SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – BE DILIGENT!

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. - 1Timothy 4:15-16.

“Be diligent!” That's not a saying you hear much about these days. We want things to come easily.

Sweat in the world of pseudo-faith is frowned upon. But, Paul wanted Timothy (and us) to know that maturity in Christ requires genuine effort. Having a redemptive influence on others is hard work. While it is God's power that transforms, our effort is also required.

God gives us the assurance, that this effort will not only bear fruit in our own lives, but it will also lead others to Salvation as well.

Loving Heavenly Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, stir my confidence, courage, diligence, and determination, so that the Salvation you have blessed me with can be shared with others, because of my life, my teaching, and my example. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.

GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – DON’T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS!!

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. - 1 John 5:13.

Yes, we can know! Don't settle for anything less!!

Confidence is so crucial that God sent his Son to die and be raised so we could know that life is our destination, not just our journey.

While that life is experienced now, it is only a hint, a foretaste, of what lies ahead in our future with the Lord.

Loving Heavenly Father, I thank you for your plan of salvation, and the cost you paid to make it happen. I thank you that I can now have confidence in my future with you as your child. I thank you for heaven, for hope, and for my home with you. To you belong all the glory and praise, and in your wonderful name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – SALVATION BELONGS TO OUR JESUS!

And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” - Revelation 7:10.

From the voices of those who know, the message is clear!

God reigns and with his rule comes salvation. This is because of the Lamb who was willing to be slain, but who triumphed over death.

Because of the Lamb's work and faithfulness, we can be assured of heaven.

Loving Heavenly Father, I thank you for providing salvation, by extending your grace to me in Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, for offering yourself to be the Lamb sacrificed for my sins. I look forward to heaven and seeing you face to face, and praising you with the angels, the martyrs, the elders, and other faithful Christians before the throne. To you, O Lord, belongs all praise, honor, glory, and thanks. I ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – SHARING OUR FAITH.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. - 1 Peter 3:15-16.

How do we effectively share our faith, especially in situations hostile to faith?

First, we consciously submit our hearts to Christ as Lord. Second, we prepare a presentation of faith that focuses on the hope we have in Jesus. Finally, when we share our reason for hope, we do it with respect, gently sharing our faith with others.

Of course we would never have an opportunity to share our faith if we don't live a life of faith that makes an impact on those around us.

Loving Heavenly Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to use my influence, and the quality of my life to bring others to Jesus. Grant me wisdom as I seek to bring the following friends to Christ: (Name them personally!) May my words and actions lead them closer to you, and show them my respect and love. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – PURE LOVE!

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8.

God didn't wait till we were “good enough” to bring us His Salvation. Instead, He came when we were most lost, and needed His grace the most.

But then, that's what love really means by God's definition… 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. – John 3:16.

It's more than something declared or felt, it's something radically demonstrated.

Loving Heavenly Father, I thank you, for demonstrating your love in such powerful, radical, and sacrificial way. By the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to share this love, with those who don’t know you yet. I ask this in the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG - JESUS CAME!

They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." - Luke 7:16. TNIV

Jesus came to do the work of God.

Jesus came as the Son of God.

Jesus came to reveal God.

Jesus came and people praised God.

Jesus came so people could see God.

Do you know Jesus?

If you do, do you know him as well as you should?

Loving Father, we thank you for revealing yourself, your love, your grace, and your Salvation in Jesus. We thank you for visiting our world and making us your children. To you, O Lord, belongs all glory and praise. In the mighty, and wonderful name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.

GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – GENEROUS GRACE AND INCREDIBLE LOVE.

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the "law" that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law. - Romans 3:27-28. TNIV

God's Salvation leaves us no room for boasting, for we could not live up to the righteous demands of the Law.

When we are broken and sinful, God purchases our salvation by sending Jesus, and allowing Him to pay the debt for our sin.

We have nothing to boast about, except the overwhelmingly generous grace of God, and the incredible sacrificial love of our Saviour, Jesus. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

Loving Father, I thank you for redeeming me from the righteous judgment of the Law. Thank you, Jesus, for paying the debt for my sins. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for cleansing me and making me holy. Thank you, Lord, for your generous grace and incredible love. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – GET YOURSELF A TATTOO!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! - 2 Corinthians 5:17. TNIV

“New and Better!” That should be tattooed across the forehead of every Christian!

When we come to Christ, He makes us new and He cleanses us of all our sins. Amazingly, this grace can be “new every morning,” because of God's faithfulness and transforming power. God's grace and power are given to us through his Holy Spirit.

We are new and better, and will continue to be that way until we are completely transformed to be like Jesus!

Loving Father, have your way with my heart, my will, my life, and my time. I want to yield myself to you so that you can make me new and better. I don't want to be satisfied with where you have brought me. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to become more like Jesus today, and each day of my life that follows. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – GETTING OUR PRIORITIES RIGHT.

What good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? - Mark 8:36. TNIV

We run after after so many materialistic things, but only one important thing is really required.

Having a bankbook full of money, a great big house, a fancy flash car, and lots of status, doesn't mean a whole lot if you've gone to your final destination without the Lord. Even worse, is to find that in the middle of your unimportant pursuits, you awake to find yourself in the desolate territory, where Christ does not dwell and life is not found.

Let’s get our souls right, and we will get our priorities right!

