Programme: Lekki Soul Center (LSC)
Date: Wednesday, 1st February 2023
Transcript Summary
1. Christ is a godly man; He is a perfect man. But there are different classes of Christ: a measure, a stature and the fulness (Eph. 4:13). There is a level of Christ we are in our spirits and there are benefits or realities of every born-again child of God. However, Christ is also a vessel that houses different dimensions of the life of God.
2. (Eph 4:1-7) In Christ, we are given grace in measures and access to grace is according to knowledge (2 Pet. 1:2). This measure of knowledge is the gift of Christ. This type of gift has never been given to any man prior to the coming of Jesus Christ. We ought to receive the different measures of Christ to qualify for receiving the gift of God, which is Eternal Life.
3. (1 Tim. 1:14) The gifts of Christ are domains or substances of the grace in Christ – the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Different measures of this grace have been given to each of us according to the measure of the gift of Christ. One of such gift is the gift of salvation. The grace that saved us is the gift of God (Eph. 2:5). However, salvation (at the level of the new birth) is not the whole gift; there is a higher grace to receive in Christ.
4. Many Christians often remain in that first allocation of the gift of grace. Even though you have become a new creation, and everything you need for life has been given to you, you still need to receive it. Receiving comes through learning and obedience. In Christ, there are breadths, lengths, depths, and heights (Eph. 3:16-18). These are stages of learning Christ we must undertake before reaching the Christ that has the fullness of the Godhead.
5. Christ is a curriculum of learning (Eph. 4:20), and we need help to know what Christ we are yet to learn. Christ in all His spheres (as a perfect man, the Son of the living God, the abiding Son of God and the only begotten Son of God) can be learnt. Christ generated a conversation before He went to the cross which we need to learn - the conversation of an abiding Son of God (Jn. 12:34). Learning the conversation of Christ does not stop at a godly man (that is, life and peace); there is a level of Christ with everlasting life and another — Eternal Life that we are meant to also learn (Col. 3:1).
6. Grace is communicated through words/doctrine (Heb. 13:9). God wants to load our hearts with different measures of grace until we are full of grace. Jesus is full of grace and truth; He has gifts of grace and of His fullness, we receive grace for grace (John 1:14-16). These graces were laid up in Him as a result of His obedience.
7. The essence of giving grace to the heart is for the conscience to be taught what is true. Primarily, our conscience presumes what is right. Hence, grace is needed to teach our hearts what is true/right. Grace reveals works and righteousness to the conscience.
8. Grace teaches. When the grace of our Lord is being administered, it is necessary to take it through from the beginning till the end. In order not to abort the grace course, 1 Peter 1:13 admonishes us to gird up the loins of our minds. This is necessary so that the grace that comes would find a resting place and we would be ready to receive the teachings it will bring upon our consciences. Grace teaches us to be spiritual; it is the tool for converting the soul from flesh to spirit. There is also a grace our hearts need to receive, the kind that would teach us to be converted from an ungodly estate to a godly one.
9. (Rom. 6:1-2) For grace to abound means that the teaching of grace should continue. Grace does not abound when we continue in sin and disobedience. We need to do instructions to receive grace. Every measure of grace allocated to us is meant to be traded with – this is where our obedience is measured (Rom. 12:3). Just as Jesus taught in the parable of the talents, every saint is given a measure of grace to profit with (Matt. 25:14-16) and we are to occupy (trade) till He comes (Lk. 18:3). We make profit when we do and obey what grace reveals. This is what qualifies us for the grace to abound. Fruitfulness translates to an increase in grace.
10. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ consists of conversations (lifestyles). As we journey in grace, grace is meant to raise workers and co-labourers with God. It is possible for a man to receive the grace of God in vain or receive grace and be unable to keep it. It is possible to frustrate grace too — fall short in employing the lessons of grace to do specific denials and obediences. Hence, we need to be sober and guard the loins of our hearts, and learn to heed the grace that is given.
11. (1 Tim. 1:14) Another allocation (or measure) of grace is the grace of our Lord that is "exceeding abundant". This measure of grace operates in faith and love. Thus, we must continue to walk in faith and love. It is in this zone we start to talk about the most holy faith, which is a sacred faith.
12. (James 2:1) There is a faith that overcomes the world and its lusts (1 Jn. 5:4). Jesus had this faith before He died; hence, His claim to not be of the world (John 17:11). Jesus overcame the world and unrighteous mammon (the spirit of the world) by faith. Before true riches can be committed to any man, such a one must have overcome the spirit of the world and the prince of this world (Matt. 6:24). True riches are the things of the true God. When we overcome unrighteous mammon, we would be received into everlasting habitation (everlasting life). Overcoming unrighteous mammon and using it without trusting in it can only be attained through the programme of salvation.
13. Unrighteous mammon (the world) is the way of life Satan uses to buy allegiances through wisdoms and schemes. Hence, we are also meant to become wise virgins through the Holy Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:15). A person can be a virgin (that is, Christ) but not be a wise virgin. There is a grace that makes us wise. The essence of the teaching of that grace is that we become wiser than this world and the god of this world.
14. When we are being trained to overcome this world, we are first anchored with godliness. Godliness is gain; it is the turning of our soul from flesh to spirit. Godliness must be coupled with contentment (1 Tim. 6:6) else, we will be unable to deny unrighteous mammon (this world) when Satan presents it to us, like he did for Jesus.
15. Satan’s temptation of Jesus was aimed at bringing Him down from His status as a living Son of God, so He does not become an abiding Son of God. Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him unrighteous mammon, which he called the kingdoms and the glory of this world (Matt. 4:9). This world lies in wickedness, it is evil. We need grace to teach us how to deny this world. We need the abundant grace of our Lord to teach us how to hate the kingdom of this world.
16. Satan brought tests and temptations for Jesus because he wanted to make Him unrighteous. When we get into the season of the world, we are going to face diverse temptations. Nobody arrives at salvation without opposition, but we can overcome it. That is why we must understand the grace allocation given to us because grace is strength. Abundance of revelation opens us to an abundance of grace which will help us not to glory above measure (2 Cor. 12:9).
Blessings!