WHAT KIND OF SAVIOUR ARE YOU EXPECTING?

·         Today is Palm Sunday, also called the “triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.” The day on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey. 

-          But have you ever asked yourself what went wrong that in that same week He rode into Jerusalem, Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples, denied by another, arrested by the high priest’s guard, accused by a coalition of religious leaders, tried by the Roman governor, and sentenced to die the death of a common criminal (death by crucifixion).

-          The Bible says Jesus made a triumphant entry (procession) into Jerusalem but it is interesting to note that Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem was not the only procession in that week.

That very week had about three different procession of three different categories of people

a.       The procession of the massive crowd that came to celebrate the Passover feast in Jerusalem.

b.      The procession of the massive military (security) forces led by Pontius Pilate the Roman centurion and the present governor that covers the region of Judea, Samaria and Idumea in Jerusalem to maintain law and order throughout the period of Passover feast because of the huge significance the Jew had placed on the feast. Pilate’s spectacular entry into Jerusalem was meant to send a message to the Jews, and to those who might be plotting against the empire of Rome.

c.       The procession of Jesus Christ and His disciple.

Since Jesus quoted from the word of prophet Zechariah (Zech. 9:9) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass), the people completed the chapter and interpreted it to mean, “God will deliver the nation from the oppressor”—in this case, Rome!

The crowd on that Sunday, proclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”  In other words, they were placing their faith in Jesus that he would restore the glory of the nation back just as David did because He is a descendant of David.

The Old Testament prophets had proclaimed that the coming Messiah would sit on the throne of his father, David.  The Messiah would bring back the glory of Israel, would rid the nation of oppressors, would rule benevolently, and would be kind to the common people. Zech. 9:9-16

They wanted Jesus to become their earthly king but failed to understand the divine purpose and mission of Jesus Christ which is; to bring the kingdom of God to man, not to become their earthly king.

That was what brought doubt into the heart of some of the crowd, and the rulers of the synagogue capitalized on it. John 11:45-50.

Isa.55:8-9 ⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…….

What kind of king do you want?

·         We all make these mistakes everyday as believers when we fail to have proper understanding of the person of Jesus

·         What kind of Jesus do you seek this morning, the Lord over all situations of your life or the errand god that you use to fulfill your selfish desire?

·         Sometimes because prophecy had gone forth, we begin to act without further confirming how those things will come to pass

·         We choose the way things must be done over God’s divine agenda.

No wonder Naaman said “… I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper (Always thinking we can work spiritual things out with carnal mindset)

1 Cor 1:25 …. the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men

-          Our heart must grow from self-centered faith to Christ-centered faith (we don’t squeeze God into our busy schedule or turn to God when it is only convenient or useful)

·         If Jesus shows up today, I think we might expect the same things.

-          We seek Jesus who will end our wars, take away poverty, eliminate stress, financial stress, marital stress, work stress, emotional stress, family conflict, fear. But what we fail to understand is that this are mere additions but the needful is to first seek His kingdom. Matt.6:33

·         He has gone to the cross and sacrificed His life for us so that we could be transformed and be eligible.

In conclusion

·         Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God to man even while still on earth.

·         Don’t seek the good of the land at the expense of your creator.

-          When our wants and desires is completely against the plan of God for our lives God becomes unclear to us.

-          The world wanted war, but Jesus brought peace.

-          They wanted back the kingdom of the world but He brought the kingdom of God to man.

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      Pastor Olanrewaju Areola

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SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION
Psalm 23:2-3

The word ‘transformation’ is synonymous with change. Everyone desires a change. People love to experience positive change in their status – be it marital, financial, emotional, political, health, etc.
The truth is that any change that will have a lasting impact must be from within. Transformation is a process that starts from within, and thereafter, reflects on the outside.
2 Cor. 4:16-18 ----> Romans 8:11

For us to experience significant change in our lives, we must experience the new birth.
Except we are born of water and the Spirit, we cannot experience the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh indeed and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit indeed… (John 3:3-6).

Spiritual transformation is a process which God takes us through, in order to ensure that we conform to the image of His Son (that the fullness of Christ may be revealed in us), i.e. Growing into sonship (Rom. 8:29; Gal. 4:19).

It’s a process through which we get built up and lay hold on our God-given inheritance, as the sanctified of the Lord (Acts 20:32).

