrines.

When the family church, when the family friend came, my mother was cooking catfish. And the woman was served her food. And said, what is this in Yoruba? Say, ah, it's fish now. Say, God forbid. Say, what happened? Don't you know that we must not eat catfish? My mother also being someone that also has her own laws said, you know, you know, you you know, you you know. So I'm like, do you now choose which one you wanna do or something? Do you choose it?

Glory to God. Because that individual believes if I should hit this thing right now, I've sinned against God, and God is not happy with me. If I should dress in the way, if I should appear in the way, and we believe that too. And it goes on even to dead works. Where we feel as though our acceptance with God is based on the effectiveness of our prayer life, our fasting life, and our study life. And if by any chance, we falter in any of these things, then our stand with God is affected. All of that is called dead works. And we try to appease God using dead works because we believe that the purpose of the law is to justify us before God. So the more of the law we can follow, the more performance we have, the more works that we do, the more righteous we become. But that is not the purpose of the law.

God who gave the old testament guys the law did not give them the law so that they could follow it to the point of righteousness. Somebody says, apostle, are you sure about that? Yes. That's why it's a teaching meeting. I'm gonna show you everything in scriptures. Romans chapter three. We do Romans chapter three and verse 19, the new living translation. I would want all of us to read this together so that you see it. It's in scriptures. One, two, three.

Go. Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given. Pause. Look at me for a moment. It means the law does not apply to you. Because it wasn't given to the Gentiles. It was given to the Jews. So those to whom it was given were the Jews. So when the Jews were imposing it upon the Gentiles that they must be circumcised, Paul had to tell them that the law of circumcision does not apply to those to whom it was not given. Do you understand what I'm saying?

But that's not even where I'm going. For... One, three. Go. For its purpose... First, the purpose of what? Law. Is to keep people from having excuses and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. That's the purpose of the law. To keep people from having excuses and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.

Do you know what that means? It means the purpose of the law is to show us that we are falling from God's standard. The law was never intended for the purpose of justification. That is what the Jews were teaching and is what many people still believe today. You must keep all the precepts of the old testament law. God judges you based on how well you perform. Not true. That was never the purpose of the law. In Romans chapter three, the the verse 20, the next verse after this, the bible then continues to say, therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified. By the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in whose sight?

In whose sight. It then reveals to us the third purpose of the law. One, two, three, go. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. In other words, what the law came to do is to reveal sin to you. In other words, the law came to show you that you cannot fulfill it. Do you remember my illustration last week of the Great Mountain and the standards of God being declared on that mountain? The purpose of the law was to show humanity that sin is present in you and you are helpless. You are helpless because if this is God's standard, then you have no hope. That was the assignment of the law so that nobody will have an excuse.

The law was not given to produce salvation or the forgiveness of sins. It was to show us how sinful we are. The assignment of the law was to show how hopeless and how sinful we were. So when we advocate the law and that people should follow a set of customs, a set of traditions, what we are simply doing is showing people how sinful they are. You didn't get that. Because it means that if growing up, I've been told that this is how I must appear to be pleasing in God's eyes. And as I go on living, I see the way my friends dress and I feel inferior based on how I appear, based on how I've been told to appear, and God is pleased with me when I appear like this. But in my own eyes, the people that I'm lurking with dress better than I do, appear better than I do, look finer than I do. I mean, they do more things with their hair, and I've been told that there is a way my hair must look like and if my hair doesn't look like that, then God does not please with me. And if at any point in time, say, because I'm still at home for instance, I I must limit myself to those customers and to those laws and my parent will kill me.

Now I get admission to university, and the first thing I go and do is to change my lifestyle. Is to go to to the market or someone buy the same jeans I was told not to wear. And you begin to wonder, but this is how this guy was trained. How come at the slightest instance of freedom, he rebelled? Are you seeing that the law was not so powerful as to ensure that he stayed there? Because what the law came to do was to show you cannot keep it. Even the one that has been reduced to human standard. God, showed you that the Pharisees had reduced this thing to a point where they could follow it. Yes, sir. Even that many will still fail because that was never the intended purpose of the law.

And what now happens is that when the guy now does this, the guy now feels guilty in her. Feels condemned. Feels like I've fallen short of the mark. Are you with me? Go back to NKJV and give me to verse 21. Yeah. We're already there. Verse 21. Look at this. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed.

Did you see that radical statement that Paul is making? Paul is saying that the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. In other words, you can become righteous. Enjoy right standing with God and be completely forgiven, made clean, and pure in God's sight without keeping the law. That's what Paul was saying. Can you see how offensive that was to the Pharisees and the Sadducees? This upsets religious people in Paul's days just as much as it upsets them into this world. Just in case you're seeing apostle, you are only reading your own meaning to this thing. That's not really what it says. Let's do NLT so that we see clearly what it says.

One, three, go. Because that was never what the law was intended for. The the bible says, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. In other words, even the law that we read and the prophets that we read prophesied that a time is coming when people will live apart from these laws. Where righteousness and justification would not be by performance but by grace. They prophesied it. If you read the laws and you read the prophets, this is what you see in scriptures that a time is coming when Jesus, the savior is manifested and people will receive forgiveness of sins. That's why the psalmist said, blessed is the man whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. It was first the psalmist who said it. Then you see in Jeremiah, I have sworn as in the days of Noah, your sins and your iniquities, I will remember no more.

You see the prophets declaring these things. This was not to happen in their dispensation, but Christ will be manifested. All that they were prophesying was that a time is coming, a dispensation of grace. So many people think that the law was given by God to show us all of the things we needed to do to get right with God. But that was never the purpose of the law. In verse seven, in Romans chapter seven from verse seven, in NLT, Paul was still continuing the conversation and he said, well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? What does he say? Of course not. Fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, you must not covet.

Did you see that? Yes, sir. So what was Paul saying? Paul is saying that the moment the law said you must not covet, sin took advantage of the law to awaken courageousness in me because the nature was already there. And God wanted to show man that man needed salvation. Man in his destitute state would think that is perfect. So God had to reveal to man that man had fallen short of the standard. How God will do that is to give man his own standard. And the moment God gave man his own standard as reflected in the law, man suddenly saw that there was another law at work in him that would prevent him from ever reaching that standard. Else, the only thing man can do is ask for mercy.

You didn't get what I just said. Look at the next verse. It says it says, but sin use this this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me. If there were no law, sin would not have that power. Let's go and read it. At one time, I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life. This is your Bible. Next verse. The bible says, and I died.

So I discovered that the lost commands which were supposed to bring life brought spiritual death instead. Next verse. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me. It used the commands to kill me. So when I tell people and when we teach people by the laws, what are we doing? We are awakening sin inside of them. That's what we are doing. We are raising the rebellious generation. That's what we are doing. That's the reason why most pastor's children end up rebellious.

