★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki - Abuja, Nigeria
19th July, 2015
 |
| Pastor Victor T. Amos |
☆ SERMON
* Speaker: Pastor Victor T. Amos
* Topic: A New Commandment
* Theme: Growing Up in Christ
* Sub-Theme: Growing in Love
* Service Leader: Mrs. Aisha Telta
* Text: John 13:31-35
* NOTE: Love is not the same thing as lust, as many young people (erroneously) think
→ Many things have gone wrong in our country today because of a widespread lack of love
☆ Illustration:
The story is told of a married couple who were blessed with three children. The man was latter discovered to be HIV positive. His wife berated and stigmatised him seriously. She even left their matrimonial bedroom for him and slept in the guest room. One day, the man got a syringe, extracted his blood and injected the woman with it while she slept. She was eventually also diagnosed to be HIV positive.
* What made the couples in the story above behave the way they did towards each other?
→ Lack of love
→ The desire for revenge on the part of the husband
→ The wife's unforgiveness
* We are living in a generation of lack of love which is demonstrated in the following:
→ An increasing lack of devotion for God
→ The media is full of bad news (terrorism, suicide bombings, genocides, wars, assassinations, rapes, ritual killings, armed robberies, etc)
→ Incest among family members
→ Domestic workers killing their employers because of material things
→ Young people misbehaving
→ Increase in rate of suicides
* The incentive to perpetrate such evils ultimately comes from lack of love for God
* What goes around comes around: when you refuse to respect your parents, your own children will not respect you
* You cannot find yourself in a situation that you are totally incapable of forgiveness (except you choose not to)
* Questions for young people:
→ Who are your friends?
→ Are you showing genuine love? (towards God and others)
→ Are you being controlled by lust?
* There is a general lack of love in marriages today because of pursuit for material things. Both husband and wife are struggling to make more money at the expense of their families
→ This is evidenced by increase in the rate of divorces
→ Malachi 2:16 → “Indeed, the LORD God of Israel says that he hates divorce, along with the one who conceals his violence by outward appearances,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. “So guard yourselves carefully, and don’t be unfaithful.”
* An ungodly quest for power exists today even in the Church.
→ Some 'believers' want to undermine their leaders, elders & parents. This is not love
* NOTE: God is Love - therefore, embracing God is embracing love
→ This is the solution for all our problems
* When a person says "I love you", (agape love), this means they accept you unconditionally, regardless of your faults and weaknesses
→ Agape love is the secret to long & happy marriages
* Some people love others only when it is convenient or when they can get something in return
* You don't need to have any reason why you should love people
* Love is a mystery
→ It is more than just a feeling,
→ It is God working in your heart to accept another person
* We claim to love each other in Church, but, how many people can you die for and support sacrificially?
* NOTE: Jesus' love for you has no limit and has no conditions attached to it.
→ His love towards us is so practical & He demonstrated it by coming into the world and even dying for us on the Cross of Calvary!
* True love exists in the realm of humility
→ Pride and arrogance hinders a person from reaching out to others sacrificially
* Leadership is all about serving others in love
→ Jesus led by example when He washed the feet of his disciples
(see: John 13:1-17)
* God expects us to love, honour and serve one another in humility
(see: Philippians 2:3-4)
☆ Luke 22:21 →"Yet look! The hand of the man who is betraying me is with me on the table!"
→ Jesus knew that Judas will betray him, but he loved him still
* God's model for true leadership is anchored on selfless service and humility
* Why did Jesus demand this kind of love from us?
→ Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him three (3) times, yet His love for them was not affected. It was consistent!
* NOTE: Jesus knows your disobedience, self-centeredness, and sins, yet He keeps making allowance for you
* Similarly, you must always make allowance for others when they hurt and betray you
* If you are a Pastor, do not carry yourself with arrogance and pride
→ You must be humble
* As a child of God, you must understand the concept of 'glorification'
→ The concept of glorification entails praising someone in a manner that places that person in the limelight
* God is going to be glorified in your character when you live in obedience to Him
* It is impossible to glorify God when you are living in sin
* When you live in total obedience to God, He is glorified
* If Jesus' quest in life is to glorify His father, you must have the same priority
* When you do something and the name of God is being glorified, He is honoured
* Why did Jesus call the people Little Children in John 13:33?
→ He is their creator, provider and protector
→ Regardless of their age, social status or experience, Jesus existed before them
* No sinner can See God:
→ To see Christ, you must be born again and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior
(see: John 3:3; Romans 10:9)
* There is no hope for a person who does not have any relationship with Christ
☆ 1 Corinthians 3:13 → "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."
☆ Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “I’m going where you cannot follow me now, though you will follow me later on.”
* Jesus made the above statement because:
→ It was not yet their time to die
→ He was going to leave them on earth to peach the Gospel
→ He needed them to stay behind and plant Churches
→ He needed them to take care of the Saints
→ He was going to prepare a place for us (See: John 14:1-2)
* What we call 'love' today is also done by many unbelievers and people who have no regard for God. There is no difference
→ As a child of God, your standard of love should be higher, genuine and unconditional
* How many people (in your Church, office or community) can declare boldly that they have felt God's tangible through you?
* How many people (in need) have you reached out to?
* NOTE: People don't care how much you know, unless they know how much yon care!
* Whenever you go out for evangelism and you discover some needs, meet them first and the people will be more willing to listen to you afterwards
* Many Christians are sitting comfortably in Church while there are so many people in our communities & Churches who are destitute, orphans, widows and in need of the basic necessities of life (water, food, shelter & clothing) & everyday these needs go un-met
* What makes this Command New?
1. Jesus introduced a new standard of love: 'Just as I (Jesus) have loved you' (John 13:34)
* In the past, the standard for love was 'as you love yourself' (Matthew 22:39)
* Jesus is now taking the standard of love a notch higher to 'Just as I have loved you.'
* Jesus expects you to love others with His kind of pure, genuine and sacrificial love
⇒ NOTE: Jesus' love for you and I caused Him to experience and endure unpleasant things on Calvary, including humiliating death
2. The focus shifted from 'love your neighbour' to 'love one another.'
→ Those around you must experience God's love though you on a daily basis
* This new commandment is given to those who are disciples of Christ
→ Question: Are you a disciple or a bully?
☆ PASTOR'S CORNER
Unconditional love is so essential in human existence so much that it has become the greatest need of man. Agape love is a divine from above, we all wish for it and no one can effectively exist in life without it. Love from our families, from friends and associates. True and sacrificial love from that fellow you consider the most important person. It was love that drove Jesus to the cross.
God is love and love is God, when true love happens to you, it is God himself that happens to you. But unfortunately sacrificial love is so scarce and rare in our present generation and I can strongly submit that, the faces of calamities we see in the world presently is the result of lack of unconditional love for one another.
The last period of Jesus' life on earth was full of practical teachings. He admonished His disciples to love one another unconditionally and sacrificially just as He loved them and gave up His life for them. Jesus spoke from a heart that is absolutely full of unquenchable love to the entire world. Jesus is still calling on you and I today to obey His NEW COMMANDMENT, to love one another unconditionally. If indeed you love Him, your quest in life will be to obey Him.
☆ MISSION CHARGE
"Every person should have a special cemetery lot in which to bury the faults of friends and loved ones. To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you."
→ John Mason
☆ QUOTE
"The greatest need of man is love and this love is stronger than any addiction... I shall puss through this life but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness I can show, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it. For I shall never pass this way again."
→ Etienne de Grelet
