Transcription
You waste your life. You don't have a spare. Once and for all wasted. One is appointed unto man once to die after that judgment.
They call you papa. Today is a nickname. It's not real. There is no baba today anywhere. Baba is not coming to anywhere. Baba has gone either to heaven or to hell. There is no you know baba today. He said, "Why he look like his like his grandfather?" Good luck.
You are your person. You have to determine the outcome of your life by taking responsibility early. By what? Take it. Take it. My grandmother is gone, but is a co-founder of this university. All of TMC things we're talking about, a lot of those things came from her to me, raising her puppy baby, injecting life values into me. And 20 children don't play for 20 years. In 20 years, you'll be in 20 different classes. Work. Without work, you'll be losing worth. It's true.
Don't go about relations begging. Program yourself to see others come to you. You don't sit up today. You won't stand up. You won't stand out tomorrow. Sit up. Face your door.
For 44 years, I've been on my feet by grace. Never lacked access to light once. He never stopped sending his word through these lips. We are not any special. We only have a special God behind the scenes. Behind all happenings here is this special God at work. I haven't known where I belong in Christ by divine election. Everything has lost value and absolutely so.
As far back as 1984, I said, "I will consider it a demotion if I were invited to be president of our great nation." It's a great office, but that's not where I belong. It's an enviable office, but that's not where I belong. I haven't discovered where I belong. I just saw wisdom in abiding there. It's important to know where you belong. There is no place called anywhere. Anywhere means nowhere. It's important to know where you belong. Not industry, small, academic, small, industry there. Industry, industry, settle down.
It won't all break out in one day. He blesses his people little by little to see how they behave under the next level of blessing before he moves them to the next. Amen. You don't buy a car for your child, no matter how you are. You buy a toy vehicle. They start driving that vehicle around the room. First a toy, then perhaps one that can move around the house, and then a tricycle with two other small tires by the side. And then after some time, maybe a bicycle. It's little by little. Some business just jump out. No, no, no. I think by now. What is by now? It's a process. Do you jump from assistant lecturer to professor? Is it, does it happen? No, it doesn't. So, it's important to know where one is going. That, that's the whole essence of vision. That's the whole essence of vision.
But also interesting is that you don't need one trance and one 18-hour, you know, vision to locate your place. It's out in the book. The vision of all, everybody included. Isaiah 29:11 and 12. The vision of all is as a book that's written, as the word of a book that is sealed, which men gave to a man that is not allowed. Read this. I prayed. He said, "I cannot, 'cause I'm not them." The vision of all, not of some. The vision of all, the vision of all. So everybody, without a trance, you can locate yourself in God's plan in this book. Whatever this book tells you to do, you do it. You're already walking in the plan of God. Yes, he may decide to not give you specific instructions on where to go and what to do. He has the right to. But it's important first and foremost to recognize and keep this in mind. No one ever arrives at a future that he cannot see. You don't leave your house to the airport and they say, "Where are you going?" "I don't know. When I get to the airport, I will know." No, you won't leave the airport for life. 'Cause one, you didn't even know where you're going. So how do you take step to get there? You get, excuse me, which plane is on ground? They said, "One is going to Amsterdam." "Yes. Tell them I want to go." No, you know where you are going. Then you make preparations to get there. If you need a visa, you get a visa. Praise God. And then you book your flight, you get a ticket. Otherwise, you'll be going and going and going and never move from the airport.
Life only becomes meaningful with a vision. And when you are walking by the vision of the Lord for your life, destiny opens up on its own accord. There is no one under heaven who can push me into politics. No. By his grace, I'm now above that level. Before I saw any level, it wasn't part of God's plan for my life. And I knew it. Many, many years ago, I wanted to tell you what year it was. I was granted an audience to one of the leading countries in this world. "Have you considered any elective office in your life in this country?" I said, "Never. Not in the plan of God for my life." I was being wooed into. Said, "No, no, no. I got that long time before I met you. So it's not that we call you." I know where they contact me from today around the world on issues concerning nations, including this nation, away from Africa. Just know where you belong and commit yourself to it. You get to anywhere without struggling to get there.
