The Sacrificial Giving of a Disciple (The Sacrificial Giving of a Disciple) 24-01-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Family Worship Centre (FWC),

Wuye - Abuja, Nigeria

First Service

24th January, 2016

SERMON

* Speaker: Pastor Sarah Omaku

* Topic: The Sacrificial giving of a Disciple

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

* Text: Malachi 3:8-12

 

★ Matthew 19:16-22

★ Matthew 16:24 →"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

★ Acts 4:32-37

★ Acts 2:44-45

* This life we are living in is far inferior compared to where we are going to [Heaven]

★ Matthew 6:19-21

* All your treasures should be stored in heaven, not on earth

* The main aim of a disciple is to please his/her master

* Being a disciple is not your end in itself; your body is not your end.

→ Heaven is your ultimate end!

 

* There is something in-built in a man that propels him to give to God

★ Genesis 8:22 → "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

→ When you give to God, you release a divine emotion

* You must get to the level of Abrahamic giving when the only thing that matters is total obedience to God

* Giving to God existed even before the Law

→ It is no longer fashionable not to give to God

* NOTE: The Law did not come through Moses, but through God

→ The Law has not and it will not pass away.

→ Many Christians use the excuse that they are in a dispensation of grace and not of law, therefore they will not give. This is wrong.

* Tithes, offering and first-fruits, are used to run the Church and expand the Kingdom of God on earth.

★ Matthew 5:17-18 → "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished." 

* Until Jesus comes, nothing in the law will be removed

* Jesus brought a more superior law

★ Matthew 23:23 → "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

* What you get is dependent on how much you give

* If you are still [stuck at the level of] giving tithes & offerings, you still lack one thing - total surrender

* NOTE: Jesus never mentioned tithes & offerings. He required that believers should give generously.

 

★ Luke 6:36 → "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

★ Acts 4:32-35

* The early Church lived selflessly and met the needs of all the believers

★ Acts 2:44-45

★ 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

* Today, many believers do not want to share their possessions with others that are in dire need.

 

* Until you give yourself totally to the Lord, you cannot give anything that is acceptable to God. (See: 2 Corinthians 8:5)

* Jesus did not come to earth with the lifestyle of heaven

* A man who is totally surrendered to God will not hesitate to give every thing when he is required to do so.

* The Disciples give everything when there is a need

* You must realise that your blessings are not all about you

* Many believers are distracted the moment then get some blessing from God

* You have to live a high life: Beyond tithes and offerings (which is the minimum)

* Everything that God gives you is in trust

* Until you give everything, you have not given at all

* Jesus expects you to give all because He knows the value of the exchange

* Another house or another car is not what you need. You need to live a sacrificial life and help people around you

* Prayer:

"Father, de-materialize and de-world me"

Giving is an Result of Grace (Rev. Markus M. Musa) 22-11-2015

★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
LCC Ungwan Paul Gindiri,
Tudun Wada, Jos
Plateau State
22nd November, 2015

RETIREMENT SERVICE IN HONONR OF REV. EPHRAIM HAGGAI

SERMON
* Speaker: Rev. Markus M. Musa
* Topic: Giving is a Result of Grace
* Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
* Theme: Growing up in Christ (Ephesians 4:15)
* Service Leader: Rev. Gideon Kannap

* Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to know the unusual way by which the grace of God was demonstrated through the Macedonian Church by which they excelled in giving

* If there is no generous giving in the Church, that congregation should grieve And morn because they lack the special grace of giving that is vested through the Holy Spirit

* Many people do not give, not because there is no money, but because they have not given the Holy Spirit His due place in their lives

* God's grace enables you to give generously and cheerfully

* Multiply grace and distribute it

* The policies of the Roman Government had impoverished the people of Macedonia
→ Many believers were persecuted
→ The source of living of many people were confiscated by the Roman Government

* In spite of their peculiar disadvantage they excelled in the grace of giving

* What was the secret of the Macedonian Church?
→ the Holy Spirit in their hearts
→ they gave themselves to the Lord (verse 5): We did not expect that! They gave themselves to the Lord first and then to us, since this was God’s will.

* A person who gives himself to the Lord does not hesitate when he is required to give for the sake of the Gospel of Christ

* Question:
→ Have you surrendered yourself to the Lord?
→ Are you totally submited to your spiritual leaders?