No, most, not all. Most. Let's look at the last verse verse 12. But still, the law itself is holy. So the problem is not thou shall not thou shall not for that was God that gave that. Are you with me? Among several other customs that God did not give that Moses himself gave. But the law in itself is holy, including the 10 commandments. It is holy, and its commands are holy. They are right.

They are good. The problem is not with the law. The problem is that there is another nature on the inside that takes advantage of the law. So so so if you put the barrel here and the children are playing, they might not even look at that barrel once. But the moment you tell them, don't touch this barrel. What you have done is that you have created a law. Sin will take advantage of the law you have created. There is nothing wrong with the law, but it's sin will now arouse in them a desire to start looking at that thing, to start admiring that thing. That thing becomes what they now lost after. That thing becomes what they now want to...

What if I touch it? I mean, look, it's looking fine now. It's looking good now. It's looking awesome now. And all kind of thoughts. It's a sin arouses in me all kinds of desires. All kinds of desires. Sin took advantage of the law in finding expression in man. And it was in this same verse that Paul started saying that which I ought not to do, I find myself doing. And the things that I want to do that I don't have the strength to do.

But I find that the things that I ought not to do. So what is the problem? See there's a law that is working on my inside. A separate law that is working on my inside. And I will show you, this is the experience of many believers. Stay with me. Sin took advantage of law in finding expression in man. Man was not aware of his need for his savior. So the law represented God's pristine standard. And the moment the law was given, man immediately saw that he didn't have what it takes to fulfill the law.

Because he did the exact opposite of what the law required. Imagine someone told you that you have offended me. Bring $10,000,000,000 right now or else I will kill Now if you came to me to come and beg me because you probably knew you offended me and you came to come and beg me, you might come with some level of assurance because you did not know what it what it would take to appease me. When you come, you might just be talking and you will think all is well. And you say, ah, I am sorry. I'm with... And you will... You will try and relate with me as though there's no problem. And I will tell you that, okay, you have sinned. And this thing I will not forgive you.

The price you have to pay for my forgiveness is $10,000,000,000. If you check your account and you find out that what is this 100 naira, 10 kobo. You see, if I tell you that the price to pay was 1,000 naira, you probably think I can still save up. Give me one month. I'll come and pay it. Is that not so? But by the time I show you, at the price you have to pay, even if you save up and then you die, and children save up and then they die, and then their children save up and then they die, and then their own children save up. You realize that all the four generations will still not have saved up enough money to pay for my anger. So what you would not do is, I'm sorry. That was the purpose of the law.

To show man his need for mercy. To show man his need for his savior. That man did not have the requirement. You you could not have paid the price. You know why you could not have paid the price? Because from your mother's womb, you were already a sinner. So it's not as though you did anything to make him hungry. The person who did something was your great great six thousand years ago grandfather who fell. And because of his fault and disobedience, humanity in him became rebellious. Humanity in him became sinners.

So you were born a sinner. Even if you lived light, you still could not pay the price because it was primarily your nature that was the problem. Imagine you had a dog that loves you. Imagine you have a you have a dog. So imagine that you have a dog, and the dog loves you so much. And you love... Probably love dog too. But you can... But your dog really loves you so much. And you are a single man, and it's time for you to get married.

And your dog is somehow open that based on your relationship and based on how much care you show to it, you feed you you feed it every day, you give it food every day. When it's time for you to get married, though, it is a dog you'll consider. And the dog is on his best behavior doing everything right so that you just choose him. You just look your... You just look its way and say, see, want to marry you, and he's just doing everything right. Do you really think that that will still make you consider the dog? Was the problem with what the dog was doing? No. The problem was with his nature. The problem is that he's a dog.

So it doesn't matter whether you carry the plate for me when I'm done eating. It doesn't matter whether you will stop the thief that is coming to my house. It doesn't... The fact that you are a dog. You could not pay the price. So the sermon say in iniquity did my mother conceive me. Humanity was doomed. Jesus. And to show humanity that you need a savior because the equation wouldn't just be that the price will be paid and then you are free. The question would be that the price is paid, but you need to believe in the price that was paid.

Do you see that? Yes, sir. And to believe in the price that was paid, you must first realize your need for your price. Because if I don't know I'm a sinner, why do I need a savior? The purpose of the law was to show you you are a sinner. It's in your nature. It's already there. It might be silent, not manifesting, so you are deceived to think you are okay. So the law was introduced. Thou shall not commit adultery.

Say, that shall not commit adultery. Of course, this is when I've been going, and you come out one morning and you see your neighbor's wife. Say, how am I fine gone? And immediately, you say, what is this? Even you are shocked, and God is telling you, do you see you don't have what it takes now? This is why you need a savior because it is what I offer that washes this away, not your effort. So no matter how much you try, you see, we we have missed the equation completely in thinking that it is what we do that grants us access. Because even if you do right, it still has not changed your nature. You must understand that this is why the bible then says in Ephesians two and verse eight, for by grace, you have been saved. Through faith And not of yourselves.

It is the gift of God. All our sins have been forgiven. And it is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Oh glory to God. Forgiven people are not looking for an excuse to sin. Forgiven people find freedom and liberty from sin by coming to the savior whenever they feel The word of God tells us in no uncertain terms that sin shall not have dominion over you. For you are not under the law. In other words, if you are under the law, then what? But under grace.

In other words, the reason sin will not have dominion over you is because you have come under grace. So it is foolishness to believe that grace is the excuse you have to sin. So anyone who, because of grace, starts living a lifestyle of sin is not even born again. The person needs to be saved. The method of grace is not justification for lasciviousness. The method of grace is not justification for licentiousness. And you know this thing did not start today. Since Paul started preaching grace, since the apostle started preaching grace and showing people came. In the book of Jude chapter one from verse three, Jude was the one writing this. He says, beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

I need to maybe not today. Somewhere in this series, I will show you what is the faith that was delivered to us. So that we know what to contend for. Because there is a deviation from that faith. What Jude is afraid of is that a time will come when people will start deviating from the faith that was delivered to us. So we must contend for it. The word contend in the Greek word means to agonize for something. To painfully agonize for it. And why must we contend for it? Look at the next verse.

It says, for certain men have crept in unnoticed. Who long ago were marked out for this condemnation? Ungodly men are deceived. They are ungodly men. They are marked out for damnation. And what were they doing? Who turned the grace of our God into lewdness and denied the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. So are they saved? They have denied Christ, the Bible says. Give me NLT so you will get this.

NLT says, I say this because some ungodly people have warmed their way into your churches saying that God's marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. Ungodly people are deceived? This means when a believer in an attempt to teach grace then tells people that it does not matter what you do. Even if you fornicate, even if you do all of that, your sins are forgiven. One saved is forever saved. You can never lose your salvation. Look at what Paul says. Paul, you you that are speaking, you have lost your own. You are you are saying that because you have denied the Christ. If you think that grace permits licentiousness, grace permits lasciviousness, immoral living under the umbrella of everything is forgiven, everything is covered.