The good news is no one comes to Covenant University except he chooses to, without knowing where he belongs in the race of life. And you set yourself to discover where you belong and commit yourself to get in there. The obedience of all is like a book that is sealed. It's given to a man and he says, "I cannot," 'cause it's given to another man. He says, "I cannot," 'cause I'm not. And that's the trouble of the world today. It's closed to many. You know why it's closed? It is open only to the redeemed of the Lord. God's plan is only open to the redeemed of the Lord. Unto us is given to know the mission of the kingdom of God to them that are without. All these things are imparable. So that seeing they may not see, hearing they may not hear, it's sealed to them. Mark 4 and verse 11. It's sealed. It's only open to us who are the redeemed of the Lord. So if you are not saved, you don't know what you are missing. You are missing out of God's plan for your life. You just be going to wherever everybody is going. Where are we going? Oh yeah, South Africa. Ah, this place is more brand than where I'm coming from. So where are we going now? I hear say something. Austria. Austria. Oh yeah. Get to Austria. Ah, this is WhatsApp. Where do we go from here? Australia is far from your father's house. But people just keep on running that scar going nowhere. You won't be part of that.
Each one of you will find your place on time and set yourself going there in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. So shall it be for you. So your the God's vision for your life is in his book. It's also important to mention here that your future and my future is not in our plan, it is in His plan. So locating His plan is what guarantees your future and my future. I caught that light 1977 from Isaiah chapter Jeremiah 29 and verse 11. That is what the Bible says. "For I know the thoughts that I think about you or towards you," said the Lord. "The thoughts of peace are not of evil to give you an expected end." Now, standard version, I was using made it clearer to me. That was the one I read it from. That's one that blew my system up. "I know the plans I have for you," said the Lord, "the plan of welfare and not of evil to give you a future and a hope." What? My future is in Your plan, not in my plan. Lord, I trash my plan. I desire Your plan for me, for that's where my future is. I was so caught up with that word. I bought 400 postcards, they call it. There were no internet or anything in those days. Long distance posting. I addressed it to all of my contacts in the faith, past stamps on them, and dispatched them. I said, "God just spoke to me today that our future is not in our plan but in His plan. Go for His plan. Seek His plan. Walk in His plan." You create a future. I live a kind of life that if I found something this morning and you came to my house, you hear it on the first, first time. People come to my house and they're looking for papers. Whatever I found from the Lord, I lavishly dish it out. You don't lack what to distribute. You only lack what you give. You only lack what you give. So your future and my future is in locating His plan and abiding there. The plan may deliver slowly, but it's sure to deliver at the end. It's sure to what? Sure.
He said, "Though it tries most of the time, they don't come home. They, they, they test your endurance, they test your stability when you get there." Amen. He said, "If you get to that land quickly, you will return back to Egypt. They will fight you to the finish." So he didn't lead them by the way of the desert, although that was short, but he led them through the way of the desert. Exodus 13:17. He led them through the desert so that they would develop capacity to possess the land. Somebody hear what I'm talking about? This church was under a grass covering in 1986. What? The floor, natural, not paved. We bought our first musical equipment November '86. But we're having fun, I tell you. Great fun. I was living in the office apartment of the church. Great. Wonderful. We have a special healing service going on in church. People have landed from outside the country, from every part of the country. A special healing service at Kenan Land, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. I'm leaving here now. Jump into the place. Please settle with God's plan so you will live a life of peace and rest. Settle. Don't join the crowd going somewhere. Locate where you belong. Abide there. These are the dynamics of vision. There is not just you have a vision. Many people have a vision. They can't see come to pass because they can't wait. No. I thought, I thought, I thought, jump to another place. I thought, I thought, I thought, jump to another place. You kept jumping, jumping, and jumping. I've been on several interview panels in my life, and when you see anybody jumping and jumping, jumping, you say he's not a serious man appointing people that will represent anywhere, including nation. This man has jumped many times since he left school. One, two, three, four, five. No, no, no, no. You will jump again. You know, you are appraised by your level of stamina and stability. Now jumping everywhere. You can't be a cool that jumping from there, and I point you as a cool, you jump the day I need you most, you jump. So I, I don't need jumpers. I need a settled man. Settle with God's plan. Settle. Thank you, Jesus.
