#1 - The Only Sure Condition for Peace & Longevity - Pr. Oswell Dzvairo | Bible Study

Shall we pray to commence our Bible study? Our kind and loving father in heaven, we are grateful this morning for the privilege of life that you have given us and also for the privilege of worship and the fellowship that you have given us this morning. We present ourselves before you as we solicit for your presence to guide us as we go through this Bible study session. guide us accordingly and inspire us in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Life is a gift from God that he extend to us human beings freely. Our theme obey and live. Disobey and perish the choice is yours. It is a declaration of life and death by God himself. In actual fact, our theme text which is Isaiah chapter 1 verse 19 and 20 um presents this theme as a conditional statement that is coming from God himself. So by way of introduction I will lay the foundation today and u unpack what we will be covering during our Bible study sessions throughout the week. Now our theme text which is Isaiah 1 verse 19 to 20 reads. If you are willing and obedient, then you shall eat the good of the land. But if you are if you refuse and rebel, then you shall be devoured by this word. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. I deliberately and intentionally mark the the if statements [snorts] and the then statements to separate a condition and the outcome. This declaration by God himself is uh the undersigned statement is shown for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. This is God saying this. He is declaring it. Now the if statements punctuate a condition, marks a condition. If this is done and then then statement also punctuate the outcome of what happens. Okay. So with this kind of a theme we as human beings are challenged and are given a recipe of life. [snorts] Two things happen in life. We have life and death. God himself is the author of life. He is the author of life. Unless God gives you life, no one is qualified to give you life. No one is qualified or is capable to give me life. Life is a gift from God and from God alone. To live is a choice. To die is also a choice. By the way of creation, God created us as rational beings with the power to choose to obey him or to choose to disobey him. If we choose to obey him, that spells life for us. If we also choose to disobey because we have that option. By the way, everyone who is created into this world is created with the power to choose how to live. And with that power, it's up to me. It's up to you. It's up to us as human beings to choose life from death or to choose death from life. So this is our theme text. Whoever chose this theme uh was inspired of God to give us this theme. This is a powerful statement of life and death. Those that live, they live because of this statement. And those that die, they die because of this statement. We will see as we get into the names of this uh subject or of this lesson. So obey and live is a conditional statement that resonates well with wisdom teaching is given and portrayed in the book of Proverbs. In other words, wisdom teaching when it is presented to us, it is given or it is packaged by way of uh conditional statements. He's so willing. If you do this kind of a thing, you are wise. If this is not done, that shows you are a fool. Such is wisdom teaching. So let's take our theme and use it and or to unlock wisdom or let's use wisdom to unpack this statement that that we are given. Obey and live. If you obey, you live. If you choose not to obey or to disobey then that is a spell of disaster. Now let me clarify this thing. The first part which is the if statement is setting a condition which is obey or obedience. That condition if it is met properly obedience. Obey, hearing, understanding. It lays the foundation for which you will need to benefit which is the outcome. Then you live. In other words, there is no life without obedience. And this conditional statement does not work in reverse to say if I live then I obey. Uh-uh. If you obey then you live. Are we together? This is how life is done from the perspective of God who is the author of life himself. Disobedience is authored by the devil or by Satan. Satan is the author of disobedience. It was him and it is him who said if you disobey you become a better person than what God created you to become. So it was Satan or the devil who authored disobedience. Our first parents Adam and Eve disobeyed God because Satan had proposed thus and according to God obedience is the basis of life. We obey God we live. Okay. Now with this paradigm of condition if statements and then statements let's now get into the book of proverbs. We will be looking at proverbs chapter 3 in order for us to appreciate and understand our theme for this camp. Obey and live or you disobey and perish. Now we get into the book of uh Proverbs, Proverbs 3:1 and we also say Proverbs 3:2. These are the two text that will formulate our lesson for this morning or our Bible study for this morning. In other words, chapter 3 of Proverbs verse one lays a