Love for God (Elder Yunana Malo) 23rd August, 2015

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)

Area 1, Garki - Abuja, Nigeria

23rd August, 2015

Elder Yunana Malo

SERMON

* Speaker: Elder Yunana Malo

* Topic: Love for God

* Theme: Growing up in Christ

* Sub-Theme: Growing in Love

* Service Leader: Mr. Paul Domsing

★ Text: Deuteronomy 6:1-5

★ Matthew 22:34-40

★ 1 John 4:7-21

* The only debt you have, is to love

* If you know love, you know God, because love is the heart of God

* Love is powerful!

* Love has the ability to keep you alive

* What is love?

→ Love is a very strong liking or passionate affection for another person or thing;

→ Love entails: adoration, attachment, friendship, relish, tenderness and even worship

* The opposite of love include: hate, dislike, ill-feeling, etc.

☆ Questions to consider:

(a) Can you love your enemies passionately?

(b) Is it possible for a mortal man to love God?

* If you have to love God (whom you do not see), then you have to do it in the Spirit

* Abraham loved God and obeyed him even when he could not see Him physically. Many people thought he was crazy (to love and obey one he could not see)

* Noah also loved God and obeyed Him genuinely 
 (See: Genesis 6:9)

* Naturally, man is incapable of showing genuine love towards God or anyone.

→ The default tendency of men is selfishness and wickedness

☆ Jeremiah 17:9 →"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" [KJV]

* Every heart that does not have the love of God is wicked and is incapable of loving

* A wicked heart cannot experience God's love and enjoy His mercies

* It takes a person who has a new heart to genuinely love God & others
 

☆ Ezekiel 36:26 →"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." [KJV]

* Your heart has a door through which the 'seed' (God's Word) comes in to do the operation

→ (see: Revelation 3:20)

* You must allow God's Word to transform your mind and heart

→ Hearing the Word has to do with the issue of life itself

* NOTE: The 'seed' is very critical

→ 2 Peter 1:4 →" According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." [KJV]

* If you open your heart to God's word, (the seed) it will transform you

* NOTE: Love is God's DNA

→ That nature is given to you when the 'seed' enters your heart at conversion from darkness to light

* Every seed has the nature of the main tree from which it proceeded

☆ Question: what is the nature of Jesus?

* Galatians 5:22-23 →" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things."

* If you have the seed of God, then you can love just as Jesus does!

* The moment your heart does not have the Spirit of God, there is no difference between you and a wild animal

* It is the Spirit of God that constrains you from manifesting animalistic tendencies

* If the 'seed' has not entered you, you cannot love anyone!

* Romans 1:18 → "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness."

* There are people who cannot do anything for God because they do not love Him

→ A man in love can do anything for the one he loves!

* A person who is in love is passionate about is loved one

* One of the features of love is fellowship

→ A person in love always wants to be in the presence of the one he loves; it is not a disturbance; and it is never a burden

☆ 1st John 1:7 → ''But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

* Some people treat the things of God casually

→ This is a sign of a lack of love for Him

☆ Matthew 6:21 →"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

☆ Questions to consider:

(a) What occupies your attention?

(b) what captures your Imagination?

* When you do not genuinely love God, it is easy for you to fall prey of lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life

☆ 1 John 2:16 →"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

→ what you 'see' dominates & controls your life

* Flee all appearances evil because it destroys every trace of the love of God in your life

(1 Thessalonians 5:22)

* Romans 14:17 →"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

→ If you are in the kingdom what is required of you is righteousness, peace and joy

→ Whenever you yield to sin, your peace & joy is diminished

★ The Benefits of Loving God:

1. If you have the love of God, then the fruit of the Spirit will manifest in your life (See: Galatians 5:22-23)

2. You will be willing and obedient

→ You will hear definite instructions from God

3. If you have the love of God, you will see many opportunities to make an impact (as they present themselves in the Church, the society etc)

4. If you love God, you will not hesitate in investing in advancing God's kingdom

→ Giving for the work of God will not be a burden

5. It will be easy for you to have compassion on others

→ Do you empathize when others are in trouble?

