But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33

This golden text, beloved brethren, which we just read, is the main point of the Lord’s teachings in Matthew 6:24-34. He started by saying, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). He continued, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Verse 25).
We have here, dear brethren, what life truly is, what prevent us from living the true life, and a divine counsel to guide us to live that true life. We are all servants because life is about service. You serve one thing or another. To live right is to serve the right object – God – in the right way. What prevent most of us from serving God is mammon – a defied wealth. Extreme anxiety and an undue care for material things influence the will in the wrong direction and clouds the mind so that you cannot see God. “Therefore, I say to you”, says the Truth, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”
Let us all be warned, brethren, for what usually hinders many from entering the kingdom is not some gross or heinous sin like adultery, theft, and murder but legitimate cares of the world such as food, clothing, shelter, marriage, family, and our own self. Therefore, the Lord said to the “great multitude” that followed Him, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). Is the Lord Jesus telling us to literally hate our loved ones? No, He spoke in a hyperbolic or exaggerated language for the sake of emphasis, that is, to impress the truth upon our minds. He uses a strong word, “hate” to teach us that we must shorn this world and love God above everything. We must forsake all for the kingdom.
What prevented Noah’s generation, dear friend, from being saved from the flood? The Scripture says, “For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:38-39, Emphasis added). Eating, drinking, and marriage are all legitimate activities which the Lord allows. For He created all that we eat and drink, and was it not the Lord Himself who instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden? What then was the problem with their eating, drinking and marrying? They did these things at the expense of their souls; they had no care for their souls. All they cared about was the gratification of their fleshly appetites. This is not what life is about.

These worldly cares, beloved, are the same excuses that hindered many from coming to the great supper in Luke 14:16-20: “Then He said to him, A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’” The great supper is the kingdom of God which the Lord urges us to seek first. They made excuses and disregarded the most important thing that needed their time and attention – “the kingdom of God and righteousness”. Everyone who refuses to heed the voice of the gospel falls into at least one of these three categories of people; either he has bought a piece of ground, possesses five yokes of oxen or has married a wife.
Now, all their activities – purchasing a piece of land, owing livestock, and getting married – were legitimate, but these still prevented them from coming to the great supper. These three activities, in a figurative sense, represent three classes of sin that hinders people from entering the kingdom of God. In the purchase of a piece of land is represented the “the spirit of domination”, that is pride. Those who buy land employ men to work under them. They will not have anyone have dominion over them. They are bosses of their own lives and will not submit to the supreme authority of God, their Creator. The five yokes of oxen represent the five senses of the body – sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. “…by these senses of the body, earthly things are sought for”, says Saint Augustine, “For oxen turn up the earth. So, there are men far off from faith, given up to earthly things, occupied in the things of the flesh; who will not believe anything but what they attain to by the five senses of their body. In those five senses do they lay down for themselves the rules of their whole will”. The one who married a wife represents the “pleasure of the flesh”. Anyone who marries a wife attaches himself to a flesh; he becomes one with her. To live for the lusts of the flesh is to marry a wife in a figurative sense.
Apostle John warns us, in his first epistle, to shorn these three worldly things when he wrote, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16). The lust of the flesh is marked out in the married life, the lust of the eyes in the five yokes (pairs) of oxen whereas the pride of life is represented in the purchase of the piece of ground. These not only prevent us from loving the Father but turn us into His enemies; for “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4).
