- Christians today are terribly powerless
- One great key of Kingdom power is sacrifice
- 2 Samuel 24:18-25
- For you to understand the principle of sacrifice it must cost you something
- You must lay down something
- 2 Kings 3:26-27 The king of Moab took 700 men to help him. He offered his crown prince
- Great anger was released against Israel and they withdrew from him
- Sacrifices have power
- The Satanists seemed to understand the power of sacrifice more than we born again Christianity
- The king of Moab released evil power against Israel with that one
- Jesus says the children of this world are wiser than the children of light Luke 16:1-9
- The greater the sacrifice the greater the power released
- The king of Moab did not sacrifice a goat or a sheep or one of his servants
- He took his son that was to rule in his place
- The reason you see unbelievers going from one witchdoctor to another with sacrifices is just because they know the power behind it
- There is power in sacrifice
- The willing sacrifice of Jesus was the powerful answer to the problems of sin and death. Heb 10:8-12
- Satan has blindfolded the eyes of today’s Christians to the power of sacrifice
- Phili 3:7-8, Paul has dumped money
- Career, he has dumped it, His position he dumped it
- Why? He wants to know Christ, he wants the resurrection power of Christ
- Romans 12:1-2 even your body must be presented to God as a living sacrifice
- Ps 51:17 – The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit
- A broken and a contrite heart will not be despised by God
- God appreciates brokenness and humility
- Discