Skip to main content

Short Sermon #76: IT IS BECAUSE OF CHRIST - Short devotions to begin a meeting

I am who I am because of Christ.
I am where I am because of Christ.
I have what I have because of Christ.

It is because of Christ from the beginning to the end. There is no ‘me’ or ‘I’ in the middle. That’s my attitude; that’s what I believe.

Christ came into the world for a purpose. 
He suffered for a purpose. 
He hung on the cross for a purpose. 

The moment we set aside this purpose and begin to focus on our own sufficiency, we begin to drift away from the path of grace.

Sadly, there are attempts by some Christians to exalt the ‘me’ over the ‘Him’. “It was because of me that the Lord blessed me,” they say. “It is because I am this and that and have done this and that before the Lord that I now have this and that,” they say.

The question then becomes, “If you are self-sufficient, why did Christ have to go through all the suffering for you?”

Salvation is a mixed bag. Every good thing that one may require is already in the bag. The moment one enters the Kingdom, he enters into everything that God provided through Jesus Christ – eternal life, family, friends, love, hope, mercy, grace, health, wealth, peace, food, drink, clothes, accommodation, income, joy – what people generally refer to as all-round prosperity.

The Bible says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” - Ephesians 1 Verse 3 (NIV).

Note this – He has already blessed us. It starts in the spiritual realm, after which it becomes reality in the natural. The blessings are already available. God has already blessed us through Christ Jesus.

Are you a believer? If so, then you are blessed in Christ Jesus; you have entered the realm of what Jesus has already provided for you!

Is it because of what you had done? No, not at all! It was actually for His name’s sake. In fact, you did not deserve it because of the way you had conducted your life.

I have heard some Christians declare, “When I get into challenges, I simply point at all that I have done for God, and I pray, ‘Lord, check my record.’”

I get chills whenever I hear somebody say this!

Which record should God check? Your own record or your record in Christ? If God were really to check your record - really, really checking it, do you think you would pass the test?

Would God do anything for you based on your own record? Because God would not check just the aspect you are proud of, but the entire record, if you really want Him to go by records!

Isn’t it that Christians are hidden in Christ – it is no longer them that live but it is now Christ who lives in them? Why not let just your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’? Where could this ‘me’ and ‘I’ mentality be resurrecting from?

The ‘me’ or ‘I’ mentality reminds me of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying. The Pharisee stood and prayed something like, “I thank you Lord because I am just awesome in every way! I am not like the rest!”

But the tax collector humbly prayed, “Have mercy on me…”

According to the Bible, God accepted the tax collector’s prayer, but the prayer of the awesome one turned out to be solely for his own consumption!

If you want to ask for something from the Lord, just go ahead and do just that; it’s your right in Christ; you may actually need to start by confessing your sins.

Never try to justify yourself before God by the works that you have done. If you did, God would respond, “Now that you are relying on your goodness, what does my Son have to do with it? It’s all about you. So, you’ve got to see this through to the end!”

Here is what the Bible teaches: “Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” - 1 Corinthians 1:31 (NIV). That’s the point.

Never boast in yourself or in the works that you do or have done before God. Instead, whenever you want to boast, boast in what the Lord has accomplished for you, something you did not deserve in the first place.

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” - Galatians 6:14 (NIV).

Let us not empty the cross of its power by emphasizing our own works. By emphasizing our own works, we continue to crucify Christ and make His suffering of non-effect. We nullify the reason for His coming. We also take ourselves back into bondage, into living by our own works, not by the grace of God.

But what is the position regarding doing good works?

Here is the answer: I am yet to see a really born-again person who shuns good works or chooses to be disobedient in the sight of God.

Good works are the DNA of every child of God. The risk we face, however, is the tendency by some to substitute Christ with the good works - with them going about shouting, “I am the man!” or “I am bad! I am bad! You know it!”

Doing good works - being obedient to the Master - is what Paul referred to as living “lives worthy of God.”

That’s what I believe. That’s how I live. May the Lord Jesus Christ keep His rightful place in my life!

PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may always give glory to God for every good thing in life. 

Father, in the name of Jesus.

I come before You in prayer with nothing else in my heart but pure gratitude.

I thank You for saving my soul, for accepting me in Your household.

I thank You for Your protection which was evidently so powerful especially during the days I first believed. You really had to wrestle me from the clutches of the one who wanted to keep me captive.