Hear me, you who have started to flee from this world, take heed not to look back. Apostle Paul said, “…let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Lot’s wife, like many of us, began the journey but could not finish it because she looked back. She turned into a pillar of salt and became static. Worldliness will turn you into a motionless pillar, unable to run the race of salvation. Excessive worldly cares are as dangerous to your soul as heinous sins.
Why would you use all your time and effort for worldly things only to lose all at the end of your life? What you ought to do in this world is to prepare for eternity. You do not have much time as you presume. Since ancient times, the voice of the prophet cries out, “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass” (Isaiah 40:6-7). You are fading away as the clock ticks every second; and would you spend all your time and effort to acquire riches to the detriment of your soul? I hear some of you saying, “I will seek for riches and serve God at the same time”. No, the Lord tells you, “You cannot serve God and mammon”. You cannot be a servant of avarice and God at the same time. “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23-24).
What then should be our attitude in this world. Be content with what you have and be grateful to God. “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:6-10, Emphasis added). These are not my own words but God’s, given to us through the apostles. Guard your heart against avarice and worldliness.
This does not only concern our outward actions but more importantly our heart attitude. There are some poor people who are greedy and avaricious more than those who are rich. It is not simply a matter of being rich or poor; it is about the state of your heart. It will be hard to find this kind of prayer in Christendom today: “Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches — Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:7-9). We all pray against poverty and rightly so, but who among us ever prayed against being rich? This is the heart attitude I am referring to; the heart that love God with all its affections, desists from sin and careless about temporal things.
Let me put before you, as I conclude this sermon, one scenario. Assuming you have been in perfect health and have lacked nothing right from your infancy to adulthood. You have a beautiful and a good wife/husband and blessed with bright and adorable children. You have your own lucrative business that gives you much income. You have everything that makes life a blessed one. You have lived such as life till old age and finally death knocks at your door. At once, you lose everything – your loved ones and possessions. You no longer have anything to do in this world. You will be forgotten as the years go by. “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, Emphasis added). I ask you, if such were your case, what did you actually lived for?
If all there is to life is what we do whilst alive, then you have lived in vain. No matter how great you get in life, you will always end up as nothing. What value is there in a man who spend all his money, time and effort to acquire an academic certificate that will be good for nothing? Life has no value or meaning at all if all we get or become in the end is nothing. But you will say, “I did good while I was alive; I gave birth to children, raised them, and left them much riches”. Well done! But let me ask you, what will become of your children? They will also end up as nothing. What at all, O man, can you boast of this life? “At least, I contributed to the survival of the human race”, you say. But in this respect, you are no different from animals and plants because they also contribute to the survival of their respective species. You invented things that made life easier on earth. Perhaps, you left a good name in the world. But how does that benefit you yourself when you have no knowledge of what goes on in the world? You cannot hear the applauds or the approbations that the world gives you, and so you cannot derive any joy or happiness from it in death.
What then makes life meaningful? The truth of there being an eternal life which we must all strive for makes life meaningful. The life of man being a journey toward his Maker makes it meaningful. Striving for a state of eternal blessedness makes our life here on earth valuable and worth living. Beloved, this truly is the purpose of life, and all other things are to be used for the attainment of this blessedness.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, KJV). I like the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) translation of verse 13. It says, “Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot [commandments]; this is what being human is all about” (Emphasis added). This must be your number one priority in life.
May the Lord help us all. Amen!

