Thankful for Salvation and Heaven (Pastor Sarah Omakwu) 27-11-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Family Worship Centre (FWC)

Wuye, Abuja 

2nd Sunday Service  

27th November, 2016 

Pastor Sarah Omakwu
Picture Credit: FWC Media

☆ SERMON: 

* Speaker: Pastor Sarah Omakwu 

* Topic: Thankful for Salvation and Heaven 

* Text: Psalm 103:1-22 

* Thanksgiving is an act of rendering appreciation or gratitude for God's goodness 

* Thanksgiving can be done as an individual or as a family 

* Thanksgiving should not be a casual thing

→ It must be done deliberately  

* You should not allow yourself to be cajoled or manipulated before you give thanks to God for His blessings and goodness to you 

* Genuine thanksgiving involves emotions (singing, dancing, jumping, crying, shouting, etc) 

* Thanksgiving has a voice! 

→ If you are really thankful about something, you will express it 

→ NOTE: Your silence may be mistaken for ingratitude 

★ Psalm 116:12 → "What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me?" (NIV)

* Thanksgiving must be internal 

→ It must proceed from within your heart 

* When you look back at what you use to be and what you are now, you cannot remain silent 

* When you are grateful, you spare nothing to show appreciation 

* Thanksgiving is a command from God

★ Psalm 100:4 → "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." 

★ Psalm 107:8 → "Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind." (NIV)
★ Psalm 107:15
★ Psalm 107:21 

* When you do not testify of God's goodness, you are in disobedience

* You owe it to God and to God's people to testify 

* Thanksgiving is not a function of what God has done, it is a function of what you remember and the value you choose to place on it 

*NOTE: People respond to issues and experiences in life differently 

* In thanksgiving, you do not give according to what you have, 

→ You give according to the value you place on what God has done for you 

* Thanksgiving is a private thing (it is between you and God) 

* You should thank God for and rejoice because of your salvation 

★ Luke 10:20 → "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

★ Luke 17:11-19 (The Story of the 10 lepers) 

* Nothing on earth is more important than your name being written in Heaven 

→ Heaven is an eternal inheritance 

* What should give you the highest joy is that as a child of God, you are entitled to eternal inheritance in Heaven 

* "Rejoice because your name is written in Heaven." 

⇒ Earthly accolades, acquisitions or achievements cannot be compared with Heaven!  

* No matter the breakthroughs or the disappointments you have experienced in life, thank God! 

☆ Why should you give thanks to God? 

1. Because the Lord has justified you! 

2. Because God does not input sin unto you 

3. Because you have passed from death to life 

4. Because we have access into God's presence 

5. Because you have been delivered from the power of darkness 

→ Satan's plan was to kill you, steal from you, and destroy you totally. But God delivered you.  

6. Because you are not dead today!

→ You deserved to die because of the sinful lifestyle you had lived, but mercy Said "No"

☆ Questions to Consider: 

→ Will you return like that one healed leper and give thanks to God?

→ Will you be like David who gave God His best dance of Praise?

→ Will you be like Hannah who gave her only son to God's service as a sign of her appreciation? 

→ Will you be like Solomon who gave sacrifices of praise till it became grotesque?  

* NOTE: You are expected to give thanks for all that God has done for you

☆ The Demons who Undermine Thanksgiving:

→ Ungratefulness 

→ Lies 

→ Sadness

→ Pain 

→ Depression 

→ Pride and arrogance 

→ Discouragement 

→ Ingratitude 

→ Taking God for granted 

→ Deception 

→ Lack, need and poverty 

→ Recession 

Who is God Expecting Thanksgiving From? (Pastor Wilson Akubo) 20-11-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Family Worship Centre (FWC)

Wuye, Abuja

2nd Sunday Service

20th November, 2016

Pastor Wilson Akubo
Picture Credit: FWC Media

☆ SERMON:

* Speaker: Pastor Wilson Akubo

* Topic: Who is God Expecting Thanksgiving From?

* Text: Luke 17:11-19

★ Ephesians 5:20 →"giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (NKJV)

★ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 → "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

* The Greek word Eucharisteo for "Give thanks" in the above Scriptures means to be energetically, aggressively, vigorously and enthusiastically grateful

* God deserves worthy praise from all creation

★ Numbers 14:11-12 → "The LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? “I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”

→ God is displeased when we are ungrateful

★ Psalm 50:23 → "Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation."

* God's glory is dear to his heart

★ Romans 1:21 →"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

★ Hebrews 1:1 →''In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways"

→ If you want to hear God speak, look at Jesus

→ Jesus' life is full of thanksgiving

★ John 11:41 → "So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me." 

* The power of thanksgiving can bring back anything that is dead in your life

★John 6:11 → "Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish." 

