Summary of Easter Sunday Teaching Date 24 April 2011

A.      What does Easter really mean to me?

1.       To bring me back to the image of God

God created man in his own image and blessed him (Genesis 1:26-28). When man sinned, he fell short of that glory or image of God. So Jesus came to bring us back, and much more than that.

Romans 8:29 - “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

Since Jesus is the express image of God (Hebrews 1:2), God’s program is that we become express image of Jesus.

·         Whatever that we see in the life of Jesus in the scriptures should be reflected on our lives

2.       The destruction of all the works of the enemy

The work of the devil includes, the power of sin, the power of sickness, the power of lack and want, and every other thing that the enemy can do. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). The power to steal, kill and destroy was destroyed by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”  (1 John 3:8).

·         All the works of the enemy has been destroyed and we need to enforce it

(See Colossians 2:13-15, John 11:25, Revelation 1:18)

3.       The enthronement of the saints of God with the power of heaven.

1 John 4:17 “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”

The question is how is God? God is in authority, God is in dominion and in control. As God is, so are we in this world. The death and resurrection of Jesus enthrones us to be in dominion and control our environment.

Matthew 16:19 “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

·         The revelation of Jesus (the word of God) is the key to being in charge.

Whatever we permit here on earth is permitted in heaven and whatever we do not permit on earth is not permitted in heaven. The resurrection of Jesus puts the believer in charge. So whatever happens in our lives has been permitted by us either by omission or commission.

This means we can keep the enemy in check because:

“We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not” (1 John 5:18).

Note that it you and I that keep ourselves, not God.  We keep ourselves using the weapons God has given us. The devil cannot take any place in your life, unless you give him one (Ephesians 4:27).

B.      Implication

Romans 6: 5-11 “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We need to wake up to the consciousness of who we are.

----Know what you are

----Accept who you are

----Live what you are

 Ephesians 4:18  “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”

·         You and I are supposed to be living God’s kind of life because in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28)

JESUS CHRIST NEEDS YOU

Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no-one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' Luke 19:30-31.

Imagine a very important and powerful person in the society telling you that he needs your favor. Immediately all you can think of is how improtant you must be and how well you can impress him. The great news today is that the all-sufficient God, the creator of the heaven and the earth, has need of you. Awesome! God Himself has need of you and this makes you the most improtant person on the earth.

The opening scripture talks about preparation for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem before He was crucified. He asked His disciples to go to a village, untie and bring to Him a colt which no-one has ever ridden; if they were questioned, they should respond that 'The Lord needs it.'  Take note of these facts about the colt; it was young, it had never been ridden by anyone, it was tied and it was located at the outskirt of the town. Clearly this animal was rejected and no-one had thought of using it. Nevertheless, the Lord located this isolated animal in the realms of the spirit and needed it for an all important occassion. The animal's location or state could not prevent the Lord from using it.

Child of God, the Master needs you just as you are. He is not waiting for you to become perfect or considering your background before He can use you. All He needs is your availability. God picks the foolish things of the world to stun the wise and he chooses the rejected stones to become the chief cornerstone. Allow God to take your shortcoming, weakness, insufficiency and ignorance and make His strength perfect in you so He can set you apart, put His seal over you and empower you to transform nations! 

Confession

1. The Lord has need of me so I avail my heart, soul, mind, and strength unto Him.

2. I am perfected and made complete in the Lord and my weakness is turned into strength.

3. I have the seal of the Lord over my life, hence I have become a world changer.

Prayer

I thank you Lord for this message; it is a glorious realization that you have need of me. I bless you that you are determined to use my frailty and shortcomings to bless someone. I avail myself for your use; lead me and I will follow in Jesus' name. Amen.

Further study: Jeremiah 18:2-3; Luke 19:28-44; 1 Corinthians 1:27

Topic: Our Eternal Security In Christ

Sunday April 17^th Bible Study

Question: Are we secure in Christ?

To feel eternal security in Christ we don’t only have to receive gifts from the Holy Spirit but be led by it.