But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
Proverbs 4:18-19

May the entrance of Your word, Lord Jesus, bring light to souls, awaken the dull, strengthen the weak, comfort the sorrowful, minister hope to the hopeless, and salvation to the lost in Your name. Amen!
Beloved, God has given us life and as rational beings, we are responsible for how we use that life. It is evident from Scripture that we will give account of our life and receive either a reward or punishment according to how we have lived. Apostle Paul said, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). God gave you and me a free will since we are intelligent beings, and with this will comes the power to make choices. Accordingly, life is about making choices, and to live right is to make the right choices. My prayer and hope are for God to guide you to live right to the glory of His name. Amen!
I put before you, in this sermon, dearly beloved, four main points: Firstly, God has put before mankind two main paths of life, which are the path of the just and the path of the wicked. Secondly, description of the path of the just. Thirdly, description of the path of the wicked. Lastly, exhortation to turn away from the path of darkness and choose the path that leads to life.

God Has Placed Before Mankind Two Main Paths of Life

God does not force man to do anything because He created him to be rational and free. What God does is to present man with choices and urge him to make the right choice so that he may not only avoid punishment but receive a reward. “See”, says the LORD, “I have set before you today life and good, death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15). God calls for your attention, saying, “See” or “Behold”. The choice is yours. The ball is in your court. God does not only present you with choices but He also urges and exhorts you to make the right choice. He does this in verse 19 of the same chapter: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing”, He says, “therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19, Emphasis added). God shows you His love and care by giving you good counsel to guide you in your decisions.
This is how God has dealt with mankind since the beginning of the world. He dealt with Adam, the first man in the same way. How do we know this? God presented Adam with choices when He placed in the midst of the Garden of Eden the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and commanded Adam not to eat the fruit of the latter. The Scripture says, “And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”” (Genesis 2:9, 16-17).
When God commanded Adam, He presented him with a choice. Adam was free according to his own will either to obey or not to obey. In these words, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”, God presented to Adam the two paths of life, namely, the path of obedience, righteousness and holiness which leads to life and the path of disobedience, sin and wickedness which leads to death.
Some people question with malicious intent whilst others with mere curiosity ask, “Why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil there when He knew that man would fall?” They speak as if God intentionally put the tree there to cause man to sin. But the Scriptures everywhere teach us that God does not tempt anyone to sin (See James 1:13). However, God tests or proves us (See Genesis 22:1). We have already said that man is a rational being with a free will. Therefore, what God requires of us is free and willing obedience to His will. God does not seek from us forceful and false obedience. To freely and willingly conform our own will to God’s truly pleases Him. However, there cannot be true and willing obedience where there is not the choice to disobey. Thus, for willing obedience to take place, there has to the choice to disobey. In Adam’s case, this element was provided by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
To be righteous is to disregard the choice to disobey and opt for the choice to obey. Adam was created in the state of innocence with the potential to be righteous or evil. In the state of innocence, Adam could not be said to be righteous if there was nothing to tempt him to sin. Therefore, there was the need to test him. Whatever Adam would choose, either good or evil, would constitute not only his nature but that of his posterity. If he chose obedience, he and his posterity would become righteous. On the hand, choosing disobedience meant that he and his posterity would become sinful. The test came and he failed; he chose disobedience instead of obedience and that radically changed his nature from being innocent to being a sinner. The consequences of his wrong choice are death and all the wickedness we see in the world now. For where does all the wickedness and sins in the world come from? Do they come from animals and the inanimate creation or from ourselves? All the sins and wickedness in the world come from ourselves; you, me and our fellow humans. Thus, the Scripture testifies most truly that, “…by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners” (Romans 5:19). Again, “…through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
The just recompense for the sin of the head of the human race, Adam, is death, that is, eternal death. Hence, God will not be unjust if He leaves us to die. God is merciful and just; He cannot deny Himself. His justice demands that we suffer and die whilst his mercy yearns to save and deliver us from our misery. In His wisdom, God sent His Only Son to come in human flesh to deliver mankind from sin by paying the price of death for the sin of the whole world. According to His own will, God regenerates or creates anew the heart, that is, the spirit of anyone who humbles himself, acknowledges his sins, repent, and believes in His Son so that he may live in obedience to God’s will for the rest of his life. In this way, God becomes the “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). Therefore, two paths have been put before the human race again, namely, the paths of unbelief and the path of faith. Naturally, men are on the path of unbelief. Thus, the choice is to either remain there or seek deliverance in Christ.