It's also important for us to recognize that every one of us is absolutely responsible for the outcome of our life. Everyone. If they throw you into prison, your closest friend will go to work. Look at my friend. We went out together that day. No, he has left you alone. There are quite some rosated students here that their closest friend don't know where they are now. Don't know where they are. I love boys in the prison. No, I don't know. He's in the prison. Oh, poor him. Everybody is up. Not even your parents. You on fellows. Your parents won't go to prison because they told you in prison, "I want to stay here." There's no want to stay in the prison. Your don't see when they talking to you, won't hear now. Goodbye. That is your parent. He left you there. He's not going to sleep there. If you drug yourself to death now, one, your parents don't come. Your parents don't go where they bury their children, and he will go to work tomorrow because he has to eat. You go to his business tomorrow. You have chosen the way you want to go. If you know that you will take responsibility, you win. Nobody will die your death with you. Nobody will go down to the dungeon with you. If you watch people that are hospitalized, challenged in one way or another, now there's a flow. The first two, three days, but after a week, they have gone to work to connect. We want to keep you fit because nobody has time to settle with you. Nobody has time. You are absolutely responsible for the outcome of your life. Your parents can't write exam for you here, can they? They will send all of you out at the same time. They can only send you to school. You cannot decide whether to be jumping the pens or to settle down to study. All they can do is send you to school, pay your fees on time. You are, you have to for to resume on time. Some of you have gone away to some other places. Your parents thought you are here. You are undoing yourself without knowing. When your eye open, may not be too late. You better wake up. You better wake up and speak to yourself like the prodigal son. I better settle down. If I get into trouble, I'll face it alone. I will face it alone.
One young man was being chased by the police. So he ran to our office. He's a member of the church in those days in Kaduna. And then police came in there looking for said, "Come out here." He said, "Papa, papa, said, 'Come out here. Go with them first. When you settle with them, you can come back to me. I'm not a papa of a criminal. Let them take you.'" He said, "Baby," I said, "Yes, police take him." I didn't ask, "What did you do?" But they can't be chasing after you, we're not doing nothing. So go and explain whether you did it or not. If you did it, good luck. Amen. I'm your papa. When you're doing the right thing, when you do the wrong thing, you have another papa, not me. Praise God. Hallelujah. So I, I gave them to him. I, I gave him to the police to go and look after him. Praise God. Amen. This is not Papa. I can't hide you in this office. Did somebody enter here? I said, "Yes, somebody entered here. Come out." So it was with my hand, I gave him to the police. Say with me, I'm absolutely responsible for the outcome of my life. I have no one to blame. Not even the devil. I have no one to blame. Not my friends. Friendship is not by force. It's by choice. Friendship is not by force. It's by choice.
Now, let me tell you, young people, you never find anybody with a careless friend who lives a meaningful life. You never find anyone with a careless friend who lives a meaningful life. No matter your family background, just connect with the wrong person. He will wreck your life. This is what the word says. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 33, "Be not deceived. Evil communication corrupts good manners." And I'm talking to everyone in that Corinthian church, that anointed church where they communicate in tongues. That is, they communicate naturally in tongues. He said, "Don't be deceived by the level of the giftings you carry. Evil communication corrupts good manners. Nobody survives an evil communication. Nobody in this world. Nobody. Nobody. Nobody survives it." He said, "I mean, I tell you that cannot be his friend." So I came in while they were still in that discussion. He said, "Somebody came to see you." I said, "What's his name?" He said, "So." He said, "Is he your friend?" Said, "No, no, no, it's not my friend. I just schoolmate." He said, they started laughing. I didn't know why they were laughing. He said, "I told you cannot be his friend. Show me your friend. I can define 50% of your character. Just show me your friend. Your character is 50% wrecked if you had one before." Do you know some fellows have passed through here, they ended up in prison, that 200 level, 300 level, 400 level. Some are breathing hard in prison now, while others are setting up businesses around the world. Amen. From the same crucible, everybody is absolutely responsible for the outcome of his life. Everybody. So it's not about the school. It's about what you allow the school to impart on your life. It's not about the school. You think about that came from Harvard made meaning in life? No. No, many are struggling for survival. Where did they come from? Harvard, first degree, second degree, third degree. Okay, what of the fourth degree? Nothing. Nothing.