To be led by the Holy Spirit means we have to let Christ live in us and allow flesh be crucified with Christ

Read Galatians 2:20

We all know what to do as Christians when filled by the Holy Spirit but we refuse to pay the prize for the Holy Spirit to lead us

Read: Romans 6: 5-14

To be led by the Holy Spirit and to know the Holy Spirit, we have to allow God’s will to overtake our will. Our will may lead us to sin whiles God’s will through the Holy Spirit that lives in us wont.

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that ‘let thy will be done on earth’

The only way we can allow that will as Christ’s children is to resurrect with Christ from death and allow sin to die

Read: Romans 6 19-23 and Romans 8 1-2

We have to understand that to sin or not depend on us. Through the death of Christ we have the means to be led by the Holy Spirit and grace

The choice to strengthen our eternal security is to make the right choice of allowing the grace of God to be with us and to be ready to pay the prize by allowing the flesh to die to the desires of the world.

We also need to allow the Holy Spirit to direct us in all our ways.

Amen

Jesus Christ on the Crucifixion Day

With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.  Mark 15:27

 

Gone are the days when Christians were spotted in funeral clothes crying and parading through streets on Easter Fridays - their reason was that they were mourning Jesus Christ.  Thank God, we know better than that! The truth is that the death of Jesus Christ represnets our victory. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:8 '....the princes of this world did not know: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.'

 

The Bible records that on the crucifixion day, Jesus Christ was crucified between two thieves. Jesus went to the cross because of you and me. A thief received his salvation at the point of death on the cross! The Bible says that 'surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed' (Isaiah 53:4-5). I love that!  It is never too late to touch the life of another person with the message of the cross.

 

Child of God, Jesus on the crucifixion day secured victory for you. He endured the painful and shameful death because He loved you unconditionally. Today, first understand that the price for your redemption and for your victory has already been paid.  All you need to do is to live it. Also understand that God saved you so He can save others through you. He blessed you so He can bless others through you. Make a decision today to touch a life with the message of love - the love that makes the sinner a saint!

 

Confession:

1. My shame is taken away and my pain is healed in His name so I live victoriously.

2. I am a living witness of the love that makes the sinner a saint to the world.

3. I celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ through whom I have been redeemed from the grip of sin and sickness.

 

Prayer:

 

I worship you Lord for Your death on the cross. I celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ today and everyday of my life because He paid the price for my sins and reconciled me back to Himself. I pray that I would touch a life today with the message of the cross in Jesus' name. Amen.

 

Further study: Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 27:38; 1 Corinthians 2:8 

WE WELCOME YOU TO OUR EASTER SERVICE ON FRIDAY AND SUNDAY

FRIDAY: 87, RUE DE CHATELEINE 6-8 PM

SUNDAY MORNING: HOTEL WARWICK, RUE DE LOUSANNE 10AM -12 PM

ACTIVITIES: PRAYER, MUSIC, DRAMA, GOD'S WORD AND SO MUCH MORE.

All Creation

I hear nature play a symphony

I see the clouds move in unison

The mountains all stand at attention

The trees giggle in awe and fascination

How you spoke this into existence still baffles me

Your imagination is the author of all creativity

I can only kneel and wonder at thee

Looking and counting down to when I’ll live in your city

My spirit touches your reality everyday

Wondering if man will ever find a way

To your city holy and pure

Where the heart always feels secure

I strive so nothing stops me from entering in

Being blind to all this tempting lusts and flirtatious sin

I’ll focus on you and trust you to help me

Be the “You” in me the world can never be

By Patrick Ifeanyi Ilechukwu

Your Value to God the Father

God is the one who sets the standard for worth in this universe, not men. For “ what is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight” (Luke 16:15 NIV). 

Jesus said, “what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Consider for a moment all the wealth in this world. Think of all the multimillion dollar mansions; all the gemstones and precious metals; all the fine cars, yachts, and planes; all the state-of-the-art electronics, and these are but a few of the “nice” things.  There are so many more treasures in this world it is almost unimaginable. The World Fact Book estimates the gross world product for 2010 to be 62 trillion dollars. That is US$62,000,000,000,000. That’s a lot of wealth, and that’s even before we include the real estate. Yet Jesus tells us a man who exchanges his life for all this wealth makes a bad deal.

