SUNDAY SERVICE
★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki - Abuja
23rd November, 2014
SERMON
* Speaker: Pastor Victor Amos
* Theme: Knowing the Will of God
* Topic: Inner Strength
* Text: Philippians 4:10-13
* Six Facts Concerning Inner Strength:
1. You cannot possess inner strength if you are not connected to Christ.
2. Inner Strength for a child of God entails peace from God
★ Isaiah 9:6 →"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
* Note: Jesus is our prince of peace & genuine peace can only be found through Him.
3. Inner Strength has nothing to do with your physical (muscular) build or material possessions.
4. Inner strength is only available to those who are interested in having a relationship with Christ.
5. Victory in Christ comes as a result of possessing inner strength.
6. If you enjoy sin, you cannot benefit from inner strength & genuine peace will continue to elude you.
* Happiness does not depend on your present circumstances or by having material possessions
* Life is not a party, but a race & a trust
* To utilize the Lord's purpose for your life, you must possess inner strength.
* If you know the will of God and are doing it, you will enjoy the peace of God.
* Enjoying the peace of God does not mean that you will not face challenges in your life.
* Paul's letter to the Philippians is full of the theme of joy.
→ Assignment: Take time to read the book of Philippians and understand the concept of having joy in the face of challenges.
* NOTE: Paul's letter to the Philippians was written from the Prison!
→ He gave what he had.
→ You cannot give what you do not have
→ Paul demonstrated the fact that with inner strength from God, he can adjust to any situation in life and still be victorious.
* Paul depended on Christ for the grace to be victorious.
* Inner strength has a lot to do with your (mental) state of mind and who you are connected to.
* Inner strength equips you to face the issues of life with confidence.
* You must realize the fact that making it in life is not by your might.
* Where is your strength? What is your source of confidence in life?
★ Psalm 34:5 → "They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed."
* God is the source of your radiance.
* When you think all hope is lost, that is when God is at his best!
* The problem with many Christians is that we do not believe God's Words.
* Biblical Characters that Operated with Inner Strength:
→ King Hezekiah (2nd Kings 20)
→ David: Consistently relied on the Lord for victory over difficult situations and ever-present enemies
→ Joseph: forgave His brothers in spite of their deep betrayal (Genesis 50)
→ Samson: repented and regained inner strength to overcome his enemies thereby accomplishing his mission. (Judges 16:23-30)
→ Abraham: He walked closely with God by faith (Hebrews 11:8)
→ Esther: Stood up and defended her people who were about to experience genocide, at the risk of her own life (Esther 4:14-17)
* If you know your God, you will not be subjected/ defeated by any situation in life.
★ Jeremiah 29:11 →"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
* God's plan for you is to live a victorious Christian life.
★ John 15:5 → "I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing."
* When you remain (abide) in God, He will help you to accomplish much more than your own strength and human effort can achieve.
* Sin is your enemy: It drains your spiritual strength and makes you vulnerable.
* Every sin you commit is an evil seed that will germinate and haunt you latter in life - unless God has mercy on you when you return to him in genuine repentance.
* Sin is a burden that weighs you down and hinders you from fulfilling God's purpose.
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