Strive Lawfully

[0:00] Thank you for tuning into this message by David Entry. Every true revival is a product of the strong preaching of God's Word. May you receive a word from this message that will spark a revival in you.

[0:12] In 2 Timothy 2 verse 1, it says that, Thou therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

[0:25] You can only say this to a Christian. In the first place, he must know what the grace is.

[0:36] Unbelievers don't know what grace is. I think that is just one of the terms and ways we use in Christianity. But so long as we are concerned, grace is a reality.

[0:50] Grace is a reality. If you are saved, it's by grace. If you are saved. The Bible says that when Barnabas came and he saw the grace of God, Acts chapter 11 verse 22, 23, 24.

[1:08] When he saw the grace of God. When he came and he has seen. So grace can be seen. May that be in your life.

[1:19] Grace can be seen. When he came and saw the grace of God. So those of us who are in Christ.

[1:30] The Bible says in John chapter 1 verse 16 and verse 17. Verse 16 says that of his fullness have we all. And of his fullness.

[1:42] Jesus' fullness. And of his fullness we have all received. And grace for grace. Of his fullness. Fullness. Anything that you get from Jesus is a function of grace.

[1:56] Of his fullness have we all received grace for grace. And verse 17 says that the Lord was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus.

[2:08] Let's all say grace and truth. Please say it again. Say grace and truth. Grace and truth. Grace and truth. The source of grace is the love of God.

[2:21] The source of truth is the light of God. God is love. 1 John chapter 4 verse 8.

[2:32] And God is life. 1 John chapter 1 verse 5. Love and light. When light is expressed.

[2:45] It's revelation. It's truth. When love of God is expressed. It's grace we enjoy. So he says. My son.

[2:56] Be strong. In the grace. That is in the Lord Jesus. In these times. Remember there is a prophetic word hanging.

[3:08] But. The scripture said. Be strong. In the grace. That is in Christ Jesus. If you are in Christ.

[3:19] There is grace available for you. I was saying something. And I went off again. I was talking about. It's like. I used to play. Basketball. You know the way the basketball ring is.

[3:30] Let's say. A few rings that maybe are hanged by a rope. Different. A lot of them. I'm giving a prophetic analogy. Okay.

[3:41] You see the way the basketball. Let's say. One that is not metal. But. Let's say it's plastic. Hanging. From the ceiling. On the ceiling. But. They come. And then they go.

[3:52] Not. Fall. And not go. But it's just. If you manage. You can be able to. Make sure your head enters one. So you have to. Manage. And when you see what. Everybody is around.

[4:03] But. Everybody is looking for. Those who are not looking for. They might not get it. But you look for it. It comes down enough. Close enough. Depending on your height. This is good enough. Push your head into it. I saw.

[4:14] Grace. You know. There is. Covenant opportunity. I'm telling you. Covenant. This 10 days. Is launching many people. Into a new phase.

[4:24] In their life. A new phase. In their life. And so just be alert. Look for opportunity. In God. Pastor. What does the opportunity. Looks like.

[4:35] Open your heart. God will help. When we say. Let's say. Let's pray. Be genuine. And get into prayer. When we say. Let's pray. Just pray. When we are going.

[4:46] Maybe you are coming. Or something. Something prompts your heart. Talk to somebody. About Jesus. Or write an application. For something. Or wake up. Sometimes. The Holy Spirit. Can wake you up.

[4:57] I know you like your sleep. And sometimes. You can't sleep. But you can be. You'll be shocked. The Holy Ghost. Can wake you. Around 4am. 3am. And you are. Awake.

[5:08] Quite awake. And you can pray. These are the signs. Of God. Trying to help you. So seize the moment. Seize the opportunity. Don't let us. Just be.

[5:19] Religious. So. You are. Fasting. But it looks like. It's more. Starving. Just fasting. Must deliver for you. So don't just.

[5:33] Fast. Combine. Sensitivity. And obedience. Do you understand. What I'm saying. Combine. Sometimes you are coming to church. Or you get to church. And Asha is. You really wanted to sit there.

[5:44] And you are determined. No no. I won't let anyone. And then this time. They did it yesterday. And this same person. Is doing it again today. Your spirit. Something will tell you. Okay. Just leave it.

[5:55] Follow it. Take advantage of the. Be. That's what I mean. Be sensitive. Take advantage. Take advantage. Something will be leading you. So when I say.

[6:06] Be sensitive. I'm not saying. Go around. The Lord told me. The Lord told me. But I'm talking about. Walk with God. When God wakes you up. To pray.

[6:17] Pray. Sometimes you are. You are about to watch something. And you feel like. Don't watch it. Wait. Read your Bible first. Seize that moment. Put your head in that grace ring.