No. The Bible says that grace gives power to come out of sin. Grace does not produce sin. Grace lifts a person who is struggling in sin out of that life of defeat. Grace is what produces true and genuine holiness. And by true holiness, I mean holiness that is lasting, not an outward form of holiness that is transient. No. I'm talking about an enduring holiness that is birthed from a transformation that begins in the person's heart. Grace does not condone sin. It provides lasting freedom from sin.

In John chapter eight from verse three, a woman was brought before Jesus. The Pharisees brought a woman that was caught in the very heart of adultery to Jesus. And when they had set her in the midst, they wanted to catch Jesus using the law. Look at this. Next verse. They said to him, teacher, this woman was caught in adultery in the very heart. Now watch this. Next verse. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such person should be stoned. But what do you say?

Next verse. This they said, testing him that they might have something of which to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear what they said. And then as he was writing down, he then looked at them and said, whoever has not committed any sin at all, let him be the first person to cast the first stone. And all of them realizing that they were all sinners. And do you know that the speakings of Jesus are deep? So when he tells you that whoever has not committed any sin at all, immediately, your memory is reawakened Because the one that is speaking to you is the beginning and the end. Resurrection and life. All knowing, all sin. All of them, a memory bank was refreshed.

And they saw That Kai, Kai, Kai. That's the thing about self righteous people. That's the thing about judgmental people. That's the thing about people that condemn others. As though themselves are free. The problem is only that we choose which one is sin. So we do our own. But when we see others, then we castigate them. And God now said, if any of you is sinless, let that person be the first person to throw a stone. And all of them came ready to how how how can someone be excited to commit murder?

I can imagine they all came with their stones, wrecked it to dismantle that young girl's head. One by one, the stones were dropping. When everybody saw their need for salvation. When everybody saw that they had missed the mark. These were Pharisees and Sadducees. And all of them realized that even in their keeping the law because this was what they glory in. You would think that they would be bold and they would say, I'm a Pharisee. I've kept the law since... Not one of them was left. This way, these were the holiest of...

These were people that the Israel looked up to as the supreme standard of the law, and they all dropped their stones and left. I'm amazed at the wisdom of Jesus. I'm amazed. When they all went, Jesus now raised himself up. And saw no one but the woman. And he said to her, woman, we are those that accuse you. Has no one condemned you? And she said, no one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, neither do I condemn you. Neither do I condemn you.

Go and sin no more. This is grace in action. Grace does not condemn the sinner but also does not condone the sin. So Jesus did not say, go. I have forgiven you. Do whatever you wanna do. No. That is not grace. Grace pardons the undeserving sinner, and the result of grace is the power that is released to go and sin no more. How you know that it was grace that was released is that it comes with go and sin no more.

No condemnation, yet the grace is given to sin no more. Oh, I love Jesus. I love Jesus. The question today is, how do born again believers who sincerely want to live holy lives, who wanna make progress in life, in destiny, who want to do great things in life and destiny, who want to walk in victory, how do they still end up trapped in a cycle of failure, a cycle of sin, living a defeated life? How do people who wanna do great things in life and destiny? People who wanna live pleasing lives to God, how do they still find themselves trapped in those things, in those very things that they know to be sinful and not even those things alone, even in failure, even in defeat. Even in smallness, even in poverty. I believe that it is because of condemnation. Due to their feelings. They do not know or perhaps they have not believed that God himself does not condemn them, and it is because of the cross of Jesus.

Show me someone who lives under constant condemnation. And I will show you someone who is always struggling with sin, who will always struggle with defeat, who will always struggle with failure, who will always struggle with oppression, who will always struggle with poverty, who will always live the opposite of the life that God has ordained for him. You see, the more believers live in condemnation, the more they are, the more they become entrenched in a vicious cycle of sin, in a vicious cycle of failure, demonic afflictions, defeat. Condemnation is like a trap that the devil sets for the believer. It is like a snare. The moment the believer falls into that trap of condemnation. Then the believer continues to cycle inside whatever was the cause of that condemnation in the first instance. Failure, sin, defeat, and so on. When someone is condemned, they feel worthless. They feel undeserving of the love of God, undeserving of the love of their father, their pastor, fellow believers.

They feel undeserving of the love of people generally. I don't deserve to be loved by you. I don't deserve to stand before you. Condemnation does that to people. A believer who constantly feels condemned may withdraw from other believers probably because they are afraid of being judged or they just feel as though they don't deserve to be in their presence. They avoid the presence of God because they feel unworthy. Believers caught in a cycle of condemnation. You would find them engaging in negative self talk. They would see themselves as perpetual failures. They would say such things to themselves.

They would always use negative words to describe themselves. And this in itself can lead to a defeatist attitude in all areas of life, including work, including business, including personal ambitions, including ministry. Let's say for instance that a believer is surfing the Internet one day, and the chances upon a pornographic image for instance, and he looks at that picture longer than he should. And before he knows what is happening, a lustful thought storms across his mind. At the same time, that believer is born again. He starts to feel guilty. He starts to feel condemned. He feels as though why did I look at that thing longer than I should have looked at it. I shouldn't have even looked at that image at all. Or I shouldn't be even having this unholy thoughts.

How will something like this be crossing my mind? I'm a believer. These things are, oh, I'm such a foolish Christian. God must be so angry with me. God must be so disappointed in me. And the more he heaps guilt and condemnation on himself, the more he reasons within himself. What's now the point of resisting? I'm already a terrible believer. And since I'm already guilty and since my fellowship with God is already broken, I might as well just go all the way. I might as well just go all the way.

The guy might even feel, oh, I'm a prayer coordinator who I'm leading two or three people. Why should I be the kind of person that is thinking this or doing this or in this mess? What's the point even? I've already broken fellowship with God. God is already hungry with me. So what's the point? What's the point? He sees no point resisting anymore. And so what does he do? He then clicks on one of the images, and it takes him to a pornographic site.

And then he indulges in his fleshy desires. When he's done, guess what happens? He now feels worse again. More guilt, more condemnation, more condemnation. It's now even more convinced that even if God was not even angry with me before now. Now, and I could have stopped to... Why did I even do it? How? Why did... Ah, Jesus Christ.

God must be so angry with me. And so he does not he does not see himself as deserving to stand before the presence of God, and he also sees that God is angry with him. And all this guilt and alienation from God just makes him more susceptible to fail the next time he faces a similar situation. So tomorrow, that temptation will come again, and he has no guard. Because God is angry with me. I don't want to point, what's to use. So it's like a trap. The moment the devil is able to get you inside condemnation, it keeps you inside whatever was the source of that condemnation. And when a believer becomes like that, it means that there is no power to overcome any subsequent temptations anymore. His indulgence quickly develop into an addiction that imprints him in perpetual guilt, in perpetual self condemnation.