★ Luke 17:17 → "Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 

→ Even though the lepers were 'afar off', Jesus knew they were ten. He counted them!

→ God is mindful of the blessings that He sends your way

* God spoke to us through Jesus that He expects thanksgiving from us. 

* Give Him thanks in everything because:

→ Only Him can ensure that you come out tops from your challenges

☆ Who is God Expecting Thanksgiving From?

1. Anybody who is saved and washed in the blood of the Lamb

★ Romans 8:32 → "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

→ If He has given you Jesus, He has given you everything!

→ Salvation is the ultimate

→ The blood of Jesus is precious and it transcends time

2. Anybody, anyone, that He has done something for

→ Has God done ANYTHING for you?

★ Psalm 103:2 →"Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits."

* Everything you have achieved in life is by God's grace and mercy

3. Him that God has given divine health or has healed

→ God is our ultimate healer and He preserves us in good health 

★ Ecclesiastes 2:24 →"A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God."

4. Those He has bestowed Grace and favour:

→ has God given you something that you did not merit?

→ has God favoured you?

→ has God exceeded your expectation?

★ Ephesians 3:20 →"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."

* God's mercy is Him shielding us from what we deserve (the punishment, the deprivation, the death)

5. Those who are 'work in progress'

→ These are those whom God has begun something but the end is still being awaited

★ Philippians 1:6 → "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

→ God is Alpha and Omega. If he is the beginning, the end is also under His control

→ God has no abandoned projects. He always finishes what he started

→ The only one that can abort what God has begun is YOU (through faithlessness or disobedience)

→ If you cooperate with God, He will finish what he started in your life 

6. Those who think that nothing good has happened to them

→ Is it possible that you might have forgotten or that you are not observant?

* If you are careful to observe around you, everything can be tied back to God!

7. From those who are going through unpleasant and tough circumstances

★ Psalm 91:15 →''He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him." 

* God is expecting you to give Him praise

★ Psalm 23:4 →"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

★ Hebrews 13:6 →"So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"

★ Isaiah 43:2 →"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."  

★ Habakkuk 3:17-19 →"Though the fig tree should not blossom 

          And there be no fruit on the vines,

         Though the yield of the olive should fail

         And the fields produce no food,

         Though the flock should be cut off from the fold

         And there be no cattle in the stalls,

18Yet I will exult in the LORD,

         I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

19The Lord GOD is my strength,

         And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,

         And makes me walk on my high places.

         For the choir director, on my stringed instruments. 

* If you give Him thanks in your difficult circumstance, God will give you victory

* Going through stuff is not a time to cry. It is a time to praise and thank God

* If the devil cannot steal your joy, he cannot keep your goods

* If you are going through stuff, you need the joy of the Lord

8. All those who just came out of something bad and it seems life is meaningless

★ Job 1:22 → "Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God."

☆ Who should You be like?

→ Be like David

★ 2 Samuel 12:16-23 

→ There is nothing that Satan takes from you that God cannot restore

9. Those who are expectant!

★ Proverbs 23:18 → ''There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off."

* keep your expectation on

10. Everything that has breath

★ Psalm 150:6 →"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!"

→ As long as you are alive, God expects praise from you

★ Ecclesiastes 9:4 → "Anyone who is among the living has hope^b —even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!" 

* NOTE: An average adult takes 23,000 breaths a day. The respiratory system must be properly coordinated in order to avoid fatality

→ This is the work of God!

* God is expecting thanksgiving. Do not disappoint Him

11. Those that He will deliver (from sin)

→ The greatest ingratitude is to reject the free gift of God's salvation

→ You can't give God quality praise if you are not in right standing with Him

→ Jesus loves you and He paid the ultimate sacrifice to redeem you from Satan's bondage and to give you eternal life

* There are things that only God can do

→ He wants to touch you in a way no man can do

* The greatest gift is Salvation

→ It opens the door to other doors

Thanksgiving without Offense (Pastor Sarah Omakwu) 13-11-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Family Worship Centre (FWC)

Wuye, Abuja

2nd Sunday Service

13th November, 2016

Picture Credit: FWC Media

☆ SERMON:

* Speaker: Pastor Sarah Omakwu

* Topic: Thanksgiving without Offence

* Text: Matthew 5:23-24 → "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering." 

★ Matthew 18:15 → "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother."

★ 1 Samuel 15:20-23

* As Thanksgiving Service approaches, will your gifts and sacrifices be acceptable to God?

⇒ Or will it be an exercise in futility?

* You must realise that your thanksgiving matters to God

* Satan intends to have a field day at God's expense

→ this happens when we harbour resentment, bitterness, sin, unforgiveness etc. 