If our true worth, the value God places on us, is more than all the wealth in and of this world, what is our value to Him? We’re told, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). We were under the reign of the wicked prince, Lucifer, after we were turned over by Adam (see Luke 4:6). Adam’s disobedience spread to all and we were slaves to sin, a domain over which Lucifer reigns as lord. He laid claim to us and would not release us. Our destination was eternal darkness with no hope of liberation. The only way we could be freed was if we were purchased back – but the price was too high for any man to pay.

God gave Jesus as the ransom for us. No one and nothing else could have purchased us, for God says, “the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough (Psalm 49:8 NIV). God values our souls so highly He purchased us with Jesus Himself. Paul says “God bought you with a high price” (1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT).  Again he says the Father “is so rich in kindness that He purchased our freedom through the blood of His Son” (Ephesians 1:7 NLT).

There is no one or nothing more valuable to Father God in this universe than His Son, Jesus. Yet with this purchase God declared our value as compared to His greatest treasure. Here is something amazing: if we would have been worth one cent less to God than the value of Jesus Himself, the Father would never have given Him, for God never makes unprofitable deals!  A bad purchase or exchange happens when you give something of more value for something of less. Wow! Do you see how important you are to the Father? Jesus confirms this by saying, “I have given them the glory You gave me, so that they may be one, as we are –I in them and you in Me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that You sent Me and will understand that You love them as much as you love Me” (John 17:22-24 NLT). Jesus plainly declares the Father loves us as much as He loves Jesus! Did you hear that? Do you see your true worth? Do you see why He pursues you?

Some may argue, “yes, God did that for all mankind cumulatively, but who am I among so many? The answer to this is if you had been the only one, He still would have pursued and ransomed you at this great price. This is clearly seen in Jesus’ ministry.  He had spent the entire day teaching multitudes about the kingdom of God. He was tired, yet there was something that could not wait. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, Jesus tells His disciples to get into a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee.  In the midst of the sea a storm arises and threatens their lives, but Jesus is so exhausted He is asleep. In fear the disciples awake Him and tell of the pending danger: Jesus responds by commanding the waves and wind to be still.

They’d spent a good part of the night crossing this troubled sea. Now that they have come to the other side, maybe they can finally get some rest. But just as they disembark they are met by a demon-possessed madman.  He lives among the tombs and cannot be restrained even with chains. All day long and throughout the night, he wanders among the tombs screaming and cutting himself with stones (see Mark 5:3-5).

If alive today he would have been placed in a mental institution, most likely in solitary confinement. He would have been given drugs and left to himself. Most would consider him an outcast, only to be kept alive because the laws do not permit him to be killed. He would be viewed as a worthless drain on society. His value would be almost nothing. Very few would pursue his acquaintance.

Yet this madman had great value to the Father, Jesus and the Spirit of God. Jesus ministered to him in a powerful way. So mighty was his deliverance, before day’s end he was seated next to Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. Now here is the amazing part: after Jesus had ministered to him, He got back into the boat and “crossed   over again by boat to the other side” (Mark 5:21). Awesome! Jesus, exhausted from a hard day, would cross a sea and fight through a storm, just to minister to a possessed outcast that society considered worthless, only to get back into the boat and travel all the way back again. He did it all for just one man!

If you had been the only one He still would have sought you out and paid your ransom, so you could have fellowship with Him. No wonder the angels of heaven sang the evening He was born – celebrating peace on earth, and goodwill toward men!

You are so precious to God! 

LETS GET INVOLVED IN SUNDAY SCHOOL

TOPIC FOR THIS SUNDAY'S SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS: Luke 21:26 -Dealing With the Fear of the Events of our Time

God's heart cry throughout the ages

''Noah walked with God'' (Genesis 6:9)

 

Noah responded to God's desire for fellowship and drew near. As he drew near, God drew near to him and warned of things to come. The judgment that took the world unaware was first a secret between Noah and God. Noah's close relationship with God was born out of a confidence that God would respond to those who pursue Him, to those who dare to believe and draw close to experience intimacy with Him.