I've come to speak to you this morning as a father. You waste your life. You don't have a spare. Once and for all wasted. One is appointed unto man once to die after that judgment. They call you baba. is a nickname. It's not real. There is no Baba today anywhere. Baba is not coming to anywhere. Baba has gone either to heaven or to hell. There is no you know why he say look like his like his grandfather. Good luck. You are your person. You have to determine the outcome of your life by taking responsibility early. By what? Take it. Take it. My grandmother is gone, but is a co-founder of this university. All of TMC things we're talking about, a lot of those things came from her to me, raising her puppy baby, injecting life values into me. And 20 children don't play for 20 years. In 20 years, they'll be in 20 different classes. To money. Work without work, you'll be losing worth. It's true. Don't go about relations begging. Program yourself to see others come to you. You don't sit sit up today. You won't stand up. You won't stand out tomorrow. Sit up. Face your door. She was well to do by the standard of where she lives. She never owed anybody a dime. I was privileged to be a heartbeat. It works. I learned this lesson so early. Can you step out of my grandmother's place without telling where you are going and for what reason you are going and when you are coming back? He will say, "As the town sent you on a mission. Where are you going?" "I don't know." You can't go out. You know where you are. Know when you're coming back. And there were no telephones that if you, if you came late, oh, why, oh, we carry your name all over. You all. If you don't want your name in the air, you return on shadow. That's life. I mean, you are dodging chapel service. What are you doing? You are dodging a meaningful life. You are dodging a meaningful life. They're running after you. You are not a baby, and you knew this is a church university before you came. Service is mandated. You won't write exams, sir. You just come to school for free. When it's time for exam, you already you have failed your attendance. You won't write my exam, and nobody can carry the university. You have it as a law. What are we doing that for? To help you have a meaningful life. To help you have a your coming to chapel doesn't do anybody anything. I told my daughter Home Rosley yesterday. I was talking to her. Was my little granddaughter celebrating her birthday, and I said, I said, my daughter, you know something? If they sack me out today, I will build a mega church under one year. He said, I said, "Yes, I've seen 31,000 plus souls saved this year. Salvation, not money, salvation, raise salvation. Now over 21,000 are in church now. They brought 6,900 plus alone. So sack me here. You can't sack what is in me. Don't sack me here. I'll just go to the next village there. I'll build another place as God leads me. You can't sack value. You can't sack value. You can sack value. But when you start walking in pride, your future is damaged. When you can't see God behind the happenings in your life, he will turn his back. And quite a number of young people just walk on their head without any impact. There is no traceable, no track of many around them. Yet their head is heavier than their neck. Ah, and you know what they are bragging about? About what their father has. Your father's accomplishment is not transferable. In fact, it be you among your peers. Don't your father dash you. Stop that, my friend. We are talking about real people. You are not real. Ang hanging on your father's inheritance. You are not real. You're not real. And it doesn't endure. You know something, you can't sustain what you can't earn. No, thank you. That's why many great estate owners, big business tycoons just disappeared, handed their fortune to their children. That is unprepared, unskilled, irresponsible, and they blow it under three months. The labor of 50 years poof is gone. I know one big name in Nigeria that disappeared. I mean, went away, you know, his life was uh came to an end, and on that three years, they are looking for school fees. School what? What happened? It's blown. So take responsibility.
