Transcript: No Longer a Slave, Not Yet a Son: The Call to Maturity

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God's word is alive and powerful. It is sharper than any double edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and our joints and marrow until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. Join Apostle Emmanuel as he takes us on a journey into the word of God. It is time to encounter God, be transformed by his word, and empowered by his spirit. Before I begin, I'm gonna be very short, very brief today. Very brief today. I'm not gonna take your time at all. Today, I'm going to give us a short exhortation or a short charge. It's gonna be both a teaching and a charge, but it's gonna be very short.

Very short. Every man begins his walk as it relates to God as a servant. When you see the bible talk about being a servant or being a slave as it opposes to being a believer, it means being an unbeliever, being disconnected from God. So every man starts his work on earth disconnected from God. Every man is born a sinner no matter the extent of your morality how careful you had to behave well or how careful you had not to sin or you can even say I've never lied. I've never done anything since I was born. I've always been taught to be a very moral believer. I'm what you would call a good girl and what you'd call a good boy, you are still an unbeliever. Every man begins their journey, their walk on earth as a sinner, disconnected from God, disconnected from the life of God. Disconnected from the spirit of God with no relationship or no work with God.

This state is also what the bible calls being spiritually dead. That state of disconnection from God. And a man that has no relationship with God is a slave or a servant. The bible calls that man a servant. So the bible says the heir, for instance, as long as he's a child, differeth not from a servant, from a slave. The word slave there is an unbeliever. If you give me the, say, the amplified version or the NLT should capture it well. NLT says, MSG, looking for the one that uses unbeliever. NKG, what's the one now? Look for the translation for me that uses unbeliever.

Uses the word slave and then puts unbeliever there. If you can fit for me, find it for me. Glory to god. So in such references, the bible is talking about unbelievers. Do you understand what I'm sharing with you now? Yes. Unbelievers. That's where every man begins his work from. In Psalms 51 and verse five, the bible says, I was brought forth in iniquity. And in sin, my mother conceived me.

So every man born of a woman was brought forth in iniquity. Every man born of a woman was brought forth in sin. As long as you are a man or a woman born of a woman, you were born in sin. You were born in iniquity. It has nothing to do with what you did or what you did not do. It has everything to do with your being present in Adam when Adam fell. And by reason of Adam's fall, every man on earth who is born is born as a servant, is born dead, spiritually dead, disconnected from God. Are you with me? That man cannot be led by God because he's not under the domain of influence of God's authority. He cannot do the will of God because the spirit of God is not in that man.

He cannot have the fruit of the spirit because the spirit of God is not in that man. He cannot walk in the gifts of the spirit because the spirit of God is not in that man. Somebody might be confused for instance, and you'll say, sir, but before I give my life to Christ, I used to see I used to see visions. I used to see this and that. Seeing visions is not a gift of the spirit. Seeing in the spirit is not a gift of the spirit. The word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and the gift of prophecy, these are gifts of the spirit, not seen in the spirit. Because you can see anything in the spirit. There are people who are born with that gift. To see anything in the spirit doesn't mean that it is supplied by the holy spirit.

Glory to god. That is why if you have that gift, for instance, to see in the spirit, you used to see demons, you see spirit beings, and all of that. You have to be very careful and be diligent to study the word of God. Because the realm of the spirit is not the realm of angels. It is the realm of the spirit. It means there are all kinds of spirits there. Demons are there. Principalities, powers, wicked spirits are there. You will inter interface with all kinds of spirits. And so if you are open to that realm without the understanding of scriptures, you will be lost there.

The bible says even the devil is able to parade himself as an angel of light. So every man begins his his life disconnected from God. And because you are disconnected from God, it means you are under the domain of the devil. It means demons can do anything they want with that life. Because that life has no authority. That life has no power. This is how every man begins. And the problem is that you are born of a woman. This is how every man is born. Whether your parents are pastors, doesn't matter.

The fact that your father is a pastor or your mother is a pastor does not mean they gave birth to you a saint. You are still a man born of a woman, and you were still born in iniquity. Do you understand what I'm saying now? Every man, every woman listen to me. And there is a calamity, a predicament for the man that is born of a woman. The bible says, he is always in trouble, and his days are full of trouble. The bible says, man born of a woman. Man born of a woman. There's a predicament that always befalls him. It doesn't matter what he does.

It it doesn't matter whether he's a good man, whether he's a good person. All of that doesn't matter. The only problem is that he's born of a woman. The bible says he's of a few days, and his days that are few are full of trouble. So if a man is born in sin, is a... And he's born an unbeliever, is of a few days. Those are the type that die early. Anything can kill you. Witches can kill you. Wizards can kill you.

You can be you can be subjected to any affliction, any hardship, economic recession, economic hardship. You are alienated from the life of God because you are a servant. However, a time comes when that man becomes born again. At the time when he becomes born again, he stops being a servant. His journey with God now begins. In John chapter three from verse three, it was Jesus that was speaking to Nicodemus, and he said to him, most assuredly, I said to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God unless one is born again. I would always say that for Jesus to say, unless one is born again, it means you have been born before. Your first birth was born of a woman. Man born of a woman is of a few days. Man born of a woman is days are full of trouble.