Today, I want us to examine the spiritual transformation that God takes us through in four dimensions:

Resources
‘…He makes me to lie down in green pastures…’

The Lord provides our needs by making available to us, all things that pertain to life and godliness.
As the Good Shepherd, He makes us (the sheep of His hand) to lie down in green pastures, that we may feed and feast on the ‘evergreen’ Word, the incorruptible seed which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:24-25).

Rest
‘…He leads me beside the still waters…’

The Lord leads us to the place of rest, peace, calmness (Matt. 11:28-30).
Even when we face adversity and experience tribulation, we are rest assured of His ever-abiding presence.
He is the One who leads us to the water. He is the Giver of the water. Moreover, He is the Water of life (John 4:10-14).
He is offering Himself to you today, that you may have eternal rest!
Are you willing to accept Him?

Restoration
‘…He restores my soul…’
The Lord, through His Word refreshes, renews and quickens your soul. He engages our thoughts, challenges our intellects and adjusts our ethics.
Furthermore, He pierces (penetrates into) our hearts, that He may bring His ultimate desire into fulfilment in our lives (Heb. 4:12).
Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23.

I pray, you will experience restoration in this month, in every aspect of your life, in the name of Jesus Christ!

Righteousness
‘…He leads me in the paths of righteousness…’

He leads us in the way that we should go (Isa. 48:17). He shows us the path of life (Psalm 16:11). He orders our steps (Psalm 25:4-5; 37:23).

As you open up yourself to the Lord for divine revelation and direction, He will reveal Himself to you; Furthermore, He will lead you in the path of righteousness.
2 Cor. 5:21.

As we have come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace for help, may the Word of God enforce a trans-generational change in our lives today.

- Pastor Nathaniel Sadela

   Resident Pastor

THE ENEMY CALLED SELF (SELF CONTROL)

2 Peter 1:2-11, 1 Cor. 9:24-27,

The mention of the phrase ‘self-control’ undoubtedly brings to mind different images for people depending on their particular circumstances. Many probably think of combating dominating habits that can range from the simple to the more complex and debilitating e.g. too much food, drink, drug abuse, sexual immorality, anger and exaggeration.

Regardless, self-control is very much an important part of maturity. One of the basic characteristics of infancy is a lack of self-control.

Let us look into God’s word and see what kind of self-control God desires of us.

Self-Control is allowing God to be in control of your will and heart and seeking His Spirit to enable us. It is then we will know what not to do and guard the areas we are weak in. This allows us to have discipline and restraint with obedience to God and others.

Self-Control as the fruit of the Spirit is of great importance in Christian life. For without self-control, we would not be able to become good ambassadors of Christ. If we don’t have self-control, we will die and be lost. This folly make our lives become a defenseless city with broken-down walls; we easily fall prey to temptations such as adultery, fornication, quarreling or drinking which may result in losing the joy of our salvation which has been given to us through the precious sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

Defining Self-control:

Fundamentally, self-control is the ability or power to rule or regulate one’s personal life so that we are neither driven nor dominated, as the apostle John puts it, by the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, or the pride of life (1 John 2: 16)

Self-control means to be in control of one’s attitudes or thought processes, desires or passions, and patterns or habits so they do not dictate one’s behavior. Speaking scripturally, self-control is a matter of the control of the self-life from within by spiritual means, i.e., by God’s weapons of spiritual warfare as described in the Word of God (2 Cor. 10: 3-5).

1.   Why is it necessary for us to pursue self-control?

The New Testament has three major purposes for it.

• a)      Self Discipline: In 1 Corinthians Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:25. “Everyone who competes in the games practices what is referred to in Greek terms as enkrateia. They go into strict training. The athletes in the Corinthian games discipline their bodies. They do it to obtain a laurel wreath and the adulation of the crowds. How much more then, says Paul, should we be willing to discipline ourselves in order to obtain a heavenly crown?
• b)      To stand in the way of Fruit of the Flesh: Self-control is sometimes presented as a virtue in its own right. That’s the case in Galatians where it is given as the ninth fruit of the Spirit.
• c)      It is a consequence of our faith in Christ: Thirdly, self-control is sometimes presented as a consequence of faith in Jesus Christ. A good example of this is Acts 24:24-25 where Paul is presenting the gospel to the Roman Governor Felix.

We might say, in summary, that self-control is the act of agreeing with the Holy Spirit by bringing my actions into line with his guidance.” Or as Richard Foster puts it: “self-control is the way of disciplined grace”.