condition or presents a condition. Verse two presents to us the benefit or the outcome of that condition. In other words, reading chapter 3 verse one alone is not sufficient. It is only it only becomes complete when you read verse two. Verse two alone is also not enough because the condition for verse two it is in verse one. I hope you understand what I'm trying to present to you. Our theme is obey and live disobey and perish. So we are getting into the nerves of this text in of this theme by way of invoking proverbs chapter 1 uh chapter 3 verse one and verse two. So verse one says that's the condition. Verse one says, "My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands." In other words, here is a father's concern. My son, my son, do not forget my law. In other words, the same statement may also mean, "My son, remember my law. Let your heart keep my commands." In Jewish thinking, keeping and obedience or hearing and understanding are synonymous. It's one thing. They refer to the same thing. In the same Jewish thinking, obedience or hearing is the same as doing. There is you you can't separate hearing and doing. He who hears does what he hears or she hears. In other words, obedience, keeping, remembering, understanding the commands or the law of God is equivalent to doing what the command says. So that one which is slaying the condition is subscribing to us the secret of life. Verse two presents to us the outcome or the benefit of verse one which is for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. In other words, verse two, WHICH IS THE OUTCOME OR the then statement is subscribing to us or presenting to us the benefits of of obedience which is laid in verse one. In verse one, you obey my commands. You keep my commands or my commandments or my law. What do you benefit? Long life. PROLONGED LIFE. Not just prolonged life but also peace. There is a thing that human beings need and above everything else it's life. People need life. People need life. They pursue life. They look for life. They do whatever it takes to gain a prolonged life. Unfortunately, sometimes human beings use unorthodox means to look for life. Sometimes they think, some people think that uh prolonged life comes as a result or as an answer to the birthday song. We wish you many [singing] more. We wish you many more. We wish you many more, dear friend. We wish [singing] you many more. They think they get life out of that song. No, there's no life out of that song. It's just a wish of friends and family members. Real life comes from obedience to the commandments of God. Real life. It comes from understanding an appreciation and a lifestyle that is in concord with what says the Lord. That is where real life and longevity comes from. Okay. Now let's look at let's look at this um conditional statement closely. Wisdom teaching according to proverbs or according to Solomon is patterned or it is structured after the understanding of life from the perspective of the ancient neareasterners. Ancient Neareastern culture. Wisdom flows from the most ancient to those that are naive or recently uhh born. So the language of parendal council my son previous speaker uh pastorala mentioned something and he insisted about the father son kind of relationship that father kind father fatherson son relationship is rooted in the ancient neareastern understanding of life. It is the father who understands life better than his son. In other words, you don't a son or a child cannot give counel to the parent. The more ancient a person is, the nearer that person is to the source of wisdom. Okay? Such is a concept of life in the ancient neareastern culture. So, so the language of my son, my son, my son is the language of fatherly counel to a child because wisdom flows from the parents or the most ancient to the younger ones. Okay? Unlike today's um Gen Z culture or understanding of life, each meant for himself, God for us all. Everyone perceives and thinks he himself or her she herself is also wisdom. Uh-uh. The Bible teaches and teaches that wisdom and life real life lessons flows from those that are more ancient than you. All right. Now with that understanding in mind you will notice in the book of proverbs proverbs chapter 1 vers8 verse 10 verse1 15 chapter 2 verse 1 chapter 3 vers1 which we have just read chapter 3 11 chapter 3 21 AND ALL those other texts the council is my son my son my son my son it recurs throughout wisdom teaching why because who is the the sovereign father, ultimate father, the supreme father for us all. He is g he is the one who gives counel as to how life should be approached because he is the source of life. God is the source of life. So he counels you and me on how life should be approached and how we should benefit from it and how we should gain a prolonged lifespan. Now let's get into the nitty-g gritties of this wisdom teaching obey and live. Here is another condition set in chapter 4, Proverbs 4 verse 10. It says, "Hear my son and receive my sayings." That's a condition. What is the outcome? Chap chapter 4 verse 10b. And the years of your life will be many. A