So Jesus says, to remedy for this, you have to be born again. There is no prayer that can save you. The problem is not whether you are good or bad. The problem that you were born of a woman. So the only solution is to be born again. Do you understand what is God's business now? The born again experience... Oh, I didn't... I forgot to mention that man of a... Man, born of a woman is all destined for hell.

I hope you know heaven is real and hell is real. He's a victim of eternal damnation. What saves man born of a woman from this predicament? What saves him? What saves him? His only salvation is that he must be born again. That is his only salvation. The bible says, Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly I said to you, unless one is born again. Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. In verse five, Jesus now tells him what is involved in being born again.

He says, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That you are born of the spirit. He goes on to say, that which is born of flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the spirit is spirit. That if you are born of flesh, you are only flesh. So the problems of the flesh will befall you. But the moment you are born again, what has happened is that you are now born of the spirit. It is called the new birth experience. This experience transforms you. It is a very simple thing, yet it is a it is a very powerful thing. How does that new birth experience happens?

The gospel is preached. The new birth experience is what saves you from hell, saves you from judgment, saves you from eternal damnation. That is why it is called salvation. It saves you from the curse of the law, from the affliction of the fall, from the curse that came with the fall of man. For instance, curse is the ground for your sake. That is the reality of man born of a woman. Go and read. Go and read the scriptures very well. Cost is the ground for your sake. In toil, in sweat, you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

That's why the bible says his days are full of trouble. His days are full of trouble because all his all his constantly doing every day is looking for what to eat. The reason why he's going to school is to go and look for what to eat. To study a good course, a lucrative course that will give him what to eat. So if the cause is not lucrative enough, man born of a woman is afraid that, ah, I didn't get medicine. I didn't get law. I didn't get engineering. What will I do with my life right now? When I finish, I have no hope in the marketplace. Man, born of a woman.

His days are full of trouble. There is always something troubling him because the curse is that he will sweat. Everything he does, all his thinking, all his all his all his effort is because of what he will eat. And there are people that labored much because of this. They labor much. There are people that work two jobs, work three jobs. Go outside the country. You won't imagine the kind of labor that people, immigrants are putting themselves through just to make ends meet. His days are full of trouble. He moves from one trouble into the next.

He can never have peace one life, and the problem is that he's born of a woman. There is a cause on that man. A cause of sickness, a cause of poverty, a cause of lack, a cause of dullness, a cause of affliction, a cause of demon possession, demon oppression on that man. So he can die anyhow. A man can do PhD. Go to school, do his BSc, do his masters, do his PhD. And as a doctor, become an emeritus professor. And he prides in how much he has gathered in himself, including his mental acumen. But then a witch of eight years old who was initiated by six and has been taught all the crafts of wizardry is sent on high tea to go and deal with that man. And all his education cannot save him.

I went to a family house. I went to Lagos some time ago. When I got to Lagos, I was meant to stay with the family, and I didn't get the opportunity to stay with them because I did not know that the family was not around. They traveled. So... And I got there very late. I got there around 11PM. There was no other place I could go to at that time. So they had a neighbor. I went to knock on the door of their neighbor to say, I came to visit this family that is here, but I didn't know they had traveled.

Is it okay if I just stay with you? And I met the man. I even... I didn't even know he was married. It was just a young man that came out to attend to me. You could see the anger in his face as though what is this by? Now went inside to go and confirm with his wife. That was when I knew he was married. So he came outside back. He just told me, drop your bag there.

Stay there. Don't leave that place. And then he went back inside. When are you leaving? I said by 7AM, 6AM, I'm already gone. He said, okay. It should not be more than that. And he went back inside. I woke up in the night around 2AM, and I was praying, just worshiping, fellowshipping with God. I was on the chair that he said I should not leave.

I was fellowshipping and worshiping with God. And as I was worshiping and fellowshipping, I I I opened my eyes and I was seeing pictures of their marriage, pictures of different things. I saw pictures of their... Of the man's graduation doing like this with his graduation gown. I think it it must be his mastered or something. The wife too was there with his own. I'm guessing the wife is probably a doctor or something because that one was wearing white laboratory coat. And the pictures were just there on the wall. I closed my eyes again. I was praying.

And about an hour into my prayers, I opened my eyes, and I saw beside me in the sitting room, a woman sitting in the sitting room with mortar and pestle. And I saw the woman was pounding, pa, pa, reading incantations from her mouth. I woke up. What is this? I checked what was there, and I saw I saw, like, a a a a a baby, a newborn baby there. I saw certificates, results. I saw different papers there, and the woman was just saying things in her mouth. I said, she beat the doctor should not leave here. I slept. He said, not my business.

I slept back. I continued my prayers. I woke up around 7AM. So when I woke up, I said, Kai, I was in trouble because I told him I will leave by six. By the time I woke up, the man or not, it was the woman that was left in the house. So the woman came to me and said, I'm so sorry I could not come out yesterday. I hope my husband took care of you. I already cooked for you. Come to the kitchen. Come and see when you are ready to eat.

I say, ah. The woman took me to the kitchen. He said, this is your food. I I don't know how many meats you like to take, but the meat... The food is here. This is the fridge. We have several drinks I can take. The woman was there, I'm rushing to work right now. My husband has gone, but I don't know what time you are leaving. When you are leaving, this is the key.

