Would you please stand tonight for the reading of God’s holy Word tonight? Thank You, Lord.

Look at verse twenty-five. It says,

25. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

26. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

27. And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

28. For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29. But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Look at chapter three, verse one and two.

1. What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?

2. Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Let us pray.

Most holy and gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for this time that we share together in Your Name. Father, hide Your son behind the cross, that Your people would see You and not me. Dear Lord, as I decrease I ask that You would increase. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. In Jesus’ Name.

The people of God said amen. You may be seated in the house of God tonight.

Look at your Bibles in verse twenty-eight and verse twenty-nine of chapter two. It says,

28. For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29. But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

To be a Jew you were in God’s family, and heir to the promises of God. Yet Paul made it perfectly clear here that membership in God’s family is based on internal and not external qualities. All who’s hearts are right with God are real Jews. All who’s hearts are right with God are real Jews. That is that they are a part of God’s holy family.

Even submitting to circumcision was not enough for the Jews. God desires holy devotion and obedience unto Him (glory to God) to be considered a part of His family.

In other words, it doesn’t matter about who I am. But it matters about who He is. It doesn’t matter who I am on the outside. But it matters about the change that has taken place on the inside. I’m no better than you. And you’re no better than me. But I’m a Jew. In other words, I’m a part of God’s holy family, because there’s been a change in my life. Give God some praise.

Chapter three, verse one. It said,

1. What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?

It asks, “What is the advantage of being a Jew?”

Number one, the Jewish nation had many advantages. They were entrusted with God’s law or God’s holy commandments. Number two, they were the race to whom the Messiah would come through. And number three, they were the beneficiaries of covenants that were made with God.

But these privileges and these advantages did not make them better than anybody else. You see, the advantages and the privileges that we have as saints of God doesn’t make us better than anybody else. The positions that I hold, the titles that I hold, they don’t make me better than you. Glory to God. Come on. Talk to me tonight.

But it’s God that looketh at the inward and not at the outward. You see, in order for me to be righteous in God, in order for me to be in right standing with God, I’ve got to take on the character of God.

God is just not looking for somebody that’s just going to confess that Jesus is Lord. The Bible says the devils fear and tremble. Glory to God. But He’s looking for somebody that wants to make a change.

I’m not talking about a change every now and then. But I’m talking about a life change. I’m talking about I don’t do the things I used to do. I don’t even have a desire to do the things that I used to do. I got a supernatural change in me.

He said the Jews being Jews, they had a lot of advantages. But they are no better than you. You see, it goes back to the head table mentality, doesn’t it? Come on. Talk to me tonight.

You see, just because I’m at the head table doesn’t mean I’m any better than you. You see, it just may mean that I answered my call, and you have not answered yours. Come on. Talk to me.

But God is looking for somebody that truly has His character, that wants to take off of self and put Him on the throne. That’s what God is really looking for. God is tired of talk. God is looking for action.

Who am I? Who am I? I’m a child of God. I’m a part of His family.

Look at your Bibles in chapter two and verse one. It says,

1. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

2. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

You see, a lot of times (Come on. Talk to me) when we get to a certain place in God, we begin to judge for God. Come on. God is able to judge for Himself.

You see, that’s why a lot of times sinners won’t come into certain churches, because they know that immediately when they come through the door, somebody’s going to start judging them. But what if they judged you when you first came through the door?

Saints of God, I’m no better than you. And you’re no better than me. The Bible says they that judge themselves by themselves are not wise. Let me say that again. It says they that judge themselves by themselves are not wise.

If you’re not wise, the opposite of being wise is foolish. So they that judge themselves by themselves, they that judge their brothers by their brothers, them that judge their sisters by their sisters are foolish. Because they are now standing in the place of God.

You see, a lot of times in the prophetic ministry, we begin to mess up the Gospel. You know why? Because we have these gifts that we have. Come on. Talk to me. And because we’re able to discern and to detect certain things, we forget that all of them operate by love. Oh, my God. Who am I preaching to tonight?

Instead of operating in the spirit of love first, we want to jump into the gift first. We want to jump into the manifestation of the gifts of God first. But if you are not in the spirit of love, you’re like sounding brass and a... Oh, my God. A tinkling cymbal. Making a whole bunch of noise, and ain’t saying nothing.

But if I have the character of God, those that are spiritual, when you see your brothers or sisters overtaken in a fault, the Bible said you can restore such a one in the spirit of haughtiness. In the spirit of haughtiness? Oh, you all ain’t listening to me tonight. In the spirit of pride? In the spirit of meekness. The spirit of meekness. You can’t restore nobody while you judging them. Oh, come on. Talk to me.

See, we begin to forget where we came from. See, but God looks at the heart. And that’s why Jesus was able to go among the sinners. And that’s why it was the Pharisees and the Sadducees that were asking the disciples, “Why is it... Why is He over there with them?”