He begins to draw away from people because he feels someone like me should not be doing this. These people should not know what I am doing. If only they knew what I'm doing. And condemnation starts alienating him, starts isolating him for the devil to destroy well well. It's a terrible thing, and it becomes a cycle like that. Are you with me? Yes, sir. He knows he has a problem, but he's just too ashamed of his secret sin to approach anyone for help. Just too ashamed. And this is how many believers become trapped in that cycle of defeat.

Give me the diagram now, the first one. So the first thing that happens to a believer is that temptation comes. Or is not even tempted. It might just be a whisper of the devil through a negative thoughts or it might not even be that. It might even be a negative experience that he might have had. Let me give an example of that. Doesn't have to be temptation. Doesn't have to be negative thought. It can be a negative experience. An example of that.

I'm talking to my friend for instance, and he mentions or he does something I don't like. And I become hungry. And I flare up in my anger. I'm say I slap him for instance. Or I say something I should not have said. And the moment I say something I should not have said, I begin to wonder, Jesus Christ, how will I like something like that? Do you understand what I just said? Yes, sir. It's the same cycle that we do. It's the same cycle.

How will someone like me, something like that, how will they now begin to look at me? And then the devil now brings all kind of thoughts. All kind of thoughts. It can even be a correction. You submitted a project, and you were corrected. And so you were corrected very sternly. When condemnation comes, the devil will suggest thoughts to your mind. Instead of picking the correction, all you will see is how foolish you are to have made those mistakes to begin with. Do you understand what I just said? Yes, sir.

How foolish must you be? You are just a goat. You are just a goat. How... If this thing was given to someone else, would they do this thing? Why are you the one that is always doing this? Can't you see your life is useless? Have you forgotten that last week, that was what they corrected you for? One month ago, that was what they corrected you for. You can't change again.

See your life. You see, the reason why you are here again is because this same thought came to you last week you were talking about. It's a cycle. So people like that never leave that quagmire. They are always there. They are caged in that experience. And I've seen people that they are so beaten by condemnation that they become foolish. I mean, literally, Experientially. They make silly mistakes. Because they have convinced themselves that they can't just do anything right.

They can't just do anything right. So you ask the person. You went to market, right? You say, ah, yes sir. Okay, okay. So did you buy the Magi that I told you to buy? Ah, no sir. No sir. Oh, yes sir. Sorry.

Yes sir. Sir. That's condemnation oh. He's a bastard. You you you that is observing from the outside. So why you're always talking like a fool guy? Can't you think well? Can't you calm down and speak? And he will calm down and say, I'm sorry, sir. The next thing he says is this stupid.

Condemnation. Condemnation. Stay with me oh. You will be so blessed. You will be so so blessed. It's condemnation. Even in business. In business. There are people that just keep on making silly mistakes. You give them a work to do.

I had someone before like that who whenever he does graphics, there must be a blunder somewhere. Either the time is 12AM and he puts 12PM. And he will tell me, I checked very well. I sat down. I checked. I still did not see it. It's condemnation. Are you with me? Yes, sir. Imagine a student that reads condemned.

Because he has failed before. That's a negative experience. And God will now help you that you even read the first time you failed. And results still came out and it wasn't the best that you had. And say you got 60, and you were expecting based on how you studied and even based on how you wrote. That should have 90. When you enter into that cage of condemnation, you begin to doubt your intelligence, doubt your excellence, doubt your ability to come up with best results. Very soon, you'll see the guy will be reading, but self doubt even as he's reading. Thoughts of, you better don't give it your best this time around. Because the last time you gave it your best, see how it ended.

See how it ended. So why are you giving it your best? Are you giving it your best? There are people that words have been spoken. I've had to talk to someone before who was dealing with serious case of fear, and I found out that the source of the fear was condemnation. Serious case of fear, and the fear leads to all kind of demonic things. And when I investigated further, I realized that as a young boy, they called him... They had visitors, called him, and one of the visitors, he was carrying a plate, one kind. And probably, I think he said the cup was wrongly placed or so. He was holding a tray and the tray had mugs and plates and ceramic plates and all.

So the visitor just shouted at him, Tori, I will pay me. Why don't you make me? And he just fidgeted and broke everything that was in his hands. Then they beat him and he used insulting words and all kind of things. And anytime the guy just hears anybody shout, even if they shout from a movie, he he will start shaking like this. He'll start shaking like this. Because that's such an energy in him that makes him feel that you can't get anything right. You can't do anything right. You can't carry anything right. Can't carry anything right.

And it's a cage. It's a snare that the devil uses to imprison people. And there are times where you might even be wrong, where probably you sincerely did make a mistake, and probably you were corrected for it, or probably you were guilty of an offense, or probably you failed, or did something you shouldn't have done, and you are really wrong. And the thought is that if I don't feel bad about this thing, and by bad, I mean if I don't condemn myself, then I'm not sorry about the action. You're not gonna get what I'm saying. You you just feel you just feel I'm the one that is wrong. I'm obvious. I come guilty. So I must punish myself. It's not okay for me to have done this kind of a thing and I'm just there and I don't feel bad.

It's not okay. How else will I prove that I'm sorry? And so we put yokes of condemnation to drive that feeling of sorriness if there's anything like that. And you think that the more bad you feel, the more sorry you are, the more you are repenting. Except for the fact that you have just put yourself in a cage. That incident that incident will happen again next time given that cycle. So then the experience happens. What happens is immediately guilt and condemnation, feelings of unworthiness that makes you give in to sin or in in another instance, it makes you accept defeat or it makes you accept failure. You see, makes you accept failure, and then it leads to a life of increasing defeat, a life of increasing failure because you keep on failing. Then the vision will come again.

A negative experience will come again. Guilt and condemnation, feelings of unworthiness. And when a believer is in this trap, when a believer is in this cycle, that believer cannot know greatness. That believer cannot dare anything great. When that believer wants to do something big, condemnation will hold him back. Condemnation will hold him back. Is it somebody like me that should even be doing nothing like this? In fact, do you know that somebody can even come and meet you? Say say your leader rebuked you for something, And you feel so bad, you start allowing condemnation. And somebody comes to come and meet and say ah, just go and apologize now.

All of this is not necessary. And you go there. And the person tells you, ah, I'm not angry with you. I love you. God bless you. It just feel no now. It can't be that simple. How would how would it just be over? I deserve to still feel bad. This thing is a bastard, though.

When the believer allows it, he's done for. You can't imagine how many people are yoked in this, seriously yoked in this. The Bible says who the father loves, he chastises. Who the father love, he rebukes, he corrects. Those are strong words to describe what the father does to whom he loves. He says if I love you, I will chastise you. Condemnation will come and interpret chastisement as hatred. Condemnation will interpret chastisement as they love this one better than you. Condemnation will blind your eyes. You can't interpret anything correctly to blind you completely.