Just lock the door and put it here. I asked her that this is my business now. Ask her it's my business now. I started nothing wrong. I started praying in tongues like a madman. I didn't see anything. I did not even see the... Nobody... I was just praying in tongues declaring authority, establishing the authority of Christ, walking around the house, walking around the house. At a point came, felt peace in my spirit.

I knew I had broken through. I felt peace in my spirit. In that place, was rejoicing. Oh, glory to God. Oh, glory to God. Affliction is broken. I hurt. I drank. I closed the door, and I left. This was around November.

In January, they called me. Several missed calls on my phone. I wonder who it was. Apparently, they had gone to the neighbor who I told them I was meant to visit to ask the neighbor, described me to the neighbor so that the neighbor can know me. And then they finally... The neighbor finally gave them my number. They called me. The wife... I saw the wife's call first. I called her back.

The wife said, Jesus, Jesus is the one he has picked. I... You are the one that's taking our house in Lagos. And I know... I said, I'm the one. Then the wife said, Jesus, he has picked. Call the husband. The husband came on the phone. Both of them were together. I asked what happened.

He said when I left. They came back that what? That that day and slept normally. And the wife had a dream and saw me in a dream coming to give her a baby, coming to come and give her certificates. Listen. Come to go and give her a baby, sorry, a baby. She woke up scared and slept again. The husband had a dream that same night and saw me in his dream giving him certificates. So when when both of them met and say, ah, remember that man that came? I...

You saw him too. I saw him. What was happening? He said he was giving me a baby. Ah, he brought papers and gave me. Two months, that was at January peak... January peak... That's December ending to January, the fourth week of January, the woman was pregnant. They then told me that they had been married four years without without without birth. Four years without birth.

Four years without children. The man told me of his professional dexterity, how good he was, how, you know, first class BSc, MSc, distinction level, yet he's working without promotion for many years in that same place. He said, by December ending, they were doing company party, and they promoted him. They gave him three times the promotion he should have received first. Listen. Listen. Listen. I was just saying, wow. Wow. I didn't bother telling them.

I say, woman, pounding. But do you know that that experience describes the life of man born of a woman? Married but no children. And they would think the doctor would have given them several excuses. They would tell them, oh, it's fibroid. Oh, it's this. Oh, it's that. It is infertility. And they would not know that a woman comes every night to come and punk. Man born of a woman alienated from the life of Christ is subject to afflictions.

There are many... It's it's of a few days and is full of trouble. Different problems, different afflictions. Thank you, Lord Jesus. So Jesus says the solution is you must be born again. The problem... Listen. The problem is not what you did. So what you do cannot solve it. The problem is how you were born.

That is why the only solution is that you must be born again. The new birth experience introduces you into an economy, an economy of life, and a bond... And life abundant. The bible says that I've come that you might have life and have that life more abundantly. How does this new birth experience happen? It happens when the gospel is preached, when the gospel is preached. In first Corinthians chapter 15, you read from verse one to four, Paul was speaking and he says, moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand. See, the gospel which I preached to you. What is that gospel? It is through that gospel that you are saved.

And if you hold fast to that word that I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. Verse three, for I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins. Are you seeing the gospel here? Christ died for our sins. According to the scriptures. Next verse. He was buried according to the scriptures. And he rose again the third day. According to the scriptures. This is the gospel.

Christ died. Christ was buried. Christ rose. That when a man hears this gospel preached and he believes this gospel. In Romans 10 verse eight, the bible says, but what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart. That is the word of faith which we preach. You now know the word which we preach. Look at the next verse. It says, that if you confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

This is the pattern for salvation. This is how that new birth experience happens. It does not happen because your father is a pastor. If you were born into the church and you have never at any point in time done this, you are an unbeliever. You are still a servant. You have never at any time responded to an altar call where you believed in your heart and you confessed with your mouth. This is the pattern. Listen. It is possible to be born in church. Never have done this and assume you're a Christian.

Just because you were born in church, you will be shocked. And just assume you're a Christian. Assume that you grew up around church activity. As a matter of fact, might even be an HOD. You might be so skillful and gifted in leading prayers. They might put you in charge of the prayer department. You might be a prayer coordinator. Yet be an unbeliever. Because at no point have you believed in your heart. At no point have you confessed with your mouth.

This is the equation. This is the pattern. Believe in your heart. Confess with your mouth. Then you are saved. Then you are saved. It is important to now know that the moment you become saved and you become born again, the level of relationship that you have with God is that of a child. That is where you begin your work with God from. You begin as a baby. You begin as a child.

It does not matter how old you are when you became saved. If you were 70 years old, it's called a newborn experience. Have you ever seen someone give birth and give birth to a 50 year old man? That's the same way it is in the spirit. If you are giving birth to today, you are a baby. You are a spiritual child. It doesn't matter whether you are 18 years old, whether you are 21 years old, whether you are 50 years old, whether you are 60 years old. It doesn't matter how long you have been a pastor for without knowing that you're not even saved. Your age doesn't matter as long as you are giving your life to Christ, as long as you are receiving the love of Christ, entering into that born again experience, you are coming in as a child. That is the reason why celebrities who give who become saved, who partake of this newborn experience, and have a large following before they became saved.