condition is set and also the benefits are also presented. So you choose. If you hear my sayings, if you receive my sayings, sunny, yours is a long lease of life. In other words, the opposite of this conditional statement is true. If you do not hear or obey or understand or receive my sayings, suddenly you are bound to die. You will suffer what we call pre-mature death or you die prematurely. Yes, you live but your lifespan will be short. Such is the understanding of our theme obey and live. The full package of it should be if you obey then you leave. Wisdom is taught like that. By the way, wisdom teaching according to the Bible or the whole section of wisdom literature, it is um it is God's providence to everyone who desires to live regardless of race, color, gender, age, whoever undertakes and appreciates it and treasures it as it is will benefit. This type of wisdom teaching does not segregate people on the basis of religion, on the basis of color, on the basis of age, on the basis of tribe, on the basis of religious affiliation. Whoever understand what wisdom teaching or what wisdom teacher is saying here. Yes. the privilege of benefiting from what is prescribed by the wisdom teacher himself. And the greatest wisdom teacher is a God himself who is our creator. Christ who is our redeemer is the supreme source of wisdom. Now with that in mind, let's look at another text that is also amplifying what we gained from uh Proverbs 3 verse 1 and verse 2. Now verse 20, Proverbs 4:20 amplifies what Proverbs 3:1 said. And then verse 22 amplifies what Proverbs 3:2 said or presented to us. in the spirit and in the sense of our theme obey and live. Verse 20 says, "My son, give attention to my words. Incline your ear to my sayings." That's a condition. Verse 21. There's something to say to amplify and to add onto this issue statement. The outcome or the benefit of your inclination to my sayings. outcome or the benefit to that condition is for they are life to those who find them and they are health to all their flesh. In other words, my sayings, my words are the ones that are referred to as they. My words and my sayings are life to those who find them. My words and my sayings are health to all the flesh that obeys them. The opposite of that conditional statement is true. If you choose to disobey my words and my sayings, it means there is no life in you. There is no health in you. Sorry. You may desire it even if you have a very powerful health policy. I would go or health insurance policy. Yes, you may have it. Good. But the real life and good health is only a benefit of obedience to what says the Lord. That's where life comes from. real life and real health comes from obedience to what says the lord. Now it is in the spirit and in the science of this theme that we are looking at proverbs 3:1 and 2. I'm just trying to amplify what this text is saying or what it is all trying to portray. The other central theme to this theme or the other central to this theme is what you find in Exodus chapter 20 verse 5. Simple statement within the dialogue number five says honor your father and your mother that your days may be many in the land where you go symbol rest for life. Honor your father and your mother that your days may be prolonged in the land where you go. If you need more life, if I need more life, your condition is you must obey what your parent teaches you. What your what your parents teaches you. And the assumption is no parent will teach his or her child something that is foreign to what God says. In other words, the assumption is the parents fear God. They love God. They subscribe to what God teaches and therefore that's what they teach their children. If that is the case, then Paul will now need to say in chapter 6 Ephesians verse one, children obey your parents in the Lord. Obedience of what your parent teaches you is a recipe of life. Disobedience to what your parents teaches is a recipe of disaster. short lifespan that is if ever you live it's a recipe of disaster Adam and Eve theirs was a short-lived experience I don't know how long did they live in the garden of Eden before they disobeyed God I don't know the Bible seemed to be silent I don't know but ultimately they as soon as they disobeyed God the Bible says it did not take them so that very day if possible probably that same time God made sure that they had no access to the sea of life. And now let's look at u another text here which is also giving us a condition AND AN OUTCOME. ALL these texts that I'm now referring to, they are amplifying what Proverbs chapter 3 verse 1 and 2 said, a condition is given and the outcome is also given. You don't gain the outcome without the condition. So in chapter 6 verse 20, here is a condition. My son, keep your father's command. My son, keep your father's command. And do not forsake the law of your mother. Simple. Simple. Simple statement. Symbol. It's not a suggestion. It's a it's in it's a a recipe of life because thus says the Lord according to Isaiah chapter 1 verse 19 to 20 or so says the Lord this is God saying if you need life more life with