[6:28] That is coming close to you. Because they are major. Your. Opportunities of grace. I can see. Be released amongst us. And you will not miss your own. You will not miss your own.

[6:40] In the name of Jesus. So. Be strong. In the grace. That is in. Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Lord Jesus Christ. Be strong.

[6:51] Then he goes on to speak about how. As a good soldier of Christ. Verse 3. End your hardship. He says that. You therefore must.

[7:02] End your hardship. As a good soldier of Christ Jesus. See when. Be strong. Because sometimes. The. The going can be a little bit tough. But you have to be strong in the grace.

[7:14] And. End your hardship. Then the verse 4 talks about. No soldier. Worry. Entangles. Entangles. You have entangled yourself with so many other things.

[7:28] No. A soldier. Worry. Entangles himself. With. Civilian affairs. Then the verse 5 is very interesting.

[7:39] I like the verse 5. I don't know about you. But I like the verse 5. I like the verse 5. It said. And. If. If. If anyone competes. In. Athletics.

[7:50] He is not crowned. Unless he competes. A couple of the rules. This is scripture. The way you compete. Will determine your crown. The way you run your race.

[8:03] There is an English. Adage. Or idiomatic expression. That says that. As you lay your bed. So you lie on it. The way you make your bed.

[8:14] Is the way you lie on it. You don't make your bed. With the bed she's flying around. And you lie on it. Like a hotel. The way you made it. That's how you end up lying. It says that. You are not crowned. Until.

[8:25] You. You. Crown. Unless you compete. King James used the word. You strive. I think so. Strive. Lawfully. Strive. Strive.

[8:36] Lawfully. Tell somebody. Strive. Your future will be okay. Your future will be okay. Just learn. To strive. Lawfully.

[8:47] Then he tells Timothy. To strive. Lawfully. Because the husband man. And the husband man. Is first partaker. Of the fruits.

[8:59] Oh my goodness. The husband. What does that mean? It's not like. A husband. Okay. As my man is like. A farmer. The hard working farmer.

[9:11] Must be first. To partake of the crops. So. When. The. Crows begin to. Show up. The hard working. God you're always working hard.

[9:23] You have something to eat. You taste it before it gets to the market. Or gets. Served on the king's table. You are working on it. So. First principle. That is why. If you are working hard.

[9:34] In God's house. God will make sure. You will partake first. Yes. No sacrifice goes unrewarded. In the house of God. God is not unrighteous.

[9:45] To forget your labor of love. You. When you strive lawfully. You. When you strive lawfully. You will be crowned. And then. He who. Lay best works hard. Will be first to partake.

[9:56] Some of you sisters. You won't struggle to be married though. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Serve. Serve.

[10:07] When you serve. You. You. You. You won't fight for a man. Brothers. Will fight for you. Yeah. I know what I'm talking about. You'll be first to partake.

[10:19] In the name of Jesus. And. The. The scripture continues. There's so many. Stuff there. But it touches on. The. How we should be watchful.

[10:31] You know. In fact. It says that. Verse 11 talks about suffering. For dying. If we die with him. We shall also live with him. Then verse 12 talks about suffering.

[10:42] If we suffer. We shall also reign with him. If we deny him. That's the scripture I'll be using. If we deny him. We shall. But if we don't believe. The verse. He abides.

[10:53] I like that bit. He abides faithful. Somebody say. God abides faithful. God abides. Say it again. God abides faithful. God is faithful. God is faithful. If we suffer with him. He abides faithful.

[11:04] Please. Persevere. You are not doing anything wrong. Doing church. You are not doing anything wrong. Fasting. And praying. And being in church. You are doing something glorious. And something good.

[11:15] Doing something glorious. And something good. So. It. It. Begins to warn. Timothy. Or warn us. From verse 14. And verse 15.

[11:26] 15 talks. I'll study too. But verse 14 says that. Of these things. Put them in remembrance. Charging them before the Lord. To strive. Not about ways. There are some things.

[11:37] You don't need to waste your time. Some ways. The Bible says that. Argument about. Or useless ways. That. To actually subvert. The hearers. Don't let your Christian life be about that.

[11:49] But it says. Rather steady. To show yourself approved. Then 16. It says. Shun some people. Or shun some things. Stay away from things. Now. This is talking about. Lawful striving.

[12:00] If you strive lawfully. And they began to tell us. Not. There are positive things to do. Like steady. To show yourself approved. But negative things to do. Like sham. So.

[12:11] But sham profane. And vain babblings. Watch this. For they will increase. Onto more ungodliness. There are some things. That will just boost. Ungodliness in your life. Yeah.

[12:22] Some language. Some talk. You keep giving your attention to. Or your ears to. It will boost godliness. Ungodliness. And how many of us here. Agree with me.