I thank You, Holy Father, for the opportunities that You set before me, the doors You opened for me, and the doors You closed behind me because they were no longer consistent with the person You had transformed me into.

I thank You for the good things that You have in store for me, and for always guiding my feet so that I may not stumble.

I look at all this, heavenly Father, and understand that they all come from the fullness of Your grace through Jesus Christ.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.



Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Short Sermon #116: WALKING IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD - One of our most powerful sermons of all time

Do whatever He tells you to do. His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you.” John 2 Verse 5 [NIV] Do you struggle with obeying God? Or do you question why you need to obey God at all? "What's the point?" some wonder. This message discusses one good example of obedience to God from the Bible, to inspire the believer. Christians should strive to obey God always and to keep their will aligned to God's will and purpose for their lives. The Holy Spirit is our ever-present helper in this regard. This message demonstrates the power of walking in obedience to God and of living a life that is fully surrendered to Him. Your plans and your decisions should always align to God's will. Oh, how important obedience to God is! How blessed they are those who live in the perfect will of God! But what does it mean to obey God, in our context? What does it take to obey Him? In my view, obeying God means hearing His voice (through reading the written Word, o...
12 comments
Read more

Short Sermon #115: SETTING A GOOD CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS - Short daily devotions and prayers

Philip found Nathanael and told him,  “ We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. ” “ Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? ”  Nathanael asked. “ Come and see. ”  said Philip. John 1 Verses 45-46 [NIV] Nazareth was a despised town. That is why Nathanael was taken by surprise that Jesus could have come from there. Nazareth was regarded as a desert, where nothing useful was expected to grow. Nathanael's surprise was quite revealing;  "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.     What a viewpoint! People could be viewing your country, city, or village in a similar light. "Can anything good come from there?" they may be wondering. Yours might be a locality that is expected to produce nothing good. Despite this, I encourage you to surprise people like Jesus did Nathanael by originating from Nazareth. I urge you to surprise people, for the glory o...
2 comments
Read more

Short Sermon #60: DEATH & BEREAVEMENT - Message of hope after losing a loved one

The death of a loved one is always a tragic incident  to the family. The sorrow normally is so powerful that it casts a dense and dark shadow over the bereaved. Time appears to freeze. Nothing seems to matter anymore. It is a time of mourning - an episode that none of us can get accustomed to no matter how many times one might have experienced death in the family. Help is desperately and urgently required if those affected are to quickly find the strength to cope with their loss. This sermon attempts to offer hope and comfort to the grieving. I hope you will find encouragement after you are done reading it. You may understand, from past experiences, the message that I am trying to convey here. The distress and emptiness caused by the death of a family member or any other loved one are normally very difficult to imagine and absorb; sometimes the loss comes suddenly, and thus totally unexpected.    It is hard to cope with the death of a mother, father, sister, bro...
Read more

Short Sermon #114: SHOW THEM JESUS - Powerful daily devotions

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.” John 1  Verses  35-37 [NIV] This is an excellent example of, and lesson on, how to lead people to salvation; a good example of how to win souls for Christ. This was a very effective method, in my view, judging by the results achieved.  Soul winning is probably the most important activity that the Christian should undertake for the sake of both the Lord and mankind - bringing souls into God's Kingdom. Tell somebody about Christ before the day ends; win them over to Christ! This is the spirit of the above-cited bible scripture. You are a Christian, and are now enjoying the benefits of salvation, because somebody took it upon themselves to win you over to Christ. They might not have shared the Word with you; instead, they might just have invited you to a place where the Word was shared,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Short Sermon #113: THE VOICE CALLING IN THE WILDERNESS - Free daily devotionals

“ Finally,  they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? ”   John 1: Verse 22 "I am the voice calling in the desert."  "I am the voice crying out in the wilderness." That was John's answer. That is what Christians should say about themselves; that's what Christians should be in this life. That is what you should say about yourself, and honestly so. You should be seen to be calling out, to be truly crying out for the salvation of mankind. It would be unfair of you to claim that you call out or cry out when you never do. But then why should you act dumb when you can speak? God expects the Christian to be ever calling out, ever crying out, for noble reasons. While John cried out to prepare people for the first coming of Jesus, we should of necessity also cry out because Jesus is coming for the second time, this time not as a baby in a manger, but as a roaring lion, the King of Kings! That's wh...
1 comment
Read more