You can't step out as a minister of the gospel to do great things. Let's go and hold a crusade. Let's go and do this and that. You have something in your mind that just limits what you can do. How far you can push. I was praying today, and I just saw, I was praying, and I just, I was in a vision, transported in a vision. And I saw myself talking to 6,000 young people. And over it, I saw the experience. And I came out very fast. I said, God, what is this?

I already know. I've already seen this several times. But it came again afresh, came again anew. I said, this is happening. And this time around, I saw the number. So so when I when I when I saw it, I was just praying, I said, guy, we are pushing for this. We are pushing for this. We are pushing for this. I'm believing for this. The nations are coming.

We are expanding our tents. I was thinking immediately how we we we need to get a larger venue. We need to step out big. We need to do something great. You see, if condemnation exist, the first thing that comes to your mind is somebody like me. You... Your mind will immediately think of a thousand reasons why that thing cannot happen. Do you know that condemnation also makes you imagine that what you are doing is small as compared to what somebody else is doing? What you don't know is that nothing is small until it is compared. If the devil cannot keep you from focusing on your work, he he hasn't gotten you.

But you know what the devil would do? He will keep your... He will take your eyes away from your work, show you somebody else, and then use the person's work to define yours as small. The moment that happens, oh I'm not doing enough. I should not be where I am. I should not be this. By what standard? By whose report? You are growing steadily, you are maturing in Christ. But you just put on Instagram and you start feeling bad because of social media.

Why? A classmate of secondary school has gone abroad. Now I saw his post. He's getting married. I was even a senior. I was a senior. When I was in SS three, I was in SS one. See, and you start thinking about your life. You put your phone down and cascade of thoughts start coming to your life. And before that, you were thanking God for the progress.

You were thanking God for the transformation. The devil uses that to keep you in smallness. You will think that saying that will challenge you. But if the source of that is that, then it's condemnation. It won't challenge you to only keep you small. If scriptures cannot challenge you, you have a problem. A little one shall become a thousand is enough to challenge me. You don't understand my point. I don't have to see somebody else. I will focus on my own work until I become a thousand.

You see that? Yes, sir. Then the small ones are becoming a great nation. That is enough challenge. What am I doing small? It's got to be a great nation. Condemnation is a terrible thing. Jesus Christ. Are you with me? Can you Bow your head in one moment.

And just tell God I believe what you say about my life. Just tell God, I believe what you say about my life. I believe what you say about my life. I will not accept any other narrative that you have not said. I will not accept any other narrative save what you have said. I believe it, Jesus. I believe it. I believe it, precious holy spirit. I believe it. I believe it.

Let the yokes that have held me down in condemnation be broken today. Please pray. Please pray. Whatever yokes has held me down condemning myself. Even if I am wrong. The Lord doesn't condemn me. The Lord doesn't condemn me. Father. Please pray. Amen.

So how does a believer go from that place of defeat To a place of victory, to a place of breakthrough. The first step to victory is to realize and to believe that because Jesus has already taken the punishment for all of your sins at the cross, you don't have to be bound anymore and driven by guilt and condemnation or driven by fear. Every failure you can ever experience has already been punished in Jesus' body. Every failure you can ever experience has already been punished where? In Jesus' body. You have the perpetual forgiveness of sins. You have intimacy with God. You have to believe this. This is the power of right believing. This is the power of the gospel that leads you to inside house transformation, that leads you to lasting breakthroughs.

This is the power of right believing. Oh, thank you lord Jesus. Thank you lord Jesus. In Romans seven that we reread from that verse seven from chapter one even. So the almost the last verse. What Paul was complaining about is just opposing between the law and sin. The power of sin through the law. You see, and in verse 15, it says that which I ought not to do, I find myself doing. In verse 24, after he has complained and complained and complained. In fact, from verse 23 even, he says he says he says, I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, bringing men to captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.

Next verse. It says, oh wretched man that I am, who would deliver me this body of death? In my darkest night, you remain my light. Oh, wretched man that I was inside. Who could save me from myself? For in my darkest night, you became my light. Jesus used me more and more. Look at this. Oh, wicked man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Because this guy got to a point of frustration like many believers have gotten to. Watch this. The next verse, he says he says... This is how he concludes. He says, I thank God. I thank God. This is the last verse of all that ranting. It says, I thank God that through Jesus Christ, our Lord, so then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. But watch this. In other words, he's saying that this is a constant battle I am battling.

This is something I am doing. There is a law of God I should be working in my life, but I see another law operating, but I thank God. In chapter eight... Are are you seeing the the context of chapter seven? Yeah. In chapter eight, it's now about to show you what became the solution to everything he said in chapter seven. Chapter eight verse one, NLT. Look at what he says. He says, so now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. In other words, the conclusion of everything that I have been saying is that there is no condemnation.

In other words, the person that is speaking is the person who said, I'm worrying between the two. I'm seeing myself. I'm seeing myself. There's a struggle. He said, so now therefore, I found out that the rescue, the solution, the tipping point is that there is no condemnation. It means when I stopped allowing for condemnation, I came out of the trap of the enemy. There is therefore now no condemnation. That step to victory is realizing that there is no condemnation. It means when that next temptation comes, right in the midst of that temptation, believe and say from your heart, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I have the nature of God on my inside.

I am saved by the blood. The devil is bringing all kinds of thoughts in your mind, and you know these are unholy that should not be permitting my space. You see, I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I'm righteous. I know that I'm righteous. It is my nature. So what flows out of me is holiness. I have accepted this gift of salvation. Great grace has been shown upon me. There's no sin on me.

For whoever knows God does not sin. Free indeed from this life of death. I'm free. I'm free. I'm free indeed. Indeed. Oh, guilt, oh, great. Where is your stink? I'm free. I'm free.

Indeed. Indeed. Oh, grave, oh, death. Where is your sting? I'm free. I'm free. It's his life that set me free. It's your life I have received. It's your life that sets me free. Instead of believing that you are a failure of a Christian and God is angry with you, begin to believe and to proclaim his grace.

Begin to believe and to declare boldly I'm righteous. I'm loved. I'm loved. When you are corrected and the devil tries to bring pictures of condemnation, on this... Let it ring in your heart, who the father loves, he chastises. In other words, I told someone I said, I would rather hear the rebuke of God than to not hear him at all. Yes. I would rather hear his rebuke than to have him go silent. I would rather hear the rebuke of God. I would rather that God calls me and says, son, why would you do that kind of a thing?

And I would weep in sorrow than for me to stay without access to the voice of my father. How will you be comfortable that God is silent with you? How will you be comfortable that the father is quiet with you? It means you have not yet backed in his love. You must you must let it strike you as a revelation. I'm righteous. I'm accepted in the beloved. God has accepted me. I am chastised because he have accepted me. If ever I'm corrected, it is because he have accepted me.