Somebody, the musician for instance. Some of you might have seen that online. And then the person just said, oh, I've accepted Jesus as Lord and savior. I'm now a believer. And then you see an irresponsible church. Just because of the crowd that that guy gathers and he has now openly declared that he's now a believer, an irresponsible church, now hands him a microphone to come and stand before people and encourage them. What does a baby have to encourage? It does not matter the influence you had before you were saved. It does not matter the crowd. It does not matter your provision or your status.

You might be a politician. You might be a king. You might be the richest man on earth. When you became saved, you are a child. You will sit down in church and be taught. Yes, sir. You will grow into maturity. It would not because of your status. Now give you a provision. You are still a child.

You begin as a child. The general assumption is that every believer is a son of God, but that is not theologically correct. Because as you study, you find out that sonship is not something you become by reason of being saved. It is a status that is attained by reason of maturity. When you become born again, you become a child of God. As you grow into maturity, is then you become a son. It's a status that is given to mature believers. That's why the bible says, unto us, a child is born. Children are born. But unto us, a son was not born.

A son is given. It's a status, a position that is given to you. On account of the maturity. That is why the Bible says, and the child, not and the son, grew. And the child grew. That was what was said of Jesus, and the child grew. And when that child grew, when he was baptized, when God came and attested of him, God did not say, this is my beloved child. He said, this is my beloved son. Because the child has grown. So when the bible says creations wait for the manifestation, it does not say of children.

It says of sons because there are many children, but there are not many sons. Stay with me. I know that if you're in the overflow, as long as you can hear me, we've made arrangement for people to see me. But as long as you can hear me, you are fine. All you really need to do is to hear me. All you really need to do is to hear me. God is calling us to get a a larger space already. And that will be done. By the grace of God. Are you still with me?

So everybody begins as a child. Now, as a child, your experience with God begins by knowing God as a father. That is why it is important for you to be a child. Your experience with God begins by knowing God as a what? This is... This process is very important. No man can skip this process. If you skip this process, your knowledge of God will not be complete. If you want to know God and know God as it should be known. Are you with me?

It must start from being a child. That being a child allows you the privilege of seeing God the father, knowing God the father. That's where you begin your walk with God from. Understanding that God is father. To know God as any other thing other than father when you begin your walk with God is dangerous. Is what? Dangerous. Dangerous. That is the reason why a lot of believers struggle with condemnation. You know why?

Because the God they were introduced to when they were saved was a deliverer. And that deliverer is very fierce. He's fierce in battle. He's mighty in battle. So they think that the same fierceness that he unloads on his enemies is the same fierceness he unloads on his children. Because all they ever know of God is that he's a deliverer. They have no other knowledge of God other than this. Am I speaking to you? Yes, sir. Other than this.

So when the guy came to Christ, all he knew was God is the one that kills witches and wizard. God is the one that pours fire from heaven. God is the one that destroys my enemy name. Oluwa, Oluwa, Oluwa, Oluwa, this, Oluwa, that. That's all the God he knows. A god of regiments, god of laws, a god of rules and regulation, a god that if you don't do this, you are gone. If you don't do that, you are gone. You either wear cloth... Wear a nice cloth, wear a nice earring, wear a tie, wear this, wear that. If you don't, that God in heaven will slap you.

He's a God that is waiting to judge you, waiting for your earliest mistake, waiting for you to just make a simple mistake and you are gone. Be careful, oh, all lies shall perish. Be careful, oh, you'll be punished. Be careful, oh, you'll be this. That is the God he was introduced to. It's like it's like... Think of it think of it this way. Say your father is a king, say Olubadon I was telling the worship team people yesterday this. See, your father is a king. Marries a wife.

Mother becomes a queen. Is that not so? Then they give birth to a a child. I hope you know that as a king, there are different planes you can now know your father from. You can know him as a father, and you can know him as a king. Because your father is a king. Stay with me. When they start raising that child, do you think that the first thing they will teach that child is how to say Despite the father is a king, what is the first thing that comes out of the mouth of the child? Everybody comes and they are bowing their heads and they are doing all of these things, and you will see this this one year old boy with no respect for any throne room regulation running into the palace and just doing like this, running to his father. And the father carries him up, and no no other person can dare even look up.

You don't understand what I'm saying? Because this is this is a child to his father. That's where your relationship with God should must start from. Not from the regulations of the throne room, the the spheres of the king. No. First of all, know that the god you serve is a father. Get my teaching father of lights. Get my teaching, the father of lights. I teach there on the fatherhood of God. God is a father.

No one loves like him. No one gives like him. So much so, Jesus teaches that if you must begin your prayer experience, the disciples came to him and said, teach us to pray. He didn't say, listen. When you want to pray, understand that God is. No. He said when you pray, say, our father. That is where your prayer experience begins from. It begins from knowing God as father. The bible says, can a can a mother forget the voice of his suckling child?

Even if a mother can understand that you have a father that will never, never... The bible says, if you therefore being Hebrew, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your heavenly father? Do you know that? Do you know... This is where you know the extent of his love. This is where you know that you are accepted in the beloved not because of what you do. Not because of what you do. Not because of how good you are. But because he's just your father. And he paid the ultimate price to have you back to himself.