The Path of the Just

According to our opening Scripture, “the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day”. What is the meaning of this? Before we answer this question, let us look at who a just person is, not according to the wisdom of men but according to God’s word. For “…all men are liars” (Psalm 116:11) but “God…cannot lie” (Titus 1:2). Thus, our final authority on any matter should be the word of God and not the wisdom of this world. Who then, we ask again, is a just person? In simple terms, a just person is a person who is right in God’s sight. Someone who is legally innocent before God is just. A person may actually be guilty but legally blameless. Therefore, when we say that someone is just before God, it does not necessarily mean that he has never committed sins but that God holds him not guilty for his sins because they have been fully paid for.
We can never be just in ourselves since we are all sinners. All the good things that a natural person does cannot justify him because he himself is not righteousness. To do right in God’s sight, you must first be right yourself or in person. In other words, for your good works to be accepted by God, you must first have a good or a righteous nature. In God’s sight, if your being is not good, your works, no matter how brilliant they shine, are also not good. Therefore, we cannot do good whereby we may be justified because our nature is depraved due to the sin of Adam. Hence, we must depend on another’s work, even Christ’s to be justified. For He is the only one who is good by nature or in Himself, and so His works are also good. Accordingly, any one to whom Christ imputes His own works becomes just or righteous, not by act but by faith. For it is through faith that the works of Christ are imputed to us. Therefore, without faith in Christ, no one can be justified or be made righteous.
Now, let us look at some individuals in the Bible who, at the dawn of history, pleased God and were declared as righteous in His sight. Ponder over what is written of them; whether they attained their righteousness by their own works or by faith. Consider, in the first place, Abel. It is written of him, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4). He became righteous by faith and God approved his works. It is written, “And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering” (Genesis 4:4-5, Emphasis added). Read again slowly, the words in bold. God respected Abel (his person) and then his offering. God accepted him before his works. If God did not accept him as just or righteous, his sacrifice also would not have been accepted as in the case of Cain, his brother.
Enock walked with God and did not see death because God took him; for “he had this testimony that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5). And what shall we say about Abraham to whom God credited righteousness? Was it credited to him because of his works or because of his faith? Hear the testimony of Scripture: “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6, Emphasis added). God counted “it”, that is, his faith for righteousness. All these heroes became righteous by faith and not by their works. “Therefore, by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). The “deeds of the law” are the same as our good works, and so no one can be justified or become righteous by his good works.
Beloved, do not think that I am speaking against good works because they are the fruits of faith. Faith makes us good; it renews our hearts and make us new creation. When our nature becomes good or righteous by the renewing work of the Spirit of God, we cannot but bear fruits of good works and live in righteousness. Those who become new creatures must live in newness of life. So, faith and good works are inseparable just as fire and its brightness are inseparable. This was the case in each of the heroes we mentioned above. They had faith and love, love to God and mankind. This is the path of the just or the righteous. We enter upon this path by faith and we persevere in it in love.
Beloved brethren, this righteous path, this path of faith, love and hope which leads to eternal blessedness, and upon which the just walks “is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” The shining sun is the rising sun in the morning. You know that when the sun rises at dawn, its brightness keeps increasing, casting out darkness, till it illuminates the whole earth. Moreover, as the brightness of the sun increases, its heat also grows in intensity. The just or righteous is compared to this operation of the sun. How so? When the “Sun of Righteousness” (See Malachi 4:2), Jesus Christ, rises with healing in His wings on anyone who believes, the soul of that person becomes illuminated or enlightened. Again, when anyone is lighted by the “true Light” (See John 1:9), such a person becomes, as it were, light or the sun. The new life he or she receives through the new birth is compared to light. For this reason, believers are said to be the “light of the of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Although, there are many lights that illuminate our world, the greatest of them is the sun. So, when Jesus said that believers are the “light of the world”, He compared them to the sun. In verse 15 of the same chapter, the Lord Jesus also referred to His disciples as lighted candles or lamps. He then went ahead in verse 16 and exhorted: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Light and brightness are two distinct things although the latter comes from the former. The new life within the just of righteous corresponds to light (the object) whereas the good works of the just refer to the brightness. As the brightness proceeds from the light, so does the good works of the just proceed from the life within him.
I have said before that when the sun rises higher from the horizon, its brightness or light increases and fills the whole earth. In the same manner, the new life within the just or righteous must keep growing and result in abundance of good works. The life within the just must not be stagnant; it must grow in every aspect. Now, it is written that the sun shines brighter unto the perfect day. The perfect day of the sun is the full light of day. Take it to be noon day; for by then, the brightness of the sun fills every place of the earth. The just too has a perfect day because his path is likened to the path of the sun. The perfect day of the just is the day of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. For that is the only time when the light within the just will shine in its full strength. It is when our glory shall shine in its full luster; for then we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is (See 1 John 3:2).
At present, “we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18, Emphasis added). Now, like the sun, we keep growing from glory to glory as we behold the Lord’s glory in a mirror. What is the meaning of “with unveiled face”? That is, with faith; for unbelief, as a veil, blinds our minds so that we cannot see the glory of the Lord Jesus according to what is written in 2 Corinthians 4:3-5: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” And what is the meaning of beholding the Lord’s glory “in a mirror”? That is, the Scriptures; for they portray to us the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear what the Lord said in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (Emphasis added). The whole Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation point to the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27, Emphasis added). Need I explain further? The Pentateuch, known as the five books of Moses (Genesis to Deuteronomy), the history books (Joshua to Esther), the Wisdom books (Job to Song of Solomon), and all the prophetical books, major and minor (from Isaiah to Malachi) contain nothing but things concerning Christ. And what is the New Testament but the fulfilment and explanation of the Old Testament?
Nowhere, not even in creation, is the glory of the triune God reflected more brightly as in the Scriptures. Reader, what the Scriptures contain are reflections and not the true things. When the perfect day comes, just as we see objects clearly at noon day, we shall no more see in a mirror; we shall see God and behold the Lord Jesus Christ as He is. This is the goal of the Christian life. This is where the path of the just leads to. The path begins with faith, perseveres in love and hope and ends in sight. We strive to live a righteous and holy life; we live in love, love to God and our neighbor; we perform good works so that we may attain to the sight of the blessedness promised us by God to which we behold now in faith. This sight is the perfect day. Let nothing hinder you from reaching it.