But this changes the perception that I have. So it does not matter how the rebuke comes. It does not matter how the correction comes. Condemnation can never be how I respond to it. If I see a result, I know I'm righteous. Condemnation can never be how I respond to it. If a client does not pull through, I know I'm righteous. Condemnation can never be how I respond to it. I analyze my efforts. I ask my father, did I give my best?

Oh, I can work on this. I can work on this. I can work on this. I will never identify with problems. Doesn't mean that I cannot have situations or I cannot have problems. But it's one thing to have problem is another thing for problems to become your identity. It's one thing. You must come to a point where you realize I am loved by God. I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. And when thoughts are flooding your space, declare I'm righteous.

That's when you should go to God in prayers. Why is believing and declaring that you are righteous so important? Because sin can never take root in you. Failure can never take root in you. Defeat can never take root in you when you are full of the consciousness of your right standing in Christ. The more you are establishing God's gift of righteousness, the more you will walk in victory over sin. The more you will walk in victory over defeat. The more you will walk in victory over failure, over addiction, over oppression. Let me show how the Bible puts it. First Corinthians 15 verse 34.

The Bible says, awake to righteousness and do not sin. In other words, it is your awakening to righteousness that empowers you not to sin. I'm talking to believers who want to live a life of victory over failure, over sin, over defeat, not people who are looking for justifications to live in a furious life. That's why there's a cycle of victory. Give it to me now. And the cycle of victory begins with the same temptation, you see. The same negative thoughts that the devil whispers. The same negative experiences that you have. The same thing in the first place. But how do you respond to it?

Righteousness consciousness. I am righteous. I'm righteous. I'm righteous. I'm not a failure. Understand the difference between failures and as an event and failure as an identity. I'm not a failure. Doesn't mean I cannot fail. Because in the school of greatness, there is many failures. Yes.

You are permitted to fear. If not, how do you learn? How do you grow? How do the child learns to walk? Through many fallings. So the Bible says God is able to keep you from falling, but the same Bible said the erector shall fall seven times. But if he falls, he will rise again. The beauty is knowing that I serve a God that can keep me from falling. But however there is falling in my experience, I can still rise again. The Bible says there is hope for a tree if it be cut down.

There is hope for a tree if it be cut down. Does the Bible not say the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree? It means the righteous is a tree. Even if you cut a righteous man down, there is still hope for him. Listen. Many of us use that story of Peter. That Peter had experienced while he was walking on water and as he began to sink. Many of us use that story to illustrate all kind of things. We have picked all kind of sermons through that story, sermons on the importance of looking at Jesus. Peter did not look at Jesus.

Peter did not focus on Jesus. That's why he failed. That's why he failed. Oh, you can also we've we've thought all kind of things, but did you realize that even though he sank, he cried to God. He cried to Jesus. And Jesus was right there, Picked his hand, drew him out of the water. Question is this, when he drew him out of the water, where was he standing? Did Jesus enter the boat and say, mama, mama, mama, mama. As he sank, he drew him out of the water. Look.

This guy was afraid. He started sinking. As he started sinking, he said, Lord, save me. And watch watch watch this. The Bible says immediately, Jesus stretched out his hand and cut him and said to him, hold you of little faith. Why did you doubt? Is this condemnation? Remember what the father loves. He chastises. You you you can be there and you're wondering, hey.

I I knew it. I knew it. I should not have stepped out. But watch this. Look at the next verse. One, three, go. Pause. How did they get there? When they got into the boat, in other words, they still walked back on water into the boat. How many of us were taught that even though he sank, he still walked again On that same water that he sank in.

The failure is not the end. A man can drown in the waters, and Jesus holds his holds his hands up, and he still walks on the same thing that attempted to drown him. Yes. Yes. Yes, sir. That's how I know that filling an exam is not the end of me. I can walk on that same water. Going for an interview and not getting a job is not the end of me. Not meeting up to my targets that I've set for myself in a month is not the end of me. I can walk on that same water.

So so I don't allow for my response to sink in, become defeat. My response cannot be defeat. If my response is defeat, I will cave in and I will sink. That is what makes you die. And this is what the preaching of the gospel does. This is what the good news of our lord Jesus Christ does. In Romans one sixteen, it says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God. It is the power of God. The gospel is the power of God to bring salvation into your life. The word salvation there is a very rich word in the Greek.

It means soteria. Soteria as used in this place. It means soteria, and it means deliverance. It means preservation. It means safety. It means salvation. It means it covers any area of your life that needs saving so you can enjoy wholeness and well-being in your body, soul, and spirit. So where do you find this deliverance? Where do you find this preservation? Where do you find this safety?

Where do you find this prosperity? In the gospel. In the gospel. It is the gospel that brings protection. It is the gospel that brings healing, deliverance, soundness in every area of your life. That is why this gospel is so powerful. So in verse 17, it says, for in it, the righteousness of God is revealed. In other words, the gospel is so powerful because in it is the righteousness, the revelation that you have been made righteous by the work of Christ and not by your works is revealed. Notice how Paul says from faith to faith. In other words, you cannot walk in faith.

You cannot talk in faith. You cannot live in faith when you don't understand that you have been made righteous by faith. But once you realize that God is not counting your sins against you because of what Christ has done, peace and joy settles in your heart. Fear flees. Hope springs forth. You begin to believe God for every blessing that Christ has purchased for you. It activates the power of God to overcome every obstacle in your life. You know I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. I'm not small. Condemnation makes you small in your own eyes.

It makes you on something of of God's love for you, of the father's love for you. It makes you fearful. If I have time next week, I will talk about fear as it relates to condemnation. If I don't have time, we'll skip it. And there are many believers who are stuck. They can't move forward anymore. They can't make progress anymore. They are held bound by failures of the past. Query words that they spoke out of anger, perhaps they betrayed somebody's trust. They did something they felt they should not have done.

They entered into a destructive relationship. They knew they should not have entered into. So many people are living in the shadow of guilt and condemnation, the mistakes of their past onto them. And it is a painfully, lonely, a very painfully, heartwashed journey for them. They're like that paralyzed man that was brought to Jesus by his friends. In the book of Mark chapter two from verse one, the new living translation, NLT. The Bible says, when Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Watch this. Soon, the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no room even outside the door while he was preaching God's word to them. Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.

Several believers are like this paralyzed man. You know, remember I told you that last week Tuesday, that the unbeliever, the unsaved man, humanity is like the leprosy man that Jesus met when he came down from the mountain. But this paralyzed man is a typology of many believers. Is paralyzed from head to toe. That he couldn't move any part of his body. Couldn't move any part of his body. He was placed on a mat. The next verse says, they couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd. So they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his on on his mat right right down in front of Jesus.

Look at this. The man couldn't move any part of his body, paralyzed from head to toe. He had... He needed his friends to carry him. What loving friends. And they brought through the roof. Created a hole through the roof. I just thought he was teaching. Look at the distraction they were causing. They didn't care.