 

We witness this again with Abraham when God invites him to ''walk before me'' (Genesis 17:1). This invitation is extended again and again with Isaac and Jacob; even before Jacob was born God said, ''Jacob I have loved'' (Romans 9:13). The Lord pursued him, as He does with us all, even when Jacob was not pursuing God. As Jacob ran from his brother he found God waiting to capture him. When Jacob slept on a pillow of stone, God awoke him to a dream, a ladder with angels coming up and down. A divine connection revealed between God and man.

 

After four hundred years of bondage the children of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, were confused by His primary purpose for delivering them from bondage. They thought it was all about inheriting a promised land, but it was about something so much more. God's ultimate desire was for intimacy, and He clearly stated His intentions when He addressed the entire nation with passionate and poetic words: ''you have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself''(Exodus 19:4).

 

However, His desires were not mirrored in the words of the children of Israel; their dialoguebetrays a very different motive: ''You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards'' (Numbers 16:14). Their hearts were set on the what, rather than the Who they were to inherit.

 

Moses repeatedly clarified God's desire to the descendants of Abraham; one such comment was recorded: ''for He is a God who is passionate about His relationship with you''. (Exodus 34:14).

 

God declared to all of Israel, ''I have loved you''. Yet, in ignorance and hardness of heart they answered back, ''in what way have you loved us? Malachi 1:2). Blind to the fact His heart was yearning for them, they mistook His attempts to reach out as acts of judgment.

 

Even through repeated disobedience His desire remained steadfast. In the days of Jeremiah He cried out, ''I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer'' (Jeremiah 7:13). He made it known He'd pursued them in this manner from the day He'd brought them out of Egypt until this very moment (see Jeremiah 7:25).

 

In all this His love never wavered, but the greatest evidence of His ultimate desire for us is found in Jesus. Jesus Himself explains with, ''I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those .....who are lost'' (Luke 19:10). He didn't just come to save; He came to seek as well, even when we were His enemies!

 

May you say to Him ''I love you Lord because you first loved me''. Amen.

God's passionate desire and pursuit of man

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8)

This has been God's heart cry throughout the ages: a people who would desire to know Him in response to His desire for us. God actually yearns for us. This has been His deepest cry since the beginning of time. After Adam sinned, God's first words were not a proclamation of judgment; rather, ''Adam, where are you?'' Can you hear His earnest heart cry, ''Why are you hiding from Me?''. This week we will trace God's longing for man through the course of History. We will start today with the story of Enoch, Adam's great, great, great, great grandson.

I believe the day came when Enoch went to Adam and asked him to tell of his time in the garden. He wanted to know what it was like to actually walk with the living God. You may wonder, how could Enoch speak with his great, great, great, great grandfather? In answer: when you live to be 930 years old, you will see your great, great.......grandchildren. Adam was only 622 years old when Enoch was born.  Mathematically, the Bible tells us Adam was 687 years of age when Enoch approached him at the age of 65.  This is deduced from the Genesis account of Enoch's walk with God lasting three hundred years though he lived to be 365. ''Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years''. (Genesis 5:22-23).

It is probable therefore, that at age 65 years of age is when it all changed for Enoch, when he drew the blessing and heartache from the lips of the patriarch Adam. I can only imagine, and I have no writings to back this, that it took Enoch years to muster up the courage to go to his renowned ancestor to inquire of the garden, because Adam was not one to freely talk about it. All of Adam's descendants knew this, and more than likely warned Enoch from a young age not to discuss it with Adam.

Historic Jewish writings tell of the depression Adam suffered after being driven from the garden. The weight of it was almost unbearable. Some writings tell how Adam and Eve sat in darkened caves unable to look at one another for the shame of what had happened.