Let me conclude by saying vision is discovering your place in God's master plan and abide there. Vision is taking responsibility to ward off everything that may disqualify you from getting there, including wrong association, hanging around people from some terrible background and corrupting the great values your parents have deposited in you over the years, living a careless life, waiting for your parents to die and take what belongs to them. They will live long. They will live very long. So you better fasten your seatbelt and walk. They will live very long. By the blessing I'm proclaiming from here, none of your parents will die young. Now, just fathom that your father will be 100 years. And now you know where you are now, and you can tell how long you have to wait because you can't divide somebody's inheritance while he's alive. No. If that's what you are waiting for, hunger, nakedness, past which can kill people very fast, you won't die young. Please wake up and walk. You will become the pride of your parents, the pride of your nation, the pride of your village, the pride of the church of Christ. No one here will end up a failure.
Let me tell you in closing that, um, nothing that belongs to you works itself out. They say, "Work out your own salvation," and the blessing that accomplish your salvation with fear and trembling. Who is to work it out? Philippians chapter 2 and verse 12. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Say with me, "I must work out God's plan for my life." I haven't discovered it. The ball is in my court. I'm absolutely responsible for what comes out of God's plan in my life. In my life. In my life. That's so vital.
We left our home in town when Covenant University began. That home is supposed to be our family home. It's on 8 acres of property and had what I thought would be my room for life. But when this school started, and because of its feature, because of its unique vision, because of its characteristic, you can't drive down from town. You have to be on ground. On ground to pray in the night, on ground to catch any misbehaving student. I was responsible. I, I was the headmaster. Don't come play foul. If it means running on foot to catch you, I will catch you. You steal a bro pen here. Nobody will sleep in that hall. We will go through every room. Everybody stand up. I met some students sometime. Some professors were passing. "Hello." "Hello." I stop there. "Is that how they greet in your village?" They shook. They vibrated. God rescued them that night. No. So you don't pursue anything. You can't possess it. So the order we got was because there were people, the team was strong on ground. Thank God the team is still strong today. But this place don't take nonsense. Governors have come here to carry their children from here, haven't been rosated. Did they see you? Never. Don't see me with a rogated student. On one basis, you signed the paper before you came. Praise God. Amen. So wake up. You will have to work it out. Say with me, "I have to work it out." God's plan will not work itself. I must have to work it out. I must have to work it out. I must have to work it out. I must have to work it out.
Now my wife said to me, he said, "What are we doing today?" I said, "Work." What are we doing? I do birthday only once in 10 years. Praise. I've done the one for 60. I'm waiting for the one for 70. If you're available, you can come. After that 80, after that 90, not that I sit down every day, I say, "What are you that the body of Amen? I'm going out to the healing service. I'm going to lay hands on every person that is there, and I'm going out to town for I'll teach when I finish, and I'll come back to come for the prayer meeting in the evening." And so where is the time? Is there toast for what? I'm already toasted. What am I? I'm toasted. Your value is your real toast. But then the other thing, your value is your real toast. So settle down and walk. Walk so you don't lose. Settle down and walk and walk and walk so you don't lose what glory to God.