[12:33] That. Being godly. Doesn't come naturally. It's like you're climbing up. Or swimming upstream. Okay. So.

[12:44] It's. So. It's. A bit more weak. So. Ungodliness. Comes. Normally. So. If you. Expose yourself.

[12:55] To certain things. Certain associations. Certain words. Certain. Conversations. You. Boost. Ungodliness. A rather boost. Ungodliness. Increases.

[13:06] Their words. It. Then. You mentioned. Hymenos. And Philetus. Their words. It's like. Gangrene. Cancer. Says that.

[13:17] And. Their message. Will spread. Like cancer. individuals. You mention them in the Bible. May God deliver you from the influence of Hymenaeus and Philetus.

[13:29] There are some Hymenaeus and Philetus, when you befriend them, their words will eat you like cancer. I think NIV used the word gangrene. Gangrene.

[13:39] When we say something is gangrenous, what does that mean? No life is rotten. So, that's what some translations say, cancer. And when something becomes gangrenous, there's no blood supply. And so, like, it dies. It becomes rotten. And it says that there are some ways they are like gangrene.

[14:05] Their teaching will spread like gangrene. It's killing the little spirituality inside you. It blocks the supply. The life supply of God. This is scripture. I don't understand why most of the time we don't see this one.

[14:20] But these things are fundamental. Because you are praying and fasting by gangrene. Some words are eating you like gangrene. And you don't understand.

[14:31] Last year I fasted. Nothing happened. Have you checked what words are coming to you? What you have been exposing yourself to? Gangrene. It's eating you. Verse 18.

[14:42] It talks about Hameno and Philotes have strayed away concerning the truth. King James used the word heard.

[14:53] They have heard. The truth have heard. They've missed it. They've strayed away concerning the truth. The truth of what how God works and how things work.

[15:05] They've missed it. They've missed it. They are genuine but they're strayed. And not only them saying that the resurrection has earned overthrown the faith of some.

[15:19] Hemenos and Philetus they were strayed. They've embraced gangrene. They were strayed and erred from the truth. And they've erred from the truth and now saying the resurrection all these things I don't believe in that.

[15:34] I'll pray. I don't believe in fasting. I don't believe in prayer. I don't believe in serving in church. I don't believe in all these things. And they have overthrown the faith of many too. How many of you know somebody whose faith has been overthrown?

[15:50] They are a statement to you like Lord's wife. She became a pillar of salt to be a warning to others. But it says that I like this it said then it changes it said nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands.

[16:04] Having listened the Lord knows those who are his and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Then the verse says for in a large house there are not big houses have got nice utensils.

[16:18] So when you pass by you think it's only nice utensils. No I said no there's also garbage beans there. So nice bowls nice cups in a big house like Buckingham Palace nice cups but don't fool yourself they also have garbage beans there.

[16:35] So he said there are not only vessels of gold but also wood or clay some for honor and what do you think that this honor is? Those days they didn't have WC that flashes they have bowls that takes they carry the thing away chamber pot then they come and remove it that's a dishonor pot of dishonor he said there can be people in church who want to be at the front or want to be seen but in the spirit they are for disposable waste in a big house because you are not crowned until you strive lawfully I hope you are getting what I'm saying until you strive lawfully you can be in church play instruments or be in sound but you are not striving lawfully you are not doing it lawfully and it can undermine the reward that can come to you may God help us all that this season of fasting this we have got to this third day to the end that God will help us heal from any gangrenous thing that has come close to us or heal us and help us stay focused and be strong in the grace that is in the Lord

[17:52] Jesus Christ let me add this it says but if anyone okay if any man if any if a man therefore purge himself from these so when I was studying I was thinking what are the these the things I've been talking about not only iniquity you know verse 19 says that depart from iniquity not only iniquity but the gangrenous ways striving lawfully and those who don't strive if you depart from the things that I'll do it said if anyone purges himself from these things he shall be a vessel of all ah you see where the breakthrough starts from the breakthrough starts from how you are approaching things in life so that is why I believe that verse 5 is very people down verse 1 is significant and verse 5 verse 1 says be strong in the grace that is in the Lord and then verse 5 says you are no crown except you strive lawfully so you need to be strong in the grace to strive lawfully and when you strive lawfully verse 22 says that you shall be a vessel of honour meet for the master's use and prepare for every good breakthrough

[19:09] I see somebody entering your breakthrough in the name of Jesus thank you thank you for listening to this message by David entry we pray you have been revived towards God you can connect with David entry on all relevant social media platforms including Instagram and LinkedIn you can also hear more messages from David entry on all relevant streaming platforms and the Carriage Church app don't forget to like and share the message be blessed you Thank you.