peace joy prolonged life with peace and joy if you need life in your years and if you need years in your life here is a catch Obey what your father teaches you. Obey what your mother teaches you. Simple. There's no other condition given behind this condition to say if your mother or and your father are smarter than you, then listen to them. Uh-uh. There's no condition behind this condition. The condition is simple. S simple simply simple. Young people would NEED TO SAY HOW ABOUT IF they are not schooled, how about they are not smart like me. You can't be smarter than your parents. No matter how many degrees you may acquire in life, no matter how much money you may acquire or accumulate in your life, no matter how much wealth you may build in your life and no matter how poor your parents are, how unschooled they are, you you will never I will never be better than my parents. Actually, I was raised by a single mother, a poor woman in a poor village. She is still alive. She turned 84 this recent June. Poor as she is, she's smarter than me. Though I may claim I'm a school person. I am a professor at the university. That's nothing. She has never or realized the passport in her life. She doesn't even know what the inside of an aeroplane looks like. I have been everywhere. Even though I've been everywhere and up and about, I am I can be smarter than my poor mother in the village. By the way, when I need wisdom and when I need when I need when I need anything that I need, I go to the village to to to solicit her intervention. That poor old woman. When I was preparing to come here, I had to go there. Mommy, I have an assignment. Where son, I'm going to Kenya for some assignment. Okay. Now I need to bless you before you go there. Listen to that. She knows. So she blessed me before I came here. SHE HAS NEVER been to any theological school. She has never been to high school. I I don't even need to mention any university. If she has never been to any high school, that's she has never been to anywhere. But she has power to bless me or to kiss me. So my son, KEEP YOUR FATHER'S COMMAND. AND DO NOT FORSAKE the law of your mother. WHAT IS THE OUTCOME? Verse 23. For the commandment is a lamp and the law is a light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life. Children that says, "Mommy, daddy, I don't want the way you cancel me. It appears you are you sound very to me." There are children who are like that. Oh, that's a recipe of disaster or for disaster. If your parents are giving you reproof or giving you a counel or whatever in whatever form or a rebuke even if need be, they are allowed to use even a rod to sort you out so that they can spell out or chuck out that foolishness that may be creeping in your mind. parents are allowed out of love. They can use whatever they need to use to make sure that the spirit of foolishness is driven out of you uh your heart or your mind. So this is a recipe for life. My son, keep your father's command. Did you know that even if you look for All the pastors in the world coming together to bless you, to give you peace, to get joy, to get life. IF YOU DISOBEY this statement, disob you disobey your parents, you disobey your mother, you disobey your father, no matter how many pastors will come to try to bless you, that blessing will not stand out because God the one who spelled who authored this statement is saying the best way to get life is by way of how you relate with your parents who determine how far you go in life. How you your attitude to what says your parents your attitude to their teachings will determine the amount of joy and peace you realize in life. Simple. That's a simple recipe of life. A simple recipe of peace and joy. Sometimes we chase life and peace from things that are not as long as they are not authored by God himself. You will never find peace. Sorry. No matter how much effort you put in search for peace and life and joy, you will never I will never get it. Unless I subscribe to the author of life, to the author of joy, to to the author of what it means to be alive. And such prescription is this one. You obey, you live. You disobey, that's a spell for disaster. You die prematurely. Though you may enjoy life for some time, but it's only but for a brief time. Okay. Now, let's look at Proverbs chapter 7 verse 1 and two. THEY ARE SIMPLY amplifying what Proverbs 3 verse 1 and 2 said. Are we together? Yes. So verse one to 2 A spells out or presents a condition and we and then verse 2 B will be the benefit. Verse 1 to 2 A says, "My son, keep my words or obey my words and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands." That's the condition. What do you benefit just to be and leave? Simple, simple, simple, simple, simple, simple. You see, life is not as complicated as as what people try to make it. Real life is in these basic basic basic basic basic basic teachings of the Bible. You keep your father's commandments. You keep and treasure his words within yourself. You keep his command and then you live. Simple. These words are authored by the author of life himself, by the giver of