The Way of the Wicked

We now come to the third part of the message where we will look at the way of the wicked. Our opening text says, “The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” I will not spend much time describing in detail the way of the wicked because it is the direct opposite of the path of the just which we have extensively expounded above.
The way of the wicked is like darkness. The Scripture does not say that the way of the wicked is like the going down of the sun or the sun setting; it is already dark, there is no light. However, their darkness keeps increasing as they continue in sin. Darkness connotes ignorance, error, unbelief, sin, and death. Those who walk on this path are ignorant of the knowledge of God which is the light that leads to life. What does the Psalmist say, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). What is in the word of God but the knowledge of God? Some glimpses of God’s nature can by gathered from creation which may inspire piety and the worship of God but these have no saving power. It is only the Scriptures that can make one wise unto salvation (See 2 Timothy 3:15). It is only the word of God that can guide us to our true home – heaven.
Since those who walk in the way of the wicked are devoid of the light of the word of God, they err in life. They err in their thinking and in their actions; for our thoughts control our actions. They live for the world and the things in it. They respect, honor, depend, trust, and enjoy the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forevermore. Amen! The wicked also err in their worship; either they worship the wrong object such as stones, wood, rivers etc. or they worship the right object – God in a wrong way. Their ignorance and error lead to another dangerous thing, namely, unbelief. The mind of some of them is so dark that they deny the existence of God. Those who believe that God exists, do not honor or glorify Him “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). What is the meaning of “they did not glorify Him as God”? That is, they did not relate to Him as God just as when a son knows who his father is but refuses to give him the honor due to a father. In other words, they do not fear or obey Him; they do as they like. Hear what the LORD says, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name…” (Malachi 1:6).
From unbelief proceeds all diverse sins and unrighteousness of the wicked: “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21), which shut men out of the kingdom of God. Apostle Paul describes them in Romans 1 as “being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful” (Romans 1:29-31). He prophesied that these would abound in the last days which would make the times dangerous or perilous, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
I do not need to tell you that we are experiencing all these sinful deeds all over the world now; for you yourself know about it. You see it in the home, market place, on the street, on TV and everywhere. The Spirit says that “evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). What is “imposters”? Fake men of God and evil or seducing spirits impersonating the Holy Spirit of God. The spirit of deception abounds everywhere even in some churches; for not all churches or pastors are fake. There could not be fake ones if there were no genuine ones. Therefore, beware and vigilant!
And what is the import of the words, “evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse”? In other words, there is no hope for this world; for the darkness of the world will get darker and darker. Had there been any time in the history of the world in which the world has been darker than in our generation? This generation is darker than the past generation and the coming generation will be darker than the present one. God, who sees the end from the beginning says so. Have no hope for this world then, my dear reader.
This is the path of the wicked. All those who take this path are shut out of the kingdom of God. It is a broad path and many people are in it. It seems to be an enjoyable and an enviable path now but it will ultimately lead you to death eternal, and shall be great torment and gnashing of teeth.