* Only the power of the Holy Spirit can empower a man to give beyond his (natural) ability

* Many people have been blinded by the things of the world that they do not realize that they lack the Holy Spirit in their lives

* The example of the Macedonian Church:
1. Total commitment to the Lord
2. Unconditional submission to Church leadership

* One of the biggest problems of the Church today is a widespread lack of commitment to God and to spiritual leaders

* The Church must place more emphasis on [disciplining] believers to become more like Christ

* Discipleship is the best way to keep Satan and the flesh at bay

* You need to examine yourself to see whether you are still in the faith

* Believers are interested in seeing practical Biblical living in their spiritual leaders

* Every Minister of the Gospel must work as if he/she has only one day to live.
→ The time is short and we need b be faithful

Knowing the Will of God (Engr. Markus Dye) 14-09-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)

Area 1 - Garki, Abuja

14th September, 2014

SERMON

* Speaker: Engr. Markus Dye

* Topic: Prepared Giver

* Theme: Knowing the Will of God

* Excelling in the Grace of Giving

* Service Leader: Mrs. Lois Dakum

* Text: 1st Corinthians 16:2 "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made."

* 2nd Corinthians 9:4-5

* If you are not prepared, you will be caught Unaware

* Preparation entails getting ready for something

* Preparation is also part of Planning - preparation is a critical element of Success

* John 14:1-2- Jesus himself went to prepare a place for us in heaven

* Jesus gave himself first before requiring us to give

* To get to Heaven, you must prepare yourself

* Preparation is setting aside time to do something or to perfect an objective/goal

* Preparation positions you to maximize opportunities that come your way

* Who is a giver? - God Himself is a giver. He demonstrated His love to us by giving us His Son

* You cannot give what you do not have

* You must prepare yourself to receive what God has prepared for you to get

* When you receive the free gift of God, you are in a better position to give

* A prepared giver is one who gives thankfully

* Before your giving is acceptable to God, you must:

(a) be submissive to God's authority

(b) give cheerfully

* Prepare or decide in advance what you want to give

* You must not appear before God empty handed- prepare before you appear

* You must, as a Child of God yield to the call to give for the expansion of the kingdom of God here on earth

***********************

Knowing the Will of God (Elder John Ayuba) 07-09-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE

MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)

Area 1, Garki - Abuja, Nigeria
7th September, 2014

SERMON

* Speaker: Elder John Ayuba

*Topic: A Humbled Giver

* Text: 1st Corinthians 2:9-14

* Theme: Knowing the Will of God

* Sub-Theme: Excelling in the Grace of Giving

* Service Leader: Elder Titus Golar

* Humble means "without pride or arrogance"

* A brief on the "Knight Templers":

- When they were baptized, they were immersed in water but their swords were held above the water, signifying that they are 'submitted' to the Lord, but not with their sword. This is a classic case of 'partial/conditional submission.'

- Just like the Knight Templars, many people today are baptized as Christians, but they still hold their jobs, wallets, wives, cars etc. out of the 'water' of total submission to the Lord

* When you want to come to God in humility, do not measure yourself with other men

* When you measure your achievements in the light of God's mercy that had been extended to you, you have no choice but to be humble.  

* Pride comes from the spirit of arrogance and self-deception

* Refusal to obey lawfully constituted authority is a sign of pride, especially when you have more qualifications or achievements than those occupying positions of authority

* When you measure yourself with God, you will realize that you are nothing

* When you realise that God is your Source, you have no option but to be humble

* Once you hear God's voice, you must be humble

* God's projects supersedes yours

* Psalm 37:4 - "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

* Once you delight yourself in the Lord, and you make your desire His own desire, He will fulfil that desire - because it is His own desire

*  Note: Mary Magdalene gave the Lord her best gift - (precious oil of Nard) and wiped it with her hair which is her glory

(Matthew 26:6-7)

* You need to understand God in order to know How to give Him the best glory possible

A Sacrificial Giver (Rev. John Chrysanthus Bala) 17-08-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)

Area 1, Garki - Abuja, Nigeria

17th August, 2014 (My Birthday!)

* Rev. John Chrysanthus Bala

* Topic: A Sacrificial Giver

* Mark 12:41-44

* The woman in This passage was disadvantaged by her situation in life: She was a widow and she was poor

* Jesus took notice of every person's giving in the Temple

* Jesus looks at our hearts & He observes the principle we act upon when giving (whether cheerfully or grudgingly)

* Sacrificial giving is the kind of giving that shows you love God

* When you love someone, no gift (for the loved one) is too much; You would always want to go the extra mile

* Sacrificial giving is a giving that honours God, and it is commiserate with your income

* God always recognizes sacrificial giving & rewards it

* God gave us His son, what can we give Him? What do you have that you think is too much to be given to God?

* Some greedy people hide themselves behind the common expression: "widows' mite" so that they do not give sacrificially

* The value of your offering to God depends on what is left after you have made that offering

* NOTE: There is no where in the Bible where we are commanded to give as this poor widow; but your giving must be such that honours God

* When you trust God in the area of sacrificial giving, He will "embarrass" you with His blessings