life, by the creator himself, by the sustainer of the universe. No matter how far you go, even if you go to Australia, you go to America, you go to Europe, you remain on the continent, the condition is the same because the one who created America, Europe, Asia, Australia, AFRICA IS THE AUTHOR OF these words. Unless these words are treasured in your heart, no matter where you go, they will follow you. You disobey. Even if you go uh to foreign greener pastures, you remain a pa. You remain a beggar in the street in a foreign country. You remain a beggar. Even when you are going when you are really seeing that everyone around me seem to be rejoicing and enjoying life, but only for you, you remain a beggar. You see what uh Luke 15 presents to us of a prodigal the experience of a prodigal son. The Bible says when he was there in a far away country that's I want to believe he was in diaspora the young man had gone to diaspora in search for greener pastures. When he was there, there was a great femine. But in that condition of a great femine, he looked for he he looked for some um um ways and means to to survive. And then he found someone who was who was a farmer and that farm. That farmer had swine. He could afford to feed his swine or pigs with real food. But for this guy, he had no food. But the farmer could afford to give swine food. Condition for life is basic. Obey the commandments of God. Whether on the continent, mother continent or in a foreign foreign country or in diaspora. Recipe of life is simple. If you want more joy, if you want peace in life, peace in marriage, peace in your relationships, joy in your relationships, more life, more life. The condition is simple. Obey what God stipulates in his word. Simple. As I summarize, I want to make an appeal and then we pray together. Some people have gone far and near in search for life. Some people have pursued academics to get more papers AND MORE PAPERS AND more seeking more promotion after promotion more thinking out of more promotion out of more papers out of more requirements out of more academical college thinking they will get life joy peace. Peace is not found in any of those things. If ever those things would work, they only need to work if the real condition for life is in order. Obey what your parents teaches symbol. The world may offer other prescriptions. Okay, that's the world prescription for life. That's okay. But the real prescription for life is this theme. Obey and you live. I don't know who came up with this kind of a theme is is the only theme that should be the theme of life. You obey and live. disobey you die. Period. That is summary of life. People in this life are pursuing life. Some are going to the extent of looking for things that are not in this world. People sometimes they even go to look for charms and for sorcery and for other things to sustain their lives. No, real life comes from obeying what the Lord has said. I don't know how you relate with your parents. I don't know what is your condition and what is your attitude to the commandments of God. Basic basic principles of life. I don't know. I don't know. And you also don't know what is my attitude to my mother, to my parents. What is my attitude to my father who is in heaven? What is my attitude to the basic principles of life? I don't know and you don't know but you know yourself. I want to pray for you. It's possible that you have been pursuing and looking for joy FOR PEACE FOR LONG life in things that are not like this one that are not prescribed in this principle of life. But you are saying Lord have mercy on me. From today onwards, may you align my attitude after the principles and commands of God. I want to obey God. I want to have a good relationship with my parents. If you have offended them, this also invites you and requires you to go and present yourself in penitence to say sorry daddy. Sorry mama, it was just mischief that overtook me. May you forgive me and may you bless me. And when your parents forgives you and blesses you, you are now good to go. Until then, I'm sorry for you. But now this is your prayer and this is your request. If that is your attitude, wherever you are, for those that are here present and for those that are following us online, I'm also inviting you to make the same commitment. I am appealing to you. You know how you relate with your parents. You know how what is your attitude to the things of God. I want to pray for you. Shall we close our eyes of prayer? Our kind and loving father who is in heaven. We are grateful dear Jesus for the recipe of life that you have given us. It is simple and straightforward. Help us to align our attitude, our hearts and our minds to what says the Lord? Obedience to your commandments. Honoring our parents. listening and obeying and keeping what they teach us simple as it may seem to be. Help us dear Jesus. To those of us who may have failed on this aspect, may you forgive us that from this day henceforth, we need to align our attitude, our relationships in concord with what your word teaches us. This is our prayer in Jesus name our Lord. Amen.