The Diety of Jesus 4 (Immanuel - God With Us) Pastor Sarah Omakwu 05-05-2016

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Family Worship Centre (FWC)

Wuye, Abuja

2nd Sunday Service

5th June, 2016

Pastor Sarah Omakwu  Picture Credit: FWC Media

* Speaker: Pastor Sarah Omakwu

* Topic: The Deity of Jesus 4 (Immanuel - God With Us)

* The birth of Jesus was not an ordinary event:

→ Nature was involved in His birth

→ When the shepherds heard about His birth, they rejoiced

→ Wise men brought Him symbolic gifts

→ When people met Jesus, their lives were transformed for good

* Jesus' name is His Assignment:

→ Immanuel (God with us)

→ Yahweh (Savior)

* He came to lead us to God

→ If you come in contact with Jesus, you have encountered God (because He is God)

☆ Important Scriptures that Talk about the Birth of Jesus Christ:

★ Matthew 1:18-25

→ The Holy Spirit can make a person pregnant! Nothing is impossible with Him

→ The Holy Spirit brings to manifestation things that were pronounced by God's Word

★ Matthew 2:1-23

→ NOTE: It was not fools that came to worship the baby Jesus: They were wise men

→ Sometimes it is okay to be afraid: Wisdom and common sense may dictate that you run away from trouble (verses 13-15)

→ Not all boldness is good

★ Luke 1:5-25

→ Because you did everything right does not mean that everything will happen to you right

→ NOTE: Bad things also happen to good people (verse 7)

→ When you remain faithful to God's service, you will be transformed

→ As long as you are alive and you trust God, you will experience His goodness

→ God will send a 'sign of reference' through somebody you know so that you understand that if He did it for them, He will do it for you.

→ The key to receiving from God is believing His Word (verse 45)

→ God is committed to fulfilling His promises

→ You cannot be in Christ and not have a testimony: Your mouth cannot be shut (see Mary's praise in verses 46-55)

→ You must not forget the mercies of the Lord towards you

→ There are some things that happen to you that you need people of 'kindred spirit' to encourage and support you (verse 56)

★ Luke 2:1-52

→ If God says it, He will do it; it may not be now, but He will do it

→ Every first child belongs to God and must be dedicated to Him (verse 23)

→ Nothing will happen to you until all the plans of God concerning your life are fulfilled (verse 26)

⇒ when you love God, you will take everything He wants from you seriously. No sacrifice is too much for God. (verse 41)

☆ Things to Note from the above verses:

* Joseph was a good & decent man: he obeyed God's Words and instructions to the very end

* As a child of God, you are supposed to be a person of integrity, totally subject to the will of God in all things

* When God gives you an instruction concerning your sexuality, you must obey Him.

→ Do not rationalize or analyze it with your intellect

→ Joseph did not violate Mary sexually while she was pregnant with Jesus (Matthew 1:25)

* When God is to work with and through you, He looks at your heart

* The attitude of ingratitude is blocking many people's blessings

→ Learn from Mary who praised God for all that He did for her

→ Learn from the shepherds and the wise men who looked for Jesus and worshiped Him, bringing praise and valuable symbolic gifts

* You must never get to the point that you take your salvation for granted

* If wise men followed Him, you must do same!

* NOTE: The Shepherds told others about Jesus (Luke 2:17):

⇒ when was the last time you told somebody about Jesus?

* Herod was jealous of Jesus

→ There are people that will always seek to antagonize and undermine God's blessings upon your life

* The main reason Jesus came to the world was to deliver you from your sin (Matthew 1:21)

→ This is His primary mission

☆ Question: When it is all said and done, will Jesus be an offense to you?

→ Jesus was an offense to Herod and He sought to suppress and eliminate Him by killing all of Jesus' peers (Matthew 2:16)

* You must respect the anointing of God upon His servants and ministers, regardless of their age, gender or status in life (Luke 1:43)

* Question: What will you do with the Son of God?

* NOTE: Jesus Christ has neutralized the power of sin

→ You must appropriate that victory in every aspect of your life and live daily as an over-comer! 

PS: This message and other messages 

by Pastor Sarah and other Pastors of Family Worship Centre 

may be downloaded via the Church's Website 

God with us (Pastor Ambrose Nwogu) 03-02-2015

★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ NDIC/DMO Chapel
Central Business District,
Garki, Abuja - Nigeria
03-02-2015

* Speaker: Pastor Ambrose Nwogu
* Topic: God with us

*Jesus is the only one that can give men genuine satisfaction

★ John 6:32-35

* Every man on earth needs this bread that only Jesus can give

★ John 4:10-15

* Jesus does not only give us bread to satisfy hunger, but He gives us to water of life to also quench our thirst

* A man without Jesus will always be hungry and thirsty in the soul - regardless of how wealthy that individual is

* The hope we have in Christ is the hope that does not make us ashamed (Romans 5:5)

★ John 5:26 → "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself."

→ It is God that appointed Jesus to give this life to men

* There are many things to know in the world; but do not know everything in the world without knowing Jesus!

★ John 6:27 → "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

→ Every thing on earth will perish, but only the truth in Jesus will endure for ever

* You must live like a solid, uncompromising Christian in the earth

★ John 6:40 →"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

* Eternal life comes only through Jesus Christ

* Those who live in sin will never enjoy eternal life

* Even today, Jesus is still lifting up people from crises and challenges

God with us (Pastor 'Lola Owotumi) 11-02-2015

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ NDIC/DMO Chapel

Central Business District,

Garki-Abuja

11th February, 2015

SERMON

* Speaker: Pastor Owotumi

* Topic: God with us

 

★ Matthew 1:21 → "She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he is the one who will save his people from their sins.”

★ 1 Corinthians 14:33 → "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints."

* God wants us to order things right in our lives

* God is not the author of confusion - In the Matthew account (of Jesus Birth), the " naming Ceremony" came before the birth. There was no confusion!

* God does not make mistakes

* Get saved first, then You can benefit from His divine presence

★ Romans 6:1-3

* If You want to benefit from the presence of God, then you must follow the divine order

* You are saved by grace, and you must not take God's grace for grace

* Get Saved, before you call Immanuel. In fact, if you are clean, You do not need to struggle for His presence

* You must deal with the issue of Sin before you invite His presence

* Making heaven must be your priority

☆ Prayer:

Give me the life of Salvation. Transform my life.

God with us (Pastor 'Lola Owotumi) 10-02-2015

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ NDIC/DMO Chapel

Central Business District,

Garki-Abuja, Nigeria

10th February, 2015

SERMON

* Speaker: Pastor 'Lola Owotumi

* Topic: God with us

* Matthew 1:21-25

* The story of our redemption is the story of love

 

★ John 3:16 → "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

* The wonderful story of love is the GOSPEL

* Perception is very key. The Israelites almost missed their destined promised land because of faulty perception

* As perception is key to you, it is also key to God

* Matthew 1:21 → "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

* God is not a confused person

* 1st Corinthians 14:33 → "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."

* Everyone wants Jesus to be "Immanuel" to them, but He will not be Immanuel to everyone

* You cannot claim that Jesus is Immanuel to you if you are living in sin and disobedience

* The primary perception of God is that you will be saved from your sins first then you

* NOTE: Verse 21 comes before Verse 23 of Matthew 1. (The 'naming ceremony' came before the birth of the child, Jesus)

* Unless you know Jesus as Immanuel, and Saviour, the efficacy of His name will be lost to you

* First things first: Get salvation, then "Immanuel" will be applicable to you.

* "Immanuel" ( the abiding presence of God) does not work for sinners

* Your perception will determine what you get and how far you go

* Prayer:

"Father, deliver my soul;

Save me from sin;

Be "Immanuel" to me"

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!