Short Sermon #112: THE SECRET OF GOD'S BLESSING AND FAVOR - Our most inspiring sermons of all time

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1  Verse  16 [NIV] I am going to share with you a personal perspective on God's blessings, the way that I have decided to approach the issue for myself. Some Christians probably take the same view, but I believe there are many who hold a different view, and that's perfectly acceptable. There are many things that a Christian is required to do, consistent with their Christian faith. Giving in church is one of them, sacrificial giving for that matter. We should give because we are supposed to behave exactly as our Lord did as He walked the earth. We are only good to the extent that we are like Him. If you give, you walk in the likeness of Christ. If you don't, you walk in the unlikeness of Christ. That's as simple as it can get. I give because my mission is to be like Christ in the world. I give to make a contribution towards the Ministry of the Holy Spirit which has made me st...
Post a Comment
Read more

Short Sermon #102: RAISING HOPE IN DIFFICULT TIMES - Daily devotions for women’s encouragement

I have observed and have become convinced that there are just two kinds of people in this world. The lives of these two kinds of people are as different as day is to night. Only two kinds, not more, not less. That is the message of this textual sermon. There are various difficulties, challenges, trials, and tribulations in this world, but only two kinds of people. There are various levels of poverty, but only two kinds of people. There are various forms of sickness and disease, but only two kinds of people. You put the two groups under the same kind and level of difficulty or pressure, and they react differently. It's amazing. Whatever challenging situation you face today, you are either hopeful or hopeless about it. These are the two kinds of people that I have been referring to - one kind is of the hopeful,  the other is of the hopeless , regarding a specific challenge that they might be facing in their lives at any particular time.   You are either hopeful or hopeless ab...
Read more

Short Sermon #110: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE GOD AND MANKIND - Short powerful devotions

"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1  Verse  5 [NIV ] This bible verse refers to Jesus Christ, the One who was in existence in the beginning. It refers to Jesus as 'the light'. According to the Bible, the life of Christ is the light of mankind. This is remarkable; it means that those who have His life have this kind of light in them - the light of mankind. And it's not just about having this light in you, you must let that light show through you, for there would be no point in lighting a candle if you go on to hide it under a bushel! This is probably the greatest lesson you will ever learn about how to be a light that shines in the darkness. You must first accept Christ, the light, so that you may be saved. The life of Jesus Christ is the source of light. In other words, Jesus Christ is the light of mankind. He shines in the darkness and confounds it; not only that, but the darkness has not and cannot overcome this li...
Post a Comment
Read more

Short Sermon #101: YES, YOU CAN DO IT - Daily devotions for today

I remember the time when I was still a teenager. I kept grudges; real grudges, I mean. I did not know how to forgive; neither did I have the willingness to do so. If somebody did me wrong, they were supposed to pay for it! I was a stranger to God back then - I had never experienced the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in my life. Any talk about God actually had a jarring effect to my ears; it still does to some folks. I also would tremble in anger, sometimes to the point of shedding tears - even against an elder! I recall a day I got so angry at an elder that he almost fell off the chair on which he was sitting. The elder was evidently wrong; I could not tolerate it anymore - but seething in anger did not make me right either - it's only that I did not know at the time and actually felt justified in my actions. But since then the Lord has re-molded me. Praise to His Holy Name!  If you see me now, you see a totally different person. Simple. I now can forgive and do forgive. I...
Read more

Short Sermon #111: I AM NOT THE CHRIST - Short easy sermons

"He (John) himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light." John 1  Verse  8 [NIV] I think we are in some kind of problem as the body of Christ. The problem, in my view, is that an increasing numbe r of men and women, even teens and senior citizens are, whether by word or deed, trying to take the place of Christ. Haven't you ever come across church denominations in which congregants seem to, or actually, worship the leader? That's idolatry! The congregants appear not to acknowledge Christ, and by their actions, neither do they seem to have anything to do with Him. All they are eager to do is please their leader, with the leader becoming an idol in God's sight. Never worship other gods. Never worship false gods. Never worship idols. Never worship your pastor. That is what God expects each one of us never to do!  I have earlier claimed that a Christian, because of their relationship with Christ, is actually a light. Jesus is 'the source light...
1 comment
Read more