The good news is for all those freshers, all those 200 level, you are on a solid platform to locate yourself in God's master plan. And may you take responsibility. If you look at your core values, it's all about being responsible, nothing else. You know, to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Can I tell you this? I've never lost my joy once in 49 years, 7 months plus, and God in heaven is my witness. I've been challenged diversely. Have people insulted you? They are still doing it. Has it ever affected you? No. The joy of the Lord overwhelms all of those. Don't feel it. Don't feel it. Those individuals involved, if they spend 100 years more, they can't touch what I've touched today by grace. Because the energy I need to fight back is one I need to make progress. So, it's wisdom to determine where my energy goes. I'll never reply you. You say I'm foolish. That's your view, and you have a right to it. But just let me prove you wrong by not being foolish. By the time I now fold my trouser, I say, "Can I say?" I say, "It's foolish." Say, "You are foolish." I greet you. Thank you for your view. You are mad. Thank you for your view with a smile. Genuine smile. Not vindictive smile. Genuine smile. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your view. I respect your view. I must have to, because God also respects your view. Jesus said he was going to pass somewhere. They say, "You can't pass through here. Your face looks like somebody going to do something." Peter said, "Call fire." I said, "No, no, no. I respect your view. Let's go to another way." He knocks on door, said, "Get off, my friend." "Sorry, sir." You know, he goes about knocking the doors of everybody's heart. You open to him, he will come in. You knock his. I don't need you. Thank you. Hello. Get lost. Thank you. You can't, you can't discourage me in the outreach. If I say, "Hello, Jesus loves you." "I don't want you." Thank you. With a smile. Another said, "Look, you sure have something else doing. What are you talking to me for?" "Sorry. Thank you. But you knocked it also. Thank you for coming. Do you mean Jesus sent you to me?" "What has he said?" "You need to be saved." There is no way everybody will say no. Somebody will say yes. Oh, don't hang around argumentators. You don't need that.
In those early days, the devil arranged some little children. Anytime I was driving to work, they do like this. Whether they don't go to school or not, I don't know. I was bothered first time, second time, third time. I said, "No, no, no, no, no, no. They might just be spreading their hand away." So I was waving to them. After some time, they were not there anymore. I can't let you tamper with my joy. You are doing like this. I'm doing like this to you. We are all waving. Your hand is scattered. My own is together. So Amen. You can make the most of your life by just standing with the word. If you fail coming through Covenant, I don't think God will forgive you 'cause everything to make you succeed is all around you. Soft walls from lecturers, words of grace in the chapel. So many children of God here, if you fail, you will blame yourself for it. But I pray no one here hearing my voice today will end his life in regret. Amen. No one will break the heart of their parents here. No one will find yourself in a wrong place here. You will not wander with wondering people. You will settle with God's settled people to make the most of your life here. And when you are 64, you will remember today that you are told, "Take responsibility today," and you never end up a liability tomorrow. Take responsibility today, you never end up a liability tomorrow. Take responsibility today. You never end up a liability tomorrow.
Stand to your feet. Thank you, Jesus. Would you lift up your two hands, everybody, and give God thanks for the word? If anything got across to you this morning, and God's plan for me lies my future. In God's plan for me lies the glory that God has reserved. Thank you, Jesus. In Jesus precious name. Please be seated for a moment now. I'd like to pray with some of us here who know that they know that they know that they are not saved yet. Who don't have any proof of salvation in their lives. I got saved at 15. I thank God for his grace. I preached my first message at 16. I thank God for his grace. I began to hear God distinctly on issues of life at 22. I thank God for it. And where I am today by his grace, and I thank God for it. But the starting point is your salvation. You can't understand the world without being saved. Neither can you assess the plan of God without being saved. It's a book that is sealed. No matter your intellectual capacity, you are saved. You can't assess the message of the kingdom of God. I was afflicted from birth with tuberculosis. Jesus came into my life '69, rooted it out from my life. But not just there, I read the whole of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John like a voracious lion. I didn't just read. I ate. The words of those four books penetrated my being. When my night of deliverance came, I came out of the dormitory. And I said, "Jesus, if it's true that you did all that you did in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, how can I say that? I read it. Rescue me now." It ended at night. So it's not about being saved. Salvation without pursuing after God and his word. And I've been free from them. 49 years have passed and gone. I have never slept in any hospital by his grace. You can live a life of many, but it begins with salvation. If you are here this morning and you are not saved, or you can't tell whether you are or not, then you are not. I knew I was 19 of February 1969. I knew I got saved. The woman who led me to Christ is still on ground, still alive today in Florida. I knew that I got saved. It's not something I'm not sure. I can't tell. But you see, I've been going to church since I was a baby. Good luck. Are you born again?