That is why you are accepted in the beloved. So I don't approach God because I'm perfect, because I've prayed, because I've studied, because I've done... I've followed the laws. I'm wearing a good earring. I'm wearing a long gown. I'm not distinct. You know, there are people today that if they meet a believer, a believer, say it's a guy for instance, a guy who is on drugs or on hearing, plate his ear or on hearing or whatever, the look of condemnation, they will keep that guy. The the the the touching, you would see it in their face. Even there are some that if you see a lady that is not wearing a tie or a lady wearing trousers, we're still there. We are still there.

Unfortunately, we are still there dealing with this in the twenty first century. I know immediately that does not matter how old or on hold you are. You skipped an important class in your growth. It doesn't matter your age. It doesn't matter whether you are 60 or 70. You'd... Nobody introduced you to the father. Because you see someone now you see someone now praying in this place, and the lady is probably wearing wearing, say, a skirt that is not reaching her knees. I have been down there and say, ah,. Listen to this.

Have you seen that before? Judgmental believers themselves don't know god. Themselves don't know god. Because if you are a child, have you... Many of you... How many of you attempted to draw your father when you were young? You know that broomstick drawing? That skeleton drawing? Yes, sir. Where you gave the man a cup and you gave the woman spaghetti hair?

Do you remember steam drawing? Yes, sir. Did your father see that drawing and say, what nonsense is this? Is this me? Is that what your father did? He would look at it and say, wow. You drew this. So beautiful. You are an artist too. So you will be a painter.

And there you are blushing. Then you are feeling loved. Then you have that's a... That... Oh my god. That means that means your father did not measure the acceptance of that offering based on the perfection of the offering. He measured it solely based on the fact that the one bringing it is my child. If somebody outside were to bring the same drawing to that man and say, I drew you, he would look at him and say, come on, girl, this place. How can this be me? What an insult.

But the moment you... Somebody has done that for me before. I was in a restaurant. I was in a restaurant, and one guy was all these content creator people. And one guy was in that one place, and I just doing something, I said, what's this? He said, it's you. I said, this this can never be me. You say, you know, I did it in a rush. What can you give me? I can't give anything.

No. This is not me. But with you, my son. That comes to me running like that and say, father, daddy, I drew you. Even if it's just that is there. And it is I drew you. I will look at it and say, what? God the father. Many believers don't know god the father. They know god the church.

They know god the king. They know God, the deliverer. But you skipped an important process in your growth journey. You were not introduced to God, the father. You only learn him as a child. Do you know that this was what Adam did not know? Because unlike you, Adam did not have the privilege of being a child. Adam was not born. Adam was created, and he was created a full grown man. There was no product of growth, so he had to learn everything as a mature man.

And he could not catch up in that learning process before the devil came. And the devil told him, do you know God is lying from you if he knows the father? He will know the the the father cannot keep from me what is good. Adam did not know. That growth prophet... That's why the most important scripture in the life of Jesus and the child grew. A major difference between the second Adam and the first Adam. And the child grew. And while he was growing, sorry, what was he doing in the in the synagogue? When he was chuffed, learning, learning, learning.

When they came to him, he said, I am my father. I want. They came again to see what I see my father do, I do. How can a man be so conscious of his oneness with the father? Of his oneness with the father. His oneness with his father. The one I love before is sits upon my heart I live for the one I love Do you know that if the first teaching and the first line of messages that you were exposed to when you came to Christ is you must love God. You have to to love Jesus. You must give your life. You must consecrate yourself.

You will struggle a lot. Because you cannot love him if you don't know how much he loves you. The first thing a believer must soak himself with is the revelation of the love of God. It is when you understand the price that was paid, your love now becomes a response. But in your journey with God, you cannot remain as a child even though you start as one. You cannot remain as a child even though you start as a child. And as you grow, you must never forget how to be a child. Maturity does not take away childlikeness. It takes away childishness. Galatians chapter four verse one.

The bible says, now I see that the heir... Now one of the things that being born again gives to you is that it makes you an heir of God. The bible says we have become heirs of God and heirs together with Christ. What is an heir? An heir is an inheritor of an inheritance. It means that the bible said there are It means there are things that Christ has made available that you an ear of. For example, in the book of Psalms, the bible says, I will give you the nations. Ask of me. I think it's Psalms two verse eight. Ask of me and I will give you the nations.

Give me NKJV. I will give you the nations for your inheritance. It means Nigeria has been given to me. Ibadan has been given to me. The nations have been given to me. This vision is to the world. These are inheritance. There are inheritances that belong to us in Christ. My peace as I have I given to you, not as the word gives. With long life, will I satisfy you?

These are things that God has given. Inheritances, prosperity, joy, inheritances. But look at this. The bible says the heir is the owner of these things. But as long as he remains a child, differeth not from his servant. Who is a servant? If you have been following me, who is a servant? Who is a servant? Say it loud. And the bible says the heir, as long as he remains...

In other words, the fact that you start as a child doesn't mean you remain as one. I spoke to you about the wealthy king. Is that not so? Yes. Who has a son, the prince? And everything in the kingdom belongs to his son by inheritance, his royalty by birth. But because he's still a child, he cannot access the throne. He cannot command the armies. He cannot make decrees. Instead, he's placed under 2,000 governors just like a servant.