Imagine somebody starts cracking the roof right now. Adam teaching. Can you picture it? Yes, That will be a heavy distraction. Yes. From trees that are falling down to leaves falling down, staining the people's clothes to the noise they were making, but they didn't send. They still kept on burrowing him through. What will make them? What give them the confidence that Jesus would not be angry at that distraction? Ah, god.

And say, young men, can't you see that we are doing something here? What dishonor is that? If a man is paralyzed from head to toe, what does he need? Healing. He needs healing. So when they lowered him down, everybody saw that he could not move, and everybody was waiting for Jesus to perform that miracle. But watch his next words. Jesus said, seeing their faith, said to the paralyzed man, my child, your sins are forgiven. What? This man is paralyzed.

What he need is be healed. Rise up and walk. But everybody there would start wondering, why are you telling a paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven? But what he needed at this point what he needed at this point wasn't rise up and walk because Jesus saw that the reason why he was bound then the first instance is because of his sins. In other words, guilt and condemnation had so eaten this man up that he could not move forward anymore. In other words, a lot of believers are like this young man who have become paralyzed by the guilt and the condemnation of past failures and past events. And because of this, they are immobile. They cannot move. They can't make progress. Parallel from head to toe.

Business cannot move forward. Academies cannot move forward. Marriage cannot move forward. They keep on repeating the mistakes of the past. They are not able to move beyond a point in their lives. They keep on cycling years. They are in 2024, but in the realm of the spirit, they have not left five because they are paralyzed. They are immobile. An event that happened have trapped them in the past. So he has might be passing by, but the guy is still in 2018.

The guy is still in 2017. Immobile, not making progress. Immobile, not moving forward. An example of this was the man, Terah. The bible says Terah was the first person who had the vision to go to Canaan. Remember, Canaan was a promised land eventually. In other words, Terah was the first person who had the vision to go to the promised land. Not Abraham. If Terah was Abraham's father. Abraham followed Terah on that journey.

But Terah had sons, three of them, and one of his sons was Aaron. The second was Abraham. The Bible says that as they went, Aaron died. Aaron, his son died. And this guy so loved his son that even when God told him to start going to the promised land, he mustered up his strength and started going. But the devil went ahead of him and ensured that a town would be in that part of their journey that will be named Haran, the name of his dead son. Do you really think that was a coincidence that you lost your son? And on your way to Canaan as you were going, you got to a land, they say, is the name of this land? He says, Haran. The Bible says that guy could not move again.

That was where he died. That was where he was buried. Yet where they were going was Canaan. What the devil do was to take a fragment of his past, place it in his present, and ensure that years were passing by, but he remained stagnant. Couldn't move anymore in destiny. Couldn't move anymore in life. Paralyzed completely. Paralyzed completely. I've seen people that blame themselves for the divorce of the father and the mother. And they say if not, if only I was a good child, if only I was a this, if only I was a that, this would not have happened.

And they keep the event on repeat. Keep the event on repeat in their mind. Years might be passing by, but first people are stuck in a moment in time. There are people who hold people in their hearts, maybe because she was molested. And she has defined herself by that experience. She now think there's no value left to her anymore. And when you think there's no value left to you anymore, that means that you would see yourself as a very common item. That's the reason why women give themselves away cheaply. Any guy can hug you indecently. Any guy can touch you indecently.

You can just give yourself because you don't see any value in yourself. Even when somebody is talking to you and is telling you, you should not be doing this. You can't picture what they are saying because you don't see yourself as an item of value. You can't even understand what they are saying. So your person is talking past, talking time. When you come to God, you must realize that the first thing that God tells you are the solution to paralysis is not stand up and walk. It is your sins are forgiven. Ah, Jesus. I don't know what you have held onto that have kept you in guilt and condemnation, but your sins are forgiven. Jesus knew how much this man needed to hear these words.

How much this man needed to hear these words? Your sins are forgiven. A lot of people will start making progress today if they have the revelation that my sins are forgiven. Then suddenly they realize I can do all things. There's nothing stopping me anymore. There's nothing stopping me anymore. I met a young lady once who was feeling bad, feeling really, really bad because she was making progress. And some other members of our family were not making progress as she was. And at a point when she met me, she was planning marriage. And at the point when she was planning marriage, she she is the first daughter that would be planning marriage legally.

Our senior, our elder sisters had all gotten pregnant out of wedlock, Had all been bonded into husband's house. Some are the second wives, third wives. And this lady was just doing well with her life. And she was feeling bad because she was doing well. After I told you the condemnation is a bastard. Yes, sir. She started feeling, what will they be thinking? Oh, they will not think I'm the one that is taking their glory. Hope they will not think, oh, they will not be thinking something. So even when something good happens to her, she doesn't want to...

She she she... What what does that now do? That now limits how high she should reach because she does not want to offend other people. So when the guy wanted to marry her, she kept on telling the guy that I'm not ready. I'm not ready. I'm not ready. And this was about the fifth year. When it was investigated, she saw that it was because she'd known to offend somebody. Condemnation is a bastard. Yes, sir.

Goes deeper than you think. And the moment Jesus said, your sins are forgiven. In verse 11, look at the next statement Jesus makes. He says, stand up, pick up your mat, and go home. Someone who is paralyzed from head to toe. Can you imagine how the proof of that healing will look like? Paralyzed from head to toe. You can imagine what it look like. The hands will start functioning. Then the leg.

Paralyzed from head to toe. Then the the legs. Then you'll be able to move his neck. Then you... Like this. Then you will stretch. Is that not so? Yes, sir. What are the double describes it? Next verse.

One, two, three, go. Once you know that your sins are forgiven, what happens is that you dump up. It's not small, small. The moment the light breaks out in you, you suddenly see there is nothing holding me anymore. Yes, sir. The devil is under my foot. Everything that I thought was bigger than me, I'm bigger than. The Bible says the man jumped up. He grabbed his mat. Somebody Somebody is jumping up in their business.

The Bible says, he walked out through the stoned onlookers. You will think he will start apologizing. I'm sorry for interrupting. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. He he was all walking out like this. Hey, Jesus Christ. Hey, Jesus Christ. I will never be the same have touched your grace.

My life has changed. I will never be the same. My life must change. Listen. The reason why my life has changed is because I touched grace. I'm accepted by God. I am righteous. There's no chains holding me bound. There's no chains holding me. I'm not I'm not slave to guilt.

I'm not slave to fear. There's therefore now no condemnation. To those who are in Christ Jesus. How can I be condemned? How can guilt hold me fast? From now henceforth, I'm dumping up. I'm grabbing my mat. And I'm running. And I'm making progress. And I'm moving with speed.

Now, no instruction I have gotten. That I've been delaying on them, I've been delaying on them. Now I'm grabbing my mats. And I'm running with speed. Listen. Listen. Listen. God is not withholding breakthrough from you. Your past has not poisoned your future. Your future is secured in Christ Jesus.

