Good Tidings of Salvation (Rev. Chrysanthus John Bala) 25-12-2014

CHRISTMAS SERVICE
★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki-Abuja
25th December, 2014

* Speaker: Rev. Chrysanthus John Bala

* Topic: Good Tidings of Salvation

* Text: Luke 2:8-14 

* In Biblical times, Shepherds were considered to be unclean due to the nature of their profession & interaction with animals.

* God chose to herald the first message of the birth of Christ to lowly shepherds who were isolated on fields while guarding their flock at night

* The reason why the Christmas message was first broadcasted to Shepherds

1. They were poor. God does not discriminate between the rich and the poor

2. Jesus came through the lineage of David who was also a Shepherd before He was anointed as King of Israel. His birth was Symbolic and a fulfilment of Biblical prophesies 

* What is your perception of Jesus Christ?

- to some people, He is their Saviour, to others, He is just a "good man".

* If Jesus is not your Saviour, Christmas has no relevance for you

* Even today, many people reject the Salvation that Jesus came to offer freely

* The primary reason for Jesus' birth was for the Salvation of all men. Including you.

* Question: Who is Jesus to you?

* As a Christian, You have a duty to tell others about the good tidings of the Saviour and the Salvation He offers. 

* You must always use every opportunity to speak to others of the love of Jesus and the free gift of this Salvation

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

* Quotes & Bits During Service:

→ "When you celebrate Christmas in a God-glorifying way, the power of Satan over your life is paralyzed. But when you celebrate it with sex, alcohol, and other forms of ungodliness, Satan is empowered." 

- Rev. David Kwamkur. 

Knowing God's will in Christ Jesus (Rev. Festus S. Dashem) 07-12-2014

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

* Text: Luke 2:1-14

* 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.

Fruitfulness (Rev. Chrysanthus Bala John)

SUNDAY SERVICE
★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki-Abuja, Nigeria
Boys' Brigade Enrolment Service
19th October, 2014

* Preacher: Rev. Chrysanthus Bala John
* Topic: Fruitfulness
* Theme: Knowing the Will of God
* Sub-Theme: Blessing of Doing God's Will
* Service leaders: Benjamin Philemon (English); Job Dapan (Hausa)

* Text: John 15:16-17 →"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another."

* Every fruit produces a particular kind of seed

* The seed referred to here is the 'Seed of righteousness'

* God expects you to go into The world and bear fruit

★ 1st Timothy 1:12 →"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry."

* Every minister is God's appointee to carry the mandate of the Gospel

* 3 reasons for the appointment of faithful Ministers of the Gospel
1. To go forth
2. To bear fruit
3. To preach the Gospel Christ

* Our sole duty in this world is to take the gospel to the dying world

★ Matthew 3:8 → "Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance!"

* People are always looking to see whether your fruits are Consistent with your confession of repentance

* Fruitfulness is the precedent to receiving answers to prayers

★ John 10:27 → "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me."

* When we preach the gospel, it is an indication that we have received it.

★ 2nd Kings 7:9 → "But then they told each other, “We’re not doing the right thing. This is a day of good news, but if we keep quiet until morning, we’re sure to be punished! So let’s leave and go tell the king’s household!”

* Do not keep the good news to yourself

* Delay is dangerous: You must approach the Gospel with all sense of urgency

* We have been chosen & appointed by God to bear fruit

* When you come before the Judgement throne what do you have to show?

* Every Christian that does not bear fruit is heading to hell

★ Matthew 3:7-10 

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."