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to get my priorities right, by keeping my life holy, and my heart obedient to your will, rather than being captivated with my own selfishness. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – SAVIOUR AND LORD!

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. - Matthew 7:13-14.

The world wants a Saviour but not a Lord. The New Testament is clear; a Saviour who is not Lord is no Saviour, and no friend.

If the Old Testament showed us anything, it is that God's seemingly peculiar laws were written not for His enthrallment, but for His people's perpetuation.

Let us not only call Jesus Lord this week, but let us live in a way that shows that He controls our lives, and His Spirit produces our character.

Loving Father, take control of my life and my will so I may be wholly yours, not just in word, but in thought and in deed as well. I ask this in the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – A LIFE WITHOUT WORRY!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? - Matthew 6:25.

We can have a wonderful start to a New Year, if we understand that God provides beauty to the flowers, and life to the grass.

In the majestic design of things, these are fleeting and unimportant.

He sent His Son from Heaven to save us. So, He most certainly is going to give us what we need, until we go home to live with Him forever!

Loving Father, forgive my distraction over worldly things. I do believe that you have given me everything I need in Jesus, and in the gracious abundance of your blessings. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

CHRISTMAS.

We are talking about the birth of a child, Not the revolutionary act of a strong man, Not the breathtaking discovery of a sage, Not the pious act of a saint.

It really passes all understanding. The birth of a child is to bring the great turning around of all things, is to bring salvation and redemption of the whole human race.

What kings and statesmen, philosophers and artists, founders of religions and moral teachers vainly strive for, now comes about through a newborn child.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – THE APPEARING OF GRACE!

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. - Titus 2:11-14.

In a world that has no absolutes, in a world in search of moral standards, salvation by the costly grace of God, beckons us to change our lifestyle in response to God's grace.

Anyone who receives grace, and refuses to pursue righteousness, demonstrates his/her ignorance or hardness of heart.

In our day, in our time, to be saved means to pursue righteousness, not so that we may earn our salvation, but so that God's saving grace will not be fruitless in us.

Loving Father, because you have been so gracious with me, may my life today, reflect the righteousness you gave me through Jesus. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to pursue righteousness, so that I may bring glory to your name. I ask this in the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus, my Lord and my redeemer. Amen.

Be encouraged.
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG - GOD'S DETEST LIST!

The LORD detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless. - Proverbs 11:20. TNIV

Phew! I surely wouldn't want to be on God's “I detest” list! Such people are a disgrace to Him.

But what is a perverse heart? It is a heart that allows what is evil, poisoned, perverted, greedy, deceitful, and vicious, to have control over a person's attitudes, views, and opinions. Ultimately, Jesus reminds us, that such a heart shows up in a person's outward actions.

How is our heart changed? By coming to God in repentance, confessing our association with what is evil and sinful, and asking God to cleanse us by the precious blood of Jesus, and refresh the Holy Spirit’s presence in us.

Loving Father, generate in me a new heart, and renew your Holy Spirit's presence in me. In the wonderful and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

SUNDAY SERMON ON THE BLOG – PRAISE YOU JESUS!

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole."- Galatians 3:13.

Cursed! Not just in the sense that he was mocked and his detractors cursed at Him, but in the sense that He received the curse of death because of our sin.


He did what was hideous and scandalous; He died on a Cross, hung to a tree in front of a jeering mob, executed like sub-human scum. But the beauty of His shame and disgrace is that God made it our redemption. Jesus' ridicule and curse bought us freedom from the curse of our own sins.


Praise God! Praise Jesus! Praise His wonderful and mighty name!


Loving Father, I thank you that Jesus died for me that would be set free from the curse of sin. Help me Holy Spirit to make my thoughts and words, convey the gratitude of my heart, as He intercedes for me now. Thank you! Praise you! May my life truly honor you! In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY

YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!

The thief had nails through both hands, so that he could not work; and a nail through each foot, so that he could not run errands for the Lord; he could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation, and yet Christ offered him the gift of God; and he took it. Christ threw him a passport, and took him into Paradise. - D. L. Moody.

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' – John 3:6-7.

In his book, An Anthropologist on Mars, neurologist Oliver Sacks tells about Virgil, a man who had been blind from early childhood. When he was 50, Virgil underwent surgery and was given the gift of sight. But as he and Dr. Sacks found out, having the physical capacity for sight is not the same as seeing.

Virgil's first experiences with sight were confusing. He was able to make out colors and movements, but arranging them into a coherent picture was more difficult. Over time he learned to identify various objects, but his habits--his behaviors--were still those of a blind man. Dr. Sacks asserts, "One must die as a blind person to be born again as a seeing person. It is the interim, the limbo . . . that is so terrible."

To truly see Jesus and his truth means more than observing what he did or said, it means a change of identity.
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When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day's pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award.

But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award--yet receives such a gift anyway--that is a good picture of God's unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God. - G.W. Knight.
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London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

"Forget about the repairs," the buyer said. "When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different. I don't want the building; I want the site."

Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God's, the old life is over… Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! - 2 Cor. 5:17. He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build. - Ian L. Wilson.

“Lord Jesus, I thank you for dying on the cross for my sins, forgive me for my sins, fill me with your Holy Spirit. I open the door of my heart and receive you as my Lord and Saviour, and I thank you that I am born again. Help me to follow you all the days of my life, in your mighty name I pray. Amen"

Be encouraged.
GBYAY