Condemnation is a killer. Condemnation will keep you enslaved to it. Condemnation is a snare that keeps you imprisoned. It hits you from inside out. You know, sin will always demand an answer. I'm no longer slain. Listen. From my mother's womb. My name. Now shout it loud.

Say I've been born again. Into your family your blood flows Listen. Listen. You know that you can't just wheel away self condemnation. You can't just tell yourself to forget about the mistakes and the bad choices you have made. You can try your best to forget about your past, but it will always come back to haunt you. You know why? Because sin will always demand an answer. Sin will always demand a resolution. Sin will always demand that you pay the price.

That's the reason why it always comes back. See, you you that you did this. In other words, you should pay the price for it because the bible says, the soul that sins, it shall die. The bible says, the soul that that sins shall die. The bible says the wages of sin is death. So your conscience will always cry out against you. It will always demand that punishment for your sins. It will demand that you you are punished for it. That is why you need to have an unshakable revelation that the price you're asking for has been paid. So that whenever the devil wants to bring that thought to you, the revelation of...

The reason why the thought is coming to you is so that you must pay the price for it. That's why you feel as though the suffering you inflict on yourself is the price you are paying. Some people think that I don't deserve joy. How does somebody like me deserve joy? Because because I must pay the price for what I did. What you did has been paid for. In full. In full. A lady says I've had 10 abortions. How can somebody like me have a good marriage?

Hey. You will have a good home, in fact. A good husband join. Your husband will not have money. You too will not have plenty money and plenty children. You know why? Because the breath has been paid. That's why I'm... That's why I will be wealthy and not feel bad about it. Yes, sir.

I will be wealthy and not feel bad about it. I will build houses and get cars and not feel bad about it because the price has been paid. I will take giant leaps, giant steps, giant accomplishments, bold steps because the pride has been paid. At that cross, Jesus took on the punishment for your sins. At that cross, Jesus took on the punishment for your mistakes. Your condemnation became his own and he paid the full price for it. When he shouted it is finished, do you have any idea what was finished? So if Jesus said it is finished, how come the devil convinces you that he remains? That he remains. There is nothing left.

There is nothing left. We walk in this assurance. This is how the sinner stops sinning. This is the grace that produces holiness. This is how the hadith stops being an addict. This is how the smoker breaks free from smoking. This is how the prostitute gains libration. This is how the poor man comes into wealth. This is the gospel that delivers salvation to all that he ate. The bible say that gospel is the power.

It doesn't have the power. It is the power of God onto salvation, onto deliverance, onto prosperity. Stop. Onto prosperity. Oh, thank you lord Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. You, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you lord Jesus. I understand the price that was paid.

I understand the price that was paid. I understand the price that was paid. Feels like I've been down to the river. You washed away all my shame. No longer bound because I'm forgiven. Yeah. I've been made free from sins, guilt and stain. You gave your life for me that I might be saved. Yeah. You changed my destiny with the awesome price you pay.

Now I can say, all things are passed away. All things are new. I'm not the same. Yes. Yes, did, Jay. Yeah. It's true. It's true. I found my side. I'm not the same.

Yes. I've been changed. Thank you Jesus. Do you believe this? Listen. You see, this is a teaching series. Yes. That's the reason why I'm intentionally calm about it so that you can be instructed. So that you can hear these things. You don't cause me anything to steer the waters.

But I believe there's more value when you hear, when you understand. That is how the chains are broken. As I'm speaking, you realize that chains are falling off. Chains are just falling off. You step out and you're just free. You hear that what? No longer bound because I'm forgiven. In other words, what... One of the things that keeps you from bondage is the knowledge of your forgiveness. The knowledge of your forgiveness.

I thank you lord Jesus. So that when we say just thank god, do you know that a a foolish believer is thinking, well, well, me, I don't really have any testimony now. My own job has not come. Me, I'm still looking for job. That's what you think you have to thank God for. In your in your in your miniscule mind, the greatest that God can do for you is a job. This is the reason why some of us get jobs. This is the reason why some of us get contract upon contract. Because we always expect to be favored. We always expect to be favored.

Even as we are pushing, we're expecting to be favored. One of my interesting daughters messaged me and said, sir, I have a job interview. Even though they asked for three years of experience, I don't have three years of experience, but I want to go for the experience. I said, if you want to go for the experience, you might as well just sit down at home and watch a movie and sleep because that's a waste of time. Are you going for the experience? We are going to get the job. Righteous men don't talk like that. I'm not going for the experience means I've already seen that I'm not getting the job. But let me just see how it will look like. Let me just see.

Look at how somebody, a believer is already thinking. Come on. Come on. By the time you sit down there and show them what value you have to offer, And you know I'm getting this because I am righteous. And so I prepare as such. This is how we move as believers. This is how we talk as believers. We expect every mountain to bow. We don't see any obstacle as obstacle. Caleb and Joshua, after they have taken the promised land, said, give us this mountain for your well able.

In other words, we still find... Even though we have taken what belongs to us, we still find that there are places that we have not occupied. We are not okay yet. We're not satisfied yet. There's still more we can do. And they go again and again and again. This is how believers think. Sir. I told someone, I said, if you stand in front of the mountain and you speak and the mountain did not move, climb the mountain. Climb the mountain.

And you will find another miracle waiting for you. But one thing you must not do is sit down there devoted. No. No. No. If the water will not part, we will work on it. Are you with me? But I will sit down there defeated. No. Go for a job interview, then they told me, unfortunately, they are better candidates than you.

It means you are blind. It means it means you did not see well. It means you didn't see well, you're lost. I go back home, repackage myself. Sir. Refire again. Yes, sir. Sir. Sir. Yes, don't have a mindset of impossibility.

We don't think smallness. Yes. Righteousness does that to you. Yes, sir. Righteousness does that to you. Once you know that this thing has this thing has become your revelation, you will hate failure. And when you hate failure, you will do all to succeed. You will carry that book like you have always been lazy about and you will read it. Now there's a difference because you are reading from a standpoint of understanding. You know that the righteous man a righteous man cannot fail.

And so righteous man should not fail. A righteous man should not set himself up for failure. Are you with me? Yes, ma'am. Yes. Yes. Yes. Please believe these things. Believe these things. Believe this is solid food.

This is the food of champions. Yes, sir. This is the food of greatness. This is what makes you stand before any system, any mountain undefeated. Knowing that I can swallow this. Yes. I can swallow this. Have you been blessed? Yes, Yes, sir. Thank Jesus for what you have received.

Thank Jesus for what you have received. Thank Jesus for what you have received. We believe you were blessed by this message to connect with the Disciples Christian Network and get more from Apostle Emmanuel. Follow us on our social media platforms. You can follow us on Instagram at officialdisciplescn. You can follow us on Facebook at disciples christian network. You can also join our telegram page at DCN media for more messages by Apostle Emmanuel. If you have a testimony from this message, you can mail us at disciplecn@gmail.com. God bless you.