SUNDAY SERVICE
MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Jiyep-Hwolshe, Jos
Plateau State - Nigeria
7th December, 2014
SERMON
* Topic: Knowing God's will in Christ Jesus
* Theme: Knowing the will of God
* Speaker: Rev. Festus S. Dashem
* So many people do not know the true meaning of Christmas, even though they celebrate it every year
* The common expression "as weak as a baby" does not apply to Jesus Christ - He is God; He is the Centre of Power
* It was the Roman Government's tradition to conduct population census every 14 years.
* Bethlehem means "house of bread". Note: Jesus is the bread of life. → John 6:35 "Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
- Therefore, the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem was symbolic.
* The announcement of the Messiah's birth was given by an angel to some anonymous Shepherds. Why shepherds, not Priests or Scribes?
* Reason: The Grace of God was revealed to all men, regardless of status or position.
→ Romans 2:11 - "For there is no partiality with God."
* Their work (as shepherds) made them ceremonially unclean, and kept them away from the temple for weeks, so they could not be made clean
* God does not only call the rich and mighty, but also the poor and lowly
* The shepherds were conscripted as heralds and evangelists of the Saviour's Coming
* The Massage of the Angels:
→ Verse 10: "fear not, we bring good news"
* As a Christian, you must not be afraid to preach the good news of Christ anywhere you go
* The Hebrew word "Shalom" means more than peace (absence of war), but total well-being, security, soundness and completeness of mind.
* NOTE: Outside Jesus, you cannot experience genuine peace/Shalom
* Shalom has more to do with character, more than circumstances
* At the time of difficulty for the Israelites (taxes were high, there was unemployment, and poverty) God Sent his Son to usher in a reign of lasting peace
* During the period of Jesus' birth, High Priests and Priesthood was controversial for the following reasons:
→ No person/worshiper could see the Priest except through his Captains;
→ A Priest must marry a virgin of not more than 12 Years old;
→ A Priest must not eat in public;
→ A Priest must not touch any woman except his wife;
→ The temple was segregated according to levels of Holiness. Only the High Priest can enter into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer atonement on behalf of the people;
→ A Priest must not come near a corpse
→ The crippled, lame, leper can not enter the temple for any reason
→ A Priest must wear 18 garments to heal 18 ailments
* Jesus Came to deliver people from the old order of things
* Jesus is the High priest that sets the captives free
* In Jesus Christ, Priesthood is no longer dependent on garments and the fulfilment of strict religious criteria, but by faith in Jesus Christ
* In Jesus, healing is a matter of faith, not of garments or religious ceremonies and rituals
* The mission of Jesus is to rescue all men from darkness and translate them to the light of God
* The coming of Jesus is absolute good news to all of us
* Question: is your life a source of good news to your family, office, colleagues, community, Church, etc.?
* You should live a life that portrays good news to the world
* If your life is not a source of good news, the solution is simple → Repent and accept Jesus Christ the Messiah as your Lord and Savior.