The Bible says that Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

This message is tonight, is for us as a body of Christ. You see, God is looking for somebody that’s living a righteous life. But what does it mean to be righteous? We know that it means to be in right standing. But it also means to be on course with Him. Somebody that’s saying the same thing that He is saying. Somebody that’s walking in agreement with what He is doing.

He said what advantage is there in being a Jew? What advantage is there? He said there’s none. He said what does it profit even circumcision? We know what circumcision is. It’s the outward cutting of the foreskin. Amen? But it said what profit that, if you have not even been circumcised of heart? If the foreskin of the heart has not been cut, then the outward showing of the cutting, it means nothing either.

Sometimes we get into our minds that we’re above people. And that’s the way the Jews were acting. Oh, you don’t want to talk to me. They were acting as if they were above the Gentiles.

Sometimes we act like we’re above other people. But see, I can’t act like I’m above somebody and try to win them at the same time.

The Bible even talks about brothers and sister. The Bible says a brother offended is so hard to be restored to you. You see, when we offend each other, you see, we begin to hold these things. And we don’t want to talk to you no more. All we have is a cordial conversation. Come on. Talk to me. We’ll be cordial with you. But you can tell that there’s a certain air, and that something just ain’t right. Yet we want to act like we’re really serving God.

I’m preaching this tonight because it’s so true.

I remember being a member of a church where everybody, just about, was a prophet or a prophetess. Everybody could preach. Had a whole lot of preachers, elders up there. And you could call any one of them, and they’ll preach you happy. They can lay hands on you, and you’ll fall through the floor. They could prophesy from A to Z. What you did the same day.

But yet and still the spirit of love was not in the place. And everybody was judging themselves by themselves. In other words, everybody was judging everybody else according to their own righteousness.

But the Bible said that our righteousness, according to Isaiah sixty-four, it ain’t but filthy rags. I can’t judge you according to my righteousness. Because I’ve only been made the righteousness of God in whom? Christ Jesus.

Saints of God, I don’t care what your name is. I don’t care who your people are. Paul said, “Though I was of the stock of Israel.” And he began to name all that he was. Then he began to say, “I count it all for naught. I count it but dung. It doesn’t mean anything. Because I’m crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, not I, but the Christ that lives on the inside of me.”

So I judge the way Christ would judge. When I see my brother or sister down there, I can lift a hand. I can reach a hand out to them, and I can help them up. Say, “Get up. You don’t have to stay there. You don’t have to be there.”

Though they may dust themselves off and have a little attitude about them, love the hell out of them anyway. Oh, you better talk to me tonight. My God, my God, my God.

He said, “It doesn’t matter that you’re a Jew on the outside.” He said, “I’m not interested in the outside. I’m interested in the inside.”

“You mean, Lord, as handsome as I am, You’re not interested in all this? As beautiful as I am You’re not interested in all that?”

No. He’s not interested in all of that. He wants to see the beauty of your inside. That’s what He’s looking for.

It was more, much, much more that was required of the Jews, because of these advantages and privileges.

Luke twelve and verse forty-eight says, “To whomsoever much is given, much shall be required.”

“You mean because you’ve given me all of this, all of these spiritual blessings?” Yes. Much is required of you. If He has invested more in you, much more is required of you. The more He has invested in you, the more love you’re required to walk in, the... Oh, my God. Come on, now. The more faithfulness I’m required to have, the more committed I’m supposed to be. The more He has entrusted to me...

A requirement is a command. It’s a command. It’s a command. We are commanded to walk in love. We are commanded to abstain from sin. And we are commanded to walk in righteousness. Yes, we are.

So we need to go ahead and erase some things. Erase who we think we are, and put on who He is. The Bible says that we have been given what? The mind of Christ. And the Bible said that Jesus was what? Moved with compassion. Yes, He was indignated sometimes. But the Bible said He was always moved with compassion.

God is looking for somebody that’s willing to be compassionate, to show compassion to their brothers and to their sisters.

Look at your Bibles in chapter two and verse five. Excuse me. Chapter three and verse five. It said,

5. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

6. God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

7. For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?

8. And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

Some may think that they don’t have to worry about being in sin. Because number one, they believe that God will forgive them. That may be true. And number two, God is so loving that He won’t judge us. I beg to differ. God is a loving God. And number three, sin isn’t so bad. It teaches us valuable lessons. And number four, we need to stay in touch with the culture around us.

It’s far too easy to take God’s grace for granted. But God cannot and will not overlook sin. He will not and He cannot. If you are in sin, God will not and he cannot overlook your sin. Even though you may repent, you may have to receive some of the repercussions that you have taken part in.