6. It will be very easy for you to fellowship with God through his Word.

→ Acts 2:44-45

→ Philippians 3:8

☆ Questions to Consider:

* what is your treasure in life?

* what takes the most of your time?

* what is your heart like towards God?

* The love of God is the highest and The greatest love.

→ Don't miss it, don't play with it 

 

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★ MISSION CHARGE

"Your life is your message to the world. Make it inspiring . . . I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him."

→ Pythagoras

★ QUOTE

"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child."

→ Mark Twain

God's love (Leader's Meeting) (Pastor 'Lola Owotumi) 21-01-2015

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ NDIC/DMO Chapel

Leaders' Meeting

Wednesday, 21st January, 2015

EXHORTATION

* Speaker: Pastor 'Lola Owotumi

* Topic: God with us (God's Love)

★ 1st Thessalonians 4:9 → "But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another."

* When you are convinced that God loves you, you will not be cheated by Satan

★ Isaiah 43:1-2, 4 → " But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. . . Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life."

* There is absolutely nothing that God cannot do for those who love Him

* Because you love God and He loves you, you should be bold enough to flaunt that love everywhere you go, publicly

* You must respond to God's love by a definate commitment to righteous living. In other words, you should reciprocate the love God is extending to you

* Do not take God 's Iove for granted

* Love the body of Christ (the Church)

* Those who are committed to serving God because they love Him, will be set apart for the demonstration of His grace & glory

God with us (3) (Pastor Ambrose Nwogu) 21-01-2015

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ NDIC/DMO Chapel,

21st January, 2015

* Speaker: Pastor Ambrose Nwogu

* Topic: God with us (3)

 

Points to Consider:

* Jesus is God by his nature

★ 1st John 5:20 → "We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true God. We are in union with the one who is true, his Son Jesus the Messiah, who is the true God and eternal life."

★ John 1:1 → "In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God."

★ John 1:18 → "No one has ever seen God. The unique God, who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him."

* Because Jesus (whom God sent to the earth) is also God, His own nature is love & He can love like no other!

★ John 13:1 → "Now before the Passover Festival, Jesus realized that his hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."

★ John 15:9 →"Just as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. So abide in my love."

* We have perfect love in the combined expression of the love of both God the Father and Jesus Christ

* The statement "God with us" is deeper than it seems:

→ God is not only "with" us, He lives "in" us!

★ Colossians 1:27 → "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

* Sometimes, Jesus is with us but we do not realise that fact.

★ Luke 24:13-31

* He is not only "with" us and "in" us, He is "for" us

★ Romans 8:31 → " What, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

* God is also "among" us!

* John the Baptist declared: "I am baptizing with water, but among you stands one among you whom you do not know." (John 1:26)

* In the world, there are times that you may feel that you are all alone, but be consoled and encouraged that God is with you, and in you!

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

★ Additional thoughts from Pastor 'Lola Owotumi

* The Gospel is the wondrous story of love. When you take away love, there is no Gospel

★ Psalm 42:7-8→ "Deep waters call out to what is deeper still; at the roar of your waterfalls all your breakers and your waves swirled over me. By day the LORD will command his gracious love, and by night his song is with me — a prayer to the God of my life."

- God is Calling you to live a life of deeper love

- Sometimes, God allows you to go through Challenges, so that you will experience new dimensions of God's love

- Your situation can be handled by love

- Don't ever allow anything to take you away from the love of God

- You should allow God's love to be expressed through you to bring positive change in the world

★ 1st Thessalonians 4:9 → "Now you do not need anyone to write to you about brotherly love, since you have been taught by God to love each other. In fact, you are showing love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia, but we urge you, brothers, to keep on doing this even more."

God With Us (2) (Pastor Ambrose Nwogu) 20-01-2015

★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ NDIC/DMO Chapel
Central Business District,
Garki-Abuja
20th January, 2015

* Speaker: Pastor Ambrose Nwogu

* Topic: God With Us

★ WHAT IS THE BASIS OF GOD'S LOVE?

→ The basis of God's love is His nature

* 1st John 4:8 → "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

* God is Love - this is why He has the innate capacity to love even the most unlovable person

* God's love is so much different from the love that man professes

* God's love is consistent, pure and reliable. Man's love is unstable, conditional and sometimes out-rightly selfish

* 1st John 4:19 → "We love him, because he first loved us."