Exhortation

And now, my last duty, in this sermon, is to exhort you to make the right choice. I say, therefore, shun the way of the wicked and take the path of the just. Live for God, your Creator. Pursue peace with all men and holiness without which no one can see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Do not make yourself an enemy of God by loving the world and the things in it. If you were to gain the whole world, it would profit you nothing because you will eventually lose it; for you came into the world with nothing and you will leave with nothing. The purpose of the time you have in the world now is to be reconcile to God.
One more Scripture and I will bring my message to a close. The Psalmist queries, “Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? (Psalm 34:12). Although, this is true in this temporal life, the Psalmist had his mind on eternal life when he uttered these words. No matter how long we live in this world, we will eventually die. Read Genesis 5 and you will realize that all the early fathers who lived longer, with the exception of Enock who walked with God and was taken, had this written of them: “and he died”. Even Methuselah who lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years ultimately died. A life that must necessarily end cannot truly be said to be of “many days”. The Hebrew word translated as “many days” can also mean always, everlasting, evermore or perpetual. True life is living forever and this cannot be attained in this world. Who among us do not love to live a long life? We all seek it at the great expense of time, money and effort.
The Psalmist added, “that he may see good”. In this world, good and evil are mixed together. We experience good today and evil tomorrow, vice versa. To always see good is not of this world but the world to come. If you want to live a good life forever, which you do, hear the instruction: “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:13-14).

May the Lord bless His word for us all. Amen!

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Romans 15:4

Ever since Adam sinned, the world had never known true peace and comfort. There have been difficult times such as we see now in the past. Many times, what we usually focus on is the cause of our woes but that is of little importance. Our response in these trying times should not be focused on finding faults; we should be concerned with finding ways to address the problem and learn our lessons well. Many scientists, all over the world, are racing to find a cure for the Coronavirus, and this is a very commendable thing. We pray that God will show them the way and reward their labours by granting their heart desires. Amen!

I wish to address both believers and unbelievers in this short sermon. Many Christians have a wrong notion about the life in Christ. They deem it as a panacea to all their worldly troubles. Those who think this way are right and wrong at the same time. They are right in that the life in Christ will end all suffering and troubles, not in this world, but in the world to come. They are wrong because they look for a life without any suffering in this world, which is impossible. Jesus Himself said, “In the world, you shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). Again, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29). We suffer for Christ when we face troubles as a result of living for Him. Are we not in this world so that we can glorify God by our everyday life, winning souls etc? As we remain faithful to Him whilst we endure persecution, reviling, sickness and all kinds of pain everyday, we suffer for Him.
Therefore, let us not behave as if we are ignorant of the current condition of the world. Have we not be forewarned that dangerous times will come? Whether this is the end or not is of little importance; how you will end your time is what matters? And if you will accept it, humanity has always lived in the end time ever since Christ ascended to heaven. So it is not only our generation which is living in the end time. All the past generations, from the times of the apostles, lived in the end time. Hear what apostle John said, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1 John 2:18). He did not say that the last time will come but “it is the last time”. He lived in the end time. This was two thousand years ago. Has the world always not lived in the end time since we do not know when Christ will come? And haave we not individually always lived in the end time since we do not know when we will die? Do not focus on when the kingdom will come, but rather be concerned about whether you will be found in the Kingdom when it comes. Consider what Jesus said in Acts 1:6-7, “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”

Therefore, we are not to be afraid as if we are ignorant of what is going on in the world, and neither are we to lose heart; for the God of comfort has given us comfort and hope. God, I repeat, has given us comfort and hope, not in this world but in His Word. In deed, this world offers some comfort but not a lasting one. The things in the world that give us comfort such as family, home, properties, money etc. are the same things that bring us sorrow and trouble. For instance, a mother receive comfort and rejoices greatly when she gives birth to a child. This same mother wails and wallow in sorrow when she loses her child. Again, we rejoice when we are in good health but feel sorrow when we become sick. These operations of the world teach us that we cannot be truly happy in this world. Jesus said that in Him we will have peace but in the world we will have tribulation. Jesus is the Word.
The Scriptures offer comfort because they contain the precious promises of God. Our hearts rejoice and take solace in these promises because God is faithful. Let us look to God for comfort, happiness and hope. Covid-19 is not the first pandemic the world has faced nor will it be the last one if Christ does not come now. This is the hard truth which we must all accept: This world can never make us happy. The system of the world is failing. Look not to this world for happiness but the world to come. Believe in Christ, live for Him and have hope in a better and perfect world where there will be no sickness nor death.
May the Lord grant us grace and wisdom to abide by His Word. Amen!

Minister Derrick Asomaning

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