Our Jesus, His Command, Our Vision (Pastor Sarah Omakwu) 03-01-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Family Worship Centre (FWC),

Wuye - Abuja, Nigeria

First Service

3rd January, 2016

SERMON

* Speaker: Pastor Sarah Omaku

* Theme for 2016: Our Jesus, His Command, Our Vision

* Text: Colossians 3:1-14

★ Matthew 6:33 →"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

* It is important to start the year right

* If you get this message and obey it, you are guaranteed a good life on earth and a greater life in heaven

* Aim at seeking the eternal treasures by setting your mind on things above

* If you substitute your desires for having material possessions with the desire for having eternal treasures, your life will change for the better!

* You must ask yourself how these things that consume you now will affect you in the next 1,000 years

* What does it mean to 'set' something?

→ It means to position something immovable in one place

→ To put into a specific state

* If you set your mind on heaven, no matter what goes on around you, your mind is programed by heaven and nothing else matters

* When heaven is your thermostat, your desires, are conditioned by God's standards

* Setting your mind on heaven means that:

(a) you do not seek the accolades of the world

(b) you have positioned your mind on God's promises

★ John 4:34 →"Jesus told them, “My food is doing the will of the one who sent me and completing his work."

* NOTE: The worst thing in heaven is better than the classiest thing on earth

★ James 4:13-15 →"Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.” You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you should say, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live—and do this or that.”

* No matter how long your life is, it cannot be compared with the lenght of eternity

→ Many people exhaust the whole of their lives on earth chasing vapor

* You must only mind and pursue things that are eternal

★ Hebrews 11:8-10 →" By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who also inherited the same promise, because he was waiting for the city with permanent foundations, whose architect and builder is God."

* Abraham must have seen something that is still eluding many people on earth today

→ He lived life very light, with eternity in might

* If you live right on earth, you will be entitled to rewards in heaven

→ Not everyone in heaven will get the same rewards

* You must get to the point that the things of earth are not your primary motivation

* You cannot set your mind in two places at the same time

* Where you set your mind determines:

→ how you live

→ your priorities

→ how you spend your resources (time, money, intellect, etc)

★ 1 John 2:15 -17→'' Stop loving the world and the things that are in the world. If anyone persists in loving the world, the Father’s love is not in him. For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world and its desires are fading away, but the person who does God’s will remains forever."

* When your mind is set on heaven:

→ it is easy to forgive, be humble, to give, to be kind or help, etc.

→ loving everyone comes easily

→ you do not you struggle to acquire things on earth at all cost

→ sin will not be a problem

★ 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

* Love is the greatest and it is the lifestyle of heaven

* How you respond to the issues of life (good or bad) is determined by where your mind is set

* Your response in love to every situation is what gets you great rewards

* Seek every opportunity to be kind and loving

* You must purpose to do something good for someone everyday

* When any one ask you for help, do not turn them down if you have the capacity to help

* Ensure that your life is not controlled by temporal things

* NOTE: You cannot set your mind on heaven if you are not born again

★ Quotes:

* Fasting does not change God, it changes you

Following the Star (Rev. Stephen Gyang) 03-05-2015

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)

Area 1, Garki - Abuja, Nigeria

3rd May, 2015

SERMON

* Speaker: Rev. Stephen Gyang (Pastor, COCIN Kuje, Abuja)

* Topic: Following the Star

* Theme: Growing Up in Christ

* Sub-Theme: Intentional Growth

* Service Leader: Pastor Victor T. Amos

* Text: Matthew 2:1-10

★ REGIONAL CHURCH COUNCIL (RCC) REVIVAL

Rev. Stephen Gyang 

* A star may be defined as a luminous white 'dot' in the dark sky; or a widely known person/a celebrity;

→ It may be a symbol used to direct people to a hotel, or an organization

* NOTE: The star led the wise men to Jesus

→ Anything or anyone that leads or points people to Jesus represents a sort of 'star'

★ Different dimensions of the star:

1. Church as the star

→ Which Church is the true Church that leads people to the saving grace of Jesus?

→ Today, there is a proliferation of Churches and many of them are a sham (a fraud) that Satan is using to mislead and distract people

2. The Pastor as the star

→ A Pastor is the shepherd; He is the one that tends the flock of the Lord

→ A Pastor is meant to direct people to Jesus, not to himself or to his own ministry

→ Today, there is a proliferation of fake pastors and preachers who take undue advantage of the flock of the Lord for selfish reasons

3. Jesus as the star

→ This is the ultimate star that will lead us to God, the Father

☆ John 14:6 →"Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

☆ John 14:8-9

→Many people have been Christians for a long time, yet they do not have a personal relationship with the Father

* Question: who are you looking up to?

★ The Right way of following the star

☆ Matthew 2:1-2

1. Look up to Jesus

→ The wise men were not blind

→ Their eyes were wide open & they recognized the star of Jesus

* How do you see Jesus today?

→ through faith in Him

2. You must believe & trust in Jesus

→ As you decide to follow the star, You will meet many obstacles (Herod) on the way

☆Matthew 2:8-9

→ In spite of obstructions on their way, the wise men trusted the star and they found Jesus

3. You have to confess Jesus with your mouth

☆ Romans 10:9-13

* If you are truly saved, it will reflect in your character and how you treat the things of God

4. You must be born again

→ This is the first step in establishing a relationship with Jesus

☆ John 3:1-7

★ Blessings of following the Star (Jesus)

☆ Romans 10:10-11

1. You will be saved

2. You will not be put to shame

★ NOTE: Before you can see a star, there has to be darkness

→ Stars shine brighter at night

→ No amount of darkness or challenge or obstacle can subdue the light of a star!

* Those darkest moments, (when things are not clear) are the times that the star of Jesus shines the brightest!

* When you go through challenges in life, who do you look up to?

* Only Jesus can save you

☆ Acts 4:12 →"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.”

* When you follow the star, there should be visible changes in your life & character;

* You must grow in Christ

MISSION CHARGE

"This is my prayer for all of us: Lord, increase our faith. Increase our faith to bridge the chasm of uncertainty and doubt . . . Grant us faith to look beyond the problems of the moment to the miracles of the future . . . Give us faith to do what is right and let the consequences follow."

→ Gordon B. Hinckley

QUOTE

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back."

→ Harvey Mackay