* God loved us even when there has nothing good in us

* God's love is not based on your performance or achievements

* Nothing you do (or fail to do) will ever change God's nature (of Love) towards you. He will always love You!

★ DIMENSIONS OF GOD'S LOVE

→ Ephesians 3:17-19

" . . . That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."

- It is unconditional (It is not predicated on anything you did or said)

- It is Incomprehensible

- It is consistent

- It is eternal

- It is all-encompassing

- It is reliable

- It is inexhaustible

- It is resilient

- It is abundant

- etc.

(a) The breadth of God's Love:

- God's love is so wide, it is impossible get around it. It cannot be circumvented (avoided) regardless of what you do!

(b) The length of God's Love:

- God's love is from everlasting to everlasting. It is impossible to know its beginning or its end

(c) The depth of God's love:

- No matter how deep you have gone (in sin, sickness, challenges, waywardness, wickedness, immorality, occultism, etc) God's love will reach you and it can pull you out

(d) The height of God's love:

- No power, opinion, authority or influence is too high for the love of God to overcome

* NOTE: There is no situation you will ever find yourself that the love of God cannot reach you

* It is simply impossible for the finite mind of man to understand the love of God

* Romans 5:8 → "But God demonstrates his love for us by the fact that the Messiah died for us while we were still sinners."

* Without God's love, you would have perished

* The knowledge of God's love should change your attitude towards others and towards life in general

* NOTE: The hatred of men (no matter how intense) cannot deplete God's love!

God with us (1) (Pastor Ambrose Nwogu) 19-01-2015

MY SERMON NOTES

@ NDIC/DMO Chapel,  

Central Business District, Garki – Abuja   

Monday, 19^th January, 2015

* Speaker: Pastor Ambrose Nwogu

* Topic: God with us

* Text: Genesis 3:8

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

* NOTE: Under the Adamic covenant, God visited Adam occasionally to have fellowship with him, but under the dispensation of grace, God has made His dwelling with us – “God with us” as foretold in the Scriptures. (See: Isaiah 7:14 , Isaiah 8:8  and Mathew 1:23)

 * What Prompted God to send His Son to Come and Be with Us?

The answer is LOVE (John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”)

 *The world God loved is not the mountains, rivers, the animals, etc., but YOU. You must realize that God loves YOU.

* The Jews thought that God only loves those who were religious, not the irreligious; the good and not the bad; the pure and not the impure  . . . etc.

* Even today, many people (Christians inclusive) do not understand how God would possibly love people who are treacherous, impure, malicious, adulterous, the gossips, and the like.

* Matthew 5:45(b) – “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

* NOTE: God loves the sinner, not the sin.

* Romans 10:12 – 13 “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”     

* 1^st Timothy 2:4 – “. . . who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

* 2^nd Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 

* John 10:16 – “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

* It is God’s desire that every man should be saved and delivered from the power of sin and eternal death.

* There are chances that because of what you are going through, you are tempted to think that God does not love you. But you must always remember that He loves you and NOTHING can change that fact, not even your shortcomings, failures, weaknesses and limitations.

 * It was because of His great love towards us that he went all the way to Calvary, so that we can be saved from our sins and become transformed into His image.  

* NOTE: God loves even the most ‘un-lovable’ person.

 I am so glad that Jesus loves me . . . Jesus loves even me! 

The Motive for Jesus' Love (Pastor Ambrose Nwogu) 22-01-2012

MY SERMON NOTES

@ NDIC/DMO Chapel

Central Business District,

Garki, Abuja - Nigeria

Testimony & Praise Service

22nd January, 2012

EXHORTATION

* Speaker: Pastor Ambrose Nwogu

* Text: Deuteronomy 33:3 →"Indeed, lover of people, all of his holy ones are in your control. They gather at your feet to do as you have instructed."

* Mathew 14:13-14 → "When Jesus heard this, he left that place and went by boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of it and followed him on foot from the neighbouring towns. When he got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them and healed their sick."

* The primary motive for the ministry of Jesus and the miracles He performed is His love and compassion for mankind