Saints of God, tonight you may not be the one in sin. But you may be the one looking from the outside. Are you a Jew inwardly? Or you just outwardly a Jew? Who am I talking to tonight? Are your insides, do they belong to the family of God? Or are we just looking at something that’s false and fake and phony? Hello, somebody.

Is my love real, or is it conditional? We been walking in a lot of conditional love lately. We’ve been walking in a... I need to say it again. We been walking in a lot of conditional love. Condition upon are you righteous enough to be in my company? Or does what you do meet my expectations? We’ve been walking that way in a lot of areas. And it shows. It shows.

You see, you can’t just love your pastor. You got to love your brothers and sisters. See, you can’t just kiss your pastor and love on him. You got to kiss your brothers and sisters and love on them too.

The same report I have about you should be the same report that somebody out there has about you. When I hear things about you, it should only be those things that I see about you. Oh, you don’t want to talk to me.

So if I said, “Oh, you’re a humble brother or sister. Oh, you are just a loving brother or sister,” it shouldn’t be just because you always say, “I love you, pastor.” But your actions, when you’re among the saints, should be speaking the same words.

Are you a Jew outwardly? Or are you a Jew on the inside?

This word is for some of us tonight. Because we’ve been having a form of Godliness, but really denying the power thereof. We’ve been judging ourselves by ourselves.

We’ve been loving conditionally. It’s easy to love somebody that shows you love back. But what about those that you know you can barely, you know, stand to be around? Maybe it’s the love that’s in you that’s going to break them.

What’s on the inside? What’s really there?

I have a lot of word here tonight. But I believe this is sufficient to get us thinking.

It’s so easy to love somebody that’s loveable. But just because somebody, in your opinion, is not loveable, doesn’t mean that they don’t belong to God. And God loves them just for who they are. He loves them just for who they are.

And yeah, they may have to make changes. But I remember when I had to make changes. I remember the brothers and the sisters that surrounded me in prayer, and took me in, and said, “We’ll watch over you.” I remember those days. Surely somebody did the same for you at one point in time in your life. So surely we can do it for somebody else.

Your brothers and your sisters should be precious to you. I even tell my brothers, “You’re precious.” Not just the sisters, but the brothers. “You’re precious. Because you’re precious to God. And if I have His character, then you’re precious to me.

“And I don’t want to see you hurt, though I know sometimes it’s going to work for your good, and I know you got to be hurt because He got to break you every now and then. But if you get down, I’m going to pick you up. If you fall into sin, I’m going to help you dust yourself off. Because I have His character. I’m not going to judge you unrighteously. And I’m not going to hold things against you.”

Some of you think you know what I’m talking about. But I’m talking about this thing in general. I see it in your minds. You’re thinking certain things. I see it. But that’s not all what I’m talking about. I’m talking about being real with each other. That’s what I’m talking about.

Your brothers and your sisters, they may be a diamond in the rough. I’m talking about there may be some rough edges that need sanding off. But you can just be that sandpaper that God is trying to use to get them in shape.

Love your brothers and love your sisters unconditionally. Don’t just say it. Mean it. Mean it. Mean it. Mean it. Mean it.

“But you know, they get on my nerves.” Love them unconditionally anyway.

“They always got something to say.” Love them unconditionally anyway. Love them anyhow.

“They always got an attitude.” Love them anyway. Love them.

And the more you practice that, the more real it will become. Because otherwise it’s going to seem like you always got a chip on your shoulder. Hello, somebody. And somebody’s always somebody else. There’ll be a whole bunch of other people, because it’ll never be you. But God is trying all that time to use that love that He placed in you to soften somebody else.

The person next to you... And I’m not even talking about your husband and your wife. They need something. They need something that you can give them. But you have to be willing to give it to them. You have to be willing.

There are places in you that sometimes never get touched the right way. But once it’s touched the right way, once you’re touched the right way, you’ll feel a sense of fulfillment inside of you. I know. I’ve been there. When you touch the right way, there’ll be a sense of fulfillment.

Sometimes you can be married, and that spouse... You know, you always upset with that spouse, because, you know, it seems like they’re not fulfilling you. Because they have not touched you the right way yet. Been married ten, fifteen, twenty years. But yet you still feel a lack. And I’m not talking about sexually. Hello, somebody. I’m talking about in the heart. A place that Jesus knows about. My God, my God.

And if I took a survey of people in this place today, about how many need that touch, just about every hand would go up in this house.

Don’t judge your brothers. Don’t judge your sisters. Because you might need them one day. You might need them. You might need them. You might need them.

And you’ve tried everybody else, to get a hold of everybody else, but they’re the only ones that is available at the time. But they knew that you were the one that always got something to say. And you’re scared to ask them, because you know that they know.

But they may be bigger than that. Say, “Come on, brother. Come on, sister. What you need? I’m going to help you.”

Come on, give God some praise tonight.