2. How can we pursue to induct Self-control in our daily lives?

(a) When Possible, Avoid Temptation

We can’t always avoid exposure to sin. "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world" (1 Corinthians 5: 9-10). Since we can’t avoid every sinful influence, we must learn to live in the world without allowing sin to have a negative impact on us.

It’s important for us to avoid temptation, thereby decreasing the pressure to turn away from God. "Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15: 33).

"But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5: 21-22).

We greatly decrease temptation by associating with good people. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to avoid exposure to everything that’s sinful. In such instances, we must be strong enough to control our thoughts, so we’re not tempted.

(b) Are You In Control OR The Holy Spirit?

As Christians, we have the ability to control our thoughts, in obedience to God’s commands.

"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Colossians 3: 2).

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things" (Philippians 4: 8).

The problem occurs when we don’t control our thoughts.

Paul wrote in Galatians 5: 16, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Can we allow the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts & action?

C. Don’t look back

If we are to grow in the area of self-control, we can’t let our past mistakes persuade us that we will never live an overcoming life. Some let their failures paralyze them and they quit trying.

Paul said, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.” [Philippians 3: 13 – 14]

(d) Enslave Yourself to Righteousness & Abhor Evil

We make ourselves slaves of sin or slaves of righteousness.

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6: 16-18)

(e) Set Your Mind on Things Above

As slaves of righteousness, we seek the things above, setting our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3: 1-2).

Therefore, we "consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry" (Colossians 3: 5).

3. What are the devastating consequences for the lack of Self-control?

Another motivation for self-control that must never be ignored involves the law of the harvest. Simply put, we reap according to what we sow. There are always consequences to our behavior. To ignore this truth is to be deceived or extremely foolish. Paul states the principle shortly:

Galatians 6: 7-9 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, (8) because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. (9) So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.

Regarding the consequences of a lack of self-control, we have the sober warnings of Scripture:

1 Timothy 6: 7-10 “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 

And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.”

Titus 3: 3 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”

Conclusion: We should avoid sin whenever possible. But we live in the world, and it’s impossible to avoid all exposure to sin. As Christians, we control our thoughts and avoid temptation by enslaving ourselves to righteousness, abhorring evil, and setting our minds on things above, considering ourselves dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed.

Pastor Oluwayimika Anibaba

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THE LAND IS GREEN

He makes me to lie down in green pasture...

Symbolically, green could be seen as the colour of life, renewal, nature, and energy. 

It is associated with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment. 

Furthermore, green is also traditionally associated with money, banking, investments, agriculture, economy, wealth, etc.

Pasture represents a land or location covered with grass and other low plants suitable for grazing animals, like sheep or cattle. It can also be seen as a place of opportunities and wealth creation.

There seems to be a link between the word ‘green’ and the word ‘pasture’. There are some qualities shared by the two words. Some of these are: prosperity, health, wealth, stability, sustenance, etc.

Nigeria is associated with green (blessing)! Nigeria is a blessed country... Every state in Nigeria is blessed with natural resources...

Not just natural resources, but spiritual and intellectual resources

Africa is a large pool (fountain) of blessings...

Green pasture here represents the presence of God. 

Pasture also represents or depicts the Word of God. It denotes that which sustains man's spiritual life (Deut. 8:2-3; Ezekiel 34:11-15; Psalm 100:3).

Anywhere God sends you to, is a green pasture... no other place could be greener. It can't be better elsewhere. Just be rightly positioned in the God-assigned location (Gen. 12, 26).

As a good shepherd, He makes you and I to lie down in 'green pastures'. The word 'lie down' also connotes rest, peace of mind. It means to locate, to discover and to explore.

This year, not only will you discover the green pasture, you will explore it to the fullest capacity.

In this month, by revelation, you will discover God's provision for your life, and you will enjoy and live on these blessings. Moreover, by revelation, you will discover the purpose and significance of such blessings (Deut. 8:18).

In the midst of blessings, you will not forsake the Blesser. You will not forsake God for gold...

How can I enjoy the green pasture?

Hebrews 6:11-15; Romans 5:1-4

Through endurance (tolerance), you develop self comportment and composure before men. Through patience (perseverance), you cultivate a healthy character before God.

If you are willing and obedient, you will enjoy the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19).

Pastor Nathaniel Sadela

Resident Pastor

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