★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki -Abuja
29th March, 2015
SERMON
* Speaker: Rev. Chrysanthus Bala John
* Topic: Make Every Effort
* Theme: Growing in Christ
* Sub-Theme: Intentional Growth
* Service Leader: Rev. David Kwamkur
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| Rev. Chrysanthus John Bala |
* You have something to do (for Christ), but you have to strive to get it done
* 2 Peter 3:1 → This 2nd Epistle was written by Peter because He knew his time was short; the Church of Christ was facing persecution; false teaching was prevalent; believers were falling away from the true faith
→ He was encouraging them to not only remain steadfast in their faith, but to add certain godly virtues to it (that is, their faith)
* Laziness should never be part of God's children
→ Our God is not a lazy God.
* The 7 (seven) virtues that must be ADDED to your faith as a believer in Christ to enable you become effective and productive include:
1. Goodness
→ The quality that makes a person friendly to all people
→ A believer is supposed to be amiable and accommodating. You must not be an irritable person
2. Knowledge
→ Enables you to decide between right and wrong
→ Having a solid knowledge of God's word delivers from the scourge of false teachings and heresies that are prevalent
3. Self-control
→ This is not only the ability to bring your emotions and instincts under subjection, but it entails a total submission to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in you
→ When a man submits to the Spirit of God, he is divinely empowered to become what God wants him to be
4. Perseverance
→ This is regarded as the queen of all the other virtues
→ It is patience mixed with courage
→ Without the virtue of perseverance, a believer can easily give up in the face of the slightest challenge to his faith
5. Godliness
→ This entails words and actions of piety towards God and love towards others
★James 1:27 →"A religion that is pure and stainless according to God the Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows who are suffering, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
6. Brotherly kindness
→ This entails an undiluted love for the brethren
→ When we genuinely love each other, the world will be convinced that we are disciples of Christ
★ John 13:35 →"This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
7. Love
→ God's unconditional love is seen clearly in Jesus (John 3:16)
→ As a believer, you must show love to everyone, including those who hate you
★ 1st John 3:16 →"This is how we have come to know love: the Messiah gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers."
* The 7 virtues listed above must be seen in the life of EVERY child of God who desires to be effective and productive for Christ
★ Titus 3:8 →"This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have put their faith in God may devote themselves to good actions. These things are good and helpful to other people."
* The Christian life is a 'working' life
→ to be successful in your Christian walk, you must work hard and be focussed
* Faith alone is not sufficient to make you effective and productive as a Child of God
★ James 2:17 → "In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not prove itself with actions, is dead."
→ As a believer, you are required to imbibe these virtues in your life by making all necessary effort, through discipline & hard work as you trust in God to help you become like Christ
→ If you don't have these 7 virtues, it means you are short-sighted & blind
→ The blindness here refers to spiritual blindness
* The knowledge of Jesus Christ will not be barren in your heart if the 7 virtues abound in you & you will continue to grow in him and become efficient and productive in His Service