In fact, if you walked into the palace, you won't be able to tell the difference between the prince and the common slave. They both obey instructions. They are both under supervision. They are both restricted. They cannot both make decrees. This is exactly how many believers live. Hell of salvation, carriers of God's spirit, destined for dominion, but living like slaves. The unbeliever is bound by sin, enslaved by the world systems, manipulated by lust, hunger, pride, fear. Sadly, an immature believer is often in the same condition, not because he does not have access, but because he has not grown in the authority it carries. So the bible says you cannot tell the difference between the life of a believer who is a child and the life of an unbeliever.

They both look alike. The unbeliever curses. You use curse words. You can use curse words. You can use slangs that are unholy. You can say anything to anybody. Doesn't care. He gossips. He lies. He speaks fear.

He speaks doubt. That is his nature. The immature believer does the same. His words carry no weight, no grace, no power. It tears all this down and can't even control his tongue. The unbeliever finds pleasure in worldly things. The unbeliever goes clubbing, lustful shows, vulgar jokes. The immature believer does the same too. All of them are addicted to what is meant to be delivered from, what they are meant to be delivered from. The unbeliever holds grudges, seeks revenge, easily cuts people off.

The immature believer is also quick to react in hunger, bitterness, pettiness even. The unbeliever mocks spiritual things. The unbeliever doesn't doesn't seek the counsel of God. The immature believer may own a bible but never study it. He also mocks spiritual things. If somebody go to the power now and an unbeliever is outside, he will say, You will see a Christian who also said the same thing. There's no difference. There's no difference. No difference. The bible says the carnal man, the natural man, does not know the things of the spirit.

It's a lie. They are they are faking it. Guess what? They are believers who think the same. The bible says there's no difference between them. Yeah. You would think they are the same. When you see how they play, you almost be shocked We're a Christian. There are many Matthews in the clubhouse. Many look in strip clubs.

The guy drinks like an elephant. Drinks to stupor. But he's in touch on Sunday, and he's dancing. And he can go again on Friday again, and they... I just went to party. And yet, he's a believer. The air as long as it... There's no difference between him and unbelievers. And the problem is that the calamity of the unbeliever becomes his calamity. If the unbeliever can be oppressed, he can be oppressed.

If the unbeliever can fail, he can fail. Remember, the things he has been delivered from are the things he struggles with. Remember, the bible says, man born of a woman is of a few days and full of So you'd expect that once you come to know Christ, you are no longer of a few days, and you are no longer full of trouble. But if you are a child, your death will still be full of trouble. What befalls unbelievers will still befall you. What affects unbelievers will still affect you. Basically, there's no difference. The unbeliever can be oppressed by demons, health bound by sickness, health bound by the vicinity of life. The believer also can be oppressed because of the child. Your life will be no different from an unbeliever as though it's not you that God died for.

That's the danger. The promise is real. The power is available. The inheritance is secure, but spiritual childhood delays access. Only mature believers can advance the kingdom of God. There's a call therefore for maturity. That even when you become a believer, even when you know God as a child, you must then begin to mature in your work with God. You must begin to turn me into your work with God. It takes more than gift. It takes more than the anointing to advance the frontiers of God's kingdom.

A gifted man, an anointed man can be an agent for the devil if he's not mature. An anointed preacher, a gifted prophet can be an agent of the devil if he's not mature. Many prophets and apostles today have become of the anointing. Taking money from people, they literally steal from from people, and many persons today cannot believe in God because they met a man of God. Many prophets today have made mess of young ladies bringing reproach to the name of the Lord. They are anointed. The oil is genuine, but they are not agents of the kingdom. So fire a man is not mature. He cannot be an ambassador of the kingdom. He may be gifted, but his gifting will bring ridicule to the name of Christ.

Because when you see him operating the gift, you will assume he's mature. Then you will know him and get to know him, and you will be disappointed at his lifestyle. You will say, how can a believer act like this? How can sister Amaka, the popular prayer warrior in church, how can you be the one acting like this? Gifted, but not mature. The business of kingdom is only committed to mature people. And one of the reasons you find people fighting the church today is not just because they hate God. It is because they cannot trust the men that claim to represent God And And the the reason reason is is because because they they are are not not mature. Mature. So you find babies talking mindy things for the kingdom, but you check their life, and their life is an opposite of what they affirm.

And you wonder, what are you saying? Maturity is not a gift. Maturity is developed through process. Paul was teaching in the church in Corinth. And if you study your New Testament, you will know that the church in Corinth was one of the most gifted churches that Paul ever pastored. It was in the church in Corinth that Paul talked about the nine gift of the spirit. But when you read their story, you will find that that is where most of the character flaws that were addressed by Paul were also observed. That means most times, the most gifted amongst us are usually the most immature. Not every time, but most times, the most gifted amongst us are usually the most immature. When you find gifted people, you realize that hardly do they ever pay attention to maturity, attention to growth and character development.

Many times, their life is hinged on the gifts, and it is possible to think that because you are gifted, God depends on you and you alone. But when you take scripture, you will find that a gift does not procure reward. It doesn't give you approval with God or men. It is character that does. So Paul, when he was addressing the church in Corinth, he tells them in first Corinthians first one verse four. It says, I thank God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus. So the church in Corinth was graced by God. Verse five, it says, that you were enriched in everything. Look at that. Enriched in everything.

Graced by God. Enriched in everything. Having all utterance. Having all knowledge. My God. This was a gifted church. Look at the next verse. Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. Verse seven, so that you come short in no gift. This was an extremely gifted church.

They were engraced by God, enriched by God. Utterance was there. If you hear them speak, you are convicted in your heart. These people had utterance. They had knowledge. They could prophesy. This was a church where five persons can be prophesying at once. Paul had to come and tell them that if one person is prophesying, let others listen. They were so full of gifts. They couldn't wait for one another.

If one person says, I'm seeing an angel. Before he finished talking, another one will say, it's a cherubim I'm seeing. While that one is trying to describe the the other one say, ah, ah, I'm... He's a cherubim, but he has sword in his hand. And they are competing for profit. They are they are... They were too gifted people. This was the church where legs could grow out. The gift of the spirit was used for. You see someone that has unequal limbs, they can stretch it out.

That was the kind of church that Paul was writing to. They were extremely gifted. But in first Corinthians, the same chapter three now, the same Corinthian chapter three, just two... One verse before. Look at this. Paul speaking to them says, and I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people. My god. Gifted, utterance, enriched in all things, all knowledge. But Paul says, I could not speak to you as to spiritual people. So can a man be gifted and not spiritual?

How can you be operating in the miraculous, operating in gifts and not spiritual? How can you be operating in the prophetic and you are not spiritual? When Paul speaks about being spiritual, he's talking about working in the experiential knowledge of the word of God. If the word of God does not dictate for your mind, dictate for your emotion, dictate for your actions, you may be seeing angels, but you are not spiritual. You are only spiritual when the word of God becomes a dictator of your emotions, your mind, and your actions. If you are not regulated by the word of God, you may have a spiritual gift, but you are not spiritual. So Paul says, I speak to you as to as to babes in Christ. How can someone be raising crippled bodies and a? Can a can a kana man raise crippled from the wheelchairs? Yes.

First Corinthians in verse two, it then continues. He said, I fed you with milk and not with solid food. For until now, you were not able to receive it. And even now, you are still not able. Next verse. For you are still. It then begins to measure to them how and why they are. It says, for where there are envy, strife, divisions amongst you, are you not, behaving like servants? Believers behaving like servants. Let me tell you this and I close.

Kingdom responsibility cannot be committed into the hand of children. As much as it is good to learn and begin your walk with God as a child, you cannot be entrusted with kingdom assignment as a child. Creations is not waiting for the manifestation of children. They are waiting for the manifestation of sons of God. Sons, children who have risen into maturity. Children who have grown into maturity. That is what creation is waiting for. Are you learning from this? It means that as a believer, you have the responsibility of realizing that when you give your life to Christ, when you become saved, you must not remain a child. Remaining a child makes you not valuable to the kingdom.

It makes you useless to the kingdom. Children are not be sent on assignment. God does not entrust kingdom burdens to the hand of children. And whenever clans fight, whenever kingdoms fight, children are always the victims. Remember that when kingdoms were fighting, when Moses was born, who did they say the children kill? Children. When kingdoms were fighting, when Jesus was born, who did the children kill? Children. Always those that cannot defend themselves because a child has no knowledge of his authority in Christ. A child has no knowledge of his identity in Christ.

A child is still battling with low self esteem, battling with all kind of things. Cannot stand against demons and say, no. This cannot happen. Cannot make decrees. Cannot command dominion. If you don't want to be made gesture by demons and mocked by demons, even as you have accepted Christ, you have to give your We We We of a are You are going growing. So as you come to into Christ as a child, you must learn the regimen of spiritual growth. How to pray? How do you pray? To build up yourself in the holy ghost.

The bible says if any man speaks in tongues, he pre... He speaks in the spirit. Means how you pray in the holy ghost is to pray in tongues. When you pray in tongues, you are growing. When you pray in tongues, you are maturing. Something is happening to your spirit man. Your spirit man is building capacity. I hope you know that there's a spirit inside of you right now that is making you live alive. When a man dies, what happens is that that spirit is taken away, leaves the body, and the body collapse. When you are a child, is it a different spirit that is inside of you than when you mature?

It is the same spirit making you live. Is that not so? The spirit of man. Is that not so? Yes, sir. But as a child, despite your life, can you carry this speaker? Is there a spirit in you? Yes, sir. You are alive. But can you carry this speaker?

So if you have to carry this speaker, what what must happen? You must grow. Even when you grow, it's not just growth. You must grow very strong and build your muscles before you can carry this. The spirit is the same, but the body has grown. Is that not so? That's exactly what happens when you receive Christ as god and savior. The holy spirit enlivens your spirit. The holy spirit now dwells in your spirit man. That holy spirit is the same, but your spirit man can grow.

So when we pray and we say build your spirit, it's not the holy spirit you are building. It's your spirit man so that you can one day speak to nations. Yes, sir. You can carry all this that you as a child cannot face. You can't keep on saying, I can't face audience. I can't face a crowd. I... I'm having stage fright. All these things are things that children have. The bible says the righteous is as bold as a lion.