Adam had lost his splendor. It is one thing to hear of the promise of walking with God, but quite another to have lost the tangible actuality of dwelling in His glory. Adam had suffered an unspeakable loss, but Enoch pressed in and took Adam's ancient account of heartache and mixed it with faith and expectancy. Though generations had muttered among themselves their disappointment at Adam's loss, Enoch perceived a promise, ''I will walk with God.''

I can just imagine the encounter between the two. Enoch trembled, but his passion finally outweighed his fear. Through the trembling shadow of defeat, he pressed in and believed for the light of something more. For him, Adam's story was more than a tale of failure; it was a revelation of the ultimate desire of God to walk with man. I have to wonder if Adam caught a glimpse of Enoch's fire as he transferred the distant blessing found in the memory of his life in the garden of paradise.

Adam wept as he relayed his heart-wrenching account: ''Enoch, I walked with God.... in His glory. The Creator of the universe, the Maker of all you see, walked beside me! He shared the intimate wisdom of His master plan; how He placed and arranged the stars of the universe with His fingers. Those very fingers created me as well as held my hand. He called each star by name and set them as signs for navigation and seasons. He showed me how He balanced the earth with gravitational and electromagnetic fields, and created a perfect climate. He shared the secret of the seed and how it brings forth life after its kind; how it was watered by the springs of the deep, strategically placed throughout the earth. Enoch, He trusted me with the privilege of naming all the animals-over five billion species of them! We discussed them together, but He left the final choice to me!''

The more Adam spoke the hungrier Enoch became, until the passion overwhelmed him. He must walk with God as Adam had; he would not be denied.

Enoch even inherited something Adam did not; the dust of Adam returned to the earth, but Genesis tells us, ''And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him'' (Genesis 5:24). He left this earth without seeing death.

 In his life Enoch was a great prophet. He spoke to his day as well as prophesied to our own. He prophesied of the impostors who would arise in the church in the last days, acting as if, and even believing, they were saved by grace, and the judgment that would follow (see Jude 1-15). He saw the visions of God's judgment, declaring the Lord's second coming thousands of years before His virgin birth.

Why did God take him when he was only 365 years old? Was it because of this great prophetic ministry? No, it was because he ''walked with God,'' and the book of Hebrews tells this ''pleased God'' (Hebrews 11:5). Don't get me wrong, His walk with God produced a powerful and effective ministry, but it was his burning desire to know God intimately that pleased the Lord. He had touched the longing in God's heart, an intimate relationship with Him, the way He longs for us.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will put in your spirit a burning desire to know and walk with God. God bless you richly.



What is man?

''The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing'' (Zeph 3:17).

The holy angels of God look curiously on as they see the majestic and holy God give such attention to mere men. We read, ''When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou has ordained; What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of Man, that Thou dost care for him? (Ps 8:3-4 NASB). God must have allowed David to hear the thoughts of the mighty angelic beings that surround His throne. These angels watched this mighty God form the universe. They are so in awe of Him they continuously cry out 'Holy,Holy, Holy' to each other, for every moment that passes reveals another facet of His glory so that all they can do is shout 'Holy' for all eternity. They cry so loud they shake the doorposts of God's throne room. Yet, they wonder why this most magnificent God is so mindful of man. The angels perceive God's thoughts of love and goodness toward man cannot be numbered for they are greater than all the granules of sand found on earth. They are amazed by this!

We are God's prized possessions; His sought-out jewels-the living stones-who make up the tabernacle He desires to dwell in. Why will God feel this way toward man? What have we done to deserve such love? This is the greatest truth of all. We have done nothing to merit His love and pursuit. For when we were still decrepit, lost sinners-enemies-He sought us out. He saw in us only what His love could see. He saw treasures in the midst of corruption, sin, and depravity. He purchased as precious what many considered worth little or even worthless. He saw beyond our state and saw what only His grace could produce.

Now we can more readily understand the words of scripture, ''God purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world'' (1 Cor 7:2 NLT). You have been loved and valued by God so don't return to the system where you were once enslaved and viewed as so insignificant in relationship to your true value.

I pray to God that He will help you to respond to this great love and wonderful invitation to draw near to Him. God bless you richly.