* NOTE: God will not be present at a thanksgiving that there is offence

→ He brings these things to our notice so that amends can be made

★ Psalm 133:1-3

* We must get rid of offence else, God will not be involved in our thanksgiving

* God knows that we love Him and He will enable us to walk uprightly

★Matthew 5:23-24 → "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

* In God's arithmetic, reconciliation is uppermost

→ God will not accept an offering that proceeds from a heart of offence (given or taken)

⇒ God wants you to make peace with every person around you

☆ Some Types of Offences that exist among Christians:

→ Singing with an offence in their heart

→ People refusing to forgive immediately

→ Family members not talking to each other

* Before you render your offerings, ensure that you are free of bitterness, malice, etc.

* Human beings are more important to God than the offerings of money or precious things

* If God keeps forgiving us, then we must make allowances for each other

★ Matthew 18:15 → "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother."

* As long as we are human, we are bound to offend each other (sometimes on purpose, sometimes unintentionally)

→ But we must always forgive each other and make allowance for each other

→ It takes humility to seek reconciliation

* Always approach and confront those who offend you

→ give people an opportunity to explain themselves

→ do not allow the 'technicalities of settlement' get in the way of reconciliation

→ You must realise that a person may offend you many times

* There is no defence against "I am sorry"

* When you confront any person who offends you, it is not to shame or disgrace that person, but it must be to gain that person back

* There is nothing that two human beings cannot resolve if there is humility

* NOTE: Offence is subjective

→ Do not trivialise an offence when someone confronts you with it

* Anytime you go to settle a quarrel, and the settlement was not successful, know that you are operating outside the will of God

* Do not wait for the offender to come to you

→ They might never come!

→ You must humble yourself and seek peace

* NOTE: Your greatest asset is not money or the things you acquire, but the people in your life. 

→ Any time a person leaves your life, you loose!

* For how long will you continue to be hurt?

→ let it go!

* As a believer, do not drag a fellow believer to the Law Enforcement Agencies. 

→ Allow the Church to resolve the matter (1 Corinthians 6:1-8)

⇒ There is no case that the Church of Jesus cannot resolve! 

* Get rid of any offence before thanksgiving

* It amounts to rebellion when you know what to do (forgive someone) and you refuse to do so in obedience to God's Word 
(See: James 4:17)

* When you refuse to forgive, you are living in rebellion and the Bible says that it is tantamount to witchcraft!

* A Christian must keep short accounts:

→ Release anyone who offends you as soon as practicable 

☆ What is an Offence?

→ Any act that brings annoyance, resentment, displeasure and anger

→ Anything that a person does that generates anger and resentment in you

→ Resentment is a strong bitterness that you feel when someone hurts you

→ Lack of politeness

→ Wounding the feelings of others

☆ How Do Offences Come?:

* Offences come by

1. Words;

2. Thoughts (there are people who think themselves into a rage!); or

3. Actions.

* NOTE: Majority of the time, the person you judged and holding an offence against are not even aware of what they did

* What you say or do matters a lot

★ James 4:1 → "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?"

* Don't go around offending people

⇒ And don't make it your business to 'collect' offences

* When someone hurts you, do not brush over it.

→ Talk over it together so that it doesn't repeat itself again

★ Proverbs 19:11 → "A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense."

* You should believe the best about people

★ 1 Corinthians 3:7 → "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

☆ Why do offences Come?

→ Because we are different!

→ Because we are imperfect

→ Because we are human

→ We have different upbringings, cultures, perspectives, etc

* If you can offend yourself, why expect less from others who are different from you?

* You should not keep throwing people off because they hurt you

⇒ People have shortcomings but they are not bad

☆ How do you know You are offended?

→ When you feel resentment

→ When you feel uncomfortable around the person

→ When you nurse a thought of hurting the person

→ When you avoid the person or withdraw from the person

→ When you think of the person but you feel irritated or bitterness

→ When the person's progress does not excite you

→ When you avoid, withdraw or avoid the person

☆ What Should You do?

→ Do not deny how you are feeling or shove it under 'the carpet'

→ Confront the issue in love and humbly with a view to make amends

* It is possible to dress up nice and yet still look or feel ugly

→ Beautiful people are people with a clean spirit

* Unless you can talk to the person who offended you peaceably, you still hold offence

* You must have a mindset of reconciliation

* You must be easily entreated

→ Don't make it difficult for people to be reconciled with you

* You must realise that the offender is not your enemy.

→ The devil is your real enemy

* God forgives and love, so must you!

* Offerings brought to God with a pure heart of love are pleasing to Him

* Unless you experience the forgiveness of God, you cannot forgive others

* Unforgiveness undermines your potentials in God

* Offences hinder God's blessings

☆ PRAYER

Father, grant me the grace

to obey your words.

Release me from every iota of resentment;

May offences never keep me in bondage;

Help me to walk in forgiveness; and

Help me to believe the best

about every one.