It means a time comes when you begin to grow that you understand that I'm not just a child. I'm actually a lion. So when you get into the marketplace, into the classroom, into your business sector, into different fields of influence, you remember I am not a child here. I am a lion. I negotiate deals like a lion. I don't back down when I see people. I'm not shaking someone, and I'm I'm crumbling. I can't speak well. I'm shy. I'm timid.

All of these things belong to children. Are you learning something? You have to grow because you cannot carry destiny like that. You can't be sent on kingdom errands like that. We can't prosper like that. So when we pray, we grow. Acts chapter 20, the bible says, I commend you therefore I commend you therefore to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up. So the next thing that builds you up, the next thing that matures you, the next thing that grows you is the word of God. You commit yourself to prayer, it builds you up. You commit yourself to the word of God, it builds you up.

It does what now? Builds up. So every time we come here on Sundays, what is happening is that you are being built up. Oh, Jesus. This is the food of giants. It's not sermon as usual. Something is happening to your spirit man. There is a transformation happening. You realize that this is not the me of before. Something happens to you and you would have crumbled.

You would have crashed, sink into depression. But now you are rejoicing. Now you are saying, oh, I give God all the glory. And they're asking you, ah, but what happened? The bible says in everything, give thanks. That was not yours before. That's a child maturing. A child maturing. Your mother calls you and now tells you, son, this is what is happening. You all before would have been crying on the phone with her.

Both of you will be crying together. She will cry. You will cry. You will cry. She will cry. But now she calls you again, and she said, son, this is what is happening now. And you say, mommy, let us pray. I declare in the name of Jesus, we put an hand. I, I am mother, a sinner. What has happened to you?

You said the child has grown. The child has grown, and the child grew. These are not going well before. Maybe you're... You are not making sales in your business. You will be easily depressed. You will be sad. Why is this not working? Why is this not working? Why is this not working?

All of a sudden, you remember. Remember, he that is in me is greater than he that is in the world. He ever come from above is above all. I'm an overcomer. And because I'm an overcomer, hear me, the gates of Ibadan open unto me. I'm just a child. I am now a mature man. I can make decrees, and the world can hear me. It is important to know this one. Because when you stand before the gates and you say lift up your heads, oh, ye gates, and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors.

Even the gates will ask you, who is the king of glory? If they can ask the king of glory, they will ask you too. And you must be able to say, I am the son of a lion. Are you with me? Yes. So what is happening here is a training. It's making you mature. It is possible to go to church for thirty years and not grow. And you remain... Can't you see this?

Paul says, at the time when you should have been mature, where I should be giving you solid food, I'm still giving you milk. Every time you have a problem, you are looking for a prophet. You are looking for a pastor. You are a child. Sir. Yet you have been a Christian for forty five years. But you have a dream, and your first response is, I can't take authority. I can't say no, you devil. Get your hands off my family. Because now you have grown.

It's not bold face. It happens as you grow. It happens as you mature. So when you have taught the word of God, what is happening is maturity is happening. Maturity is happening. You are growing. You are maturing. Are you with me, brother? Yes, sir. You are what now?

Maturing. This is the food of greatness. This is the food of tyrants. Listen. Do you know why God told the children of Israel to take that route that is meant to take them forty days? There is a separate route they could have taken that would have taken them fourteen days. The one they took was meant to take them forty days. The reason is because God knew that there is battle they will fight in the front, and these were people that have been slaves for four hundred and thirty years. How do you take slaves? These people, all they've ever known is captivity.

They've never known how to own anything that belongs to them, how to demand for things, how to command for things. So God knew that I I will need to do something about your mind because where I'm taking you to, there are there are giants there. And when you get there, you will need to command them to give you your portion. But the slaves cannot command. So God says, I bring you like this, you will fail. You will see the battle and you'll run away. So let me take you through a longer route so that in that longer route, I will work on your heart. I've taken you out of Egypt. I will bring Egypt out of you. God was not giving them manna.

The psalmist calls manna the food of angels. It says it says they were fed with the food of angels. So when manna came from heaven, what they were fed with was what? The food of angels. Because God was preparing them for a battle. That battle was with giants, nephilims. These nephilims are songs of fallen angels. Are you hearing me? Songs of what? So God knows I have to change your diet.

If you keep on eating like a normal human being, you won't be able to fight this enemy because they are stronger than you. So let me change how you... What you are eating. Let me change your diet because what you eat is what you'll become, spiritually speaking. So God prepared them. So when they went to one spy, God expected that they would have known that he has fed us well. But when they got there, 10 of them said, ah, we cannot do it oh. We cannot do it. Two that gave themselves to training said we are well able. It means when you get to the front of your destiny, whether you run away and say, ah, I can't do anything.

No. Or whether you will seize it by the horns is dependent on what you were fed. And as you come, you are being fed right. You are being fed well. Stay. Commit yourself. Don't be a part time believer. Don't come today and come tomorrow. That's not how houses are built. Commit yourself to growth.

Commit yourself to growth. Every Sunday, you don't have to be reminded. Tuesdays, be on your way here. This is the path to maturity. Rise up on your feet. I want us to bow our head and pray. The prayer is very simple. Father, give me the grace to commit to my growth. Give me the grace to do what now? To commit to my growth.

Raise your voice in prayer. Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for everyone, everyone who has listened to me, that this word will not stand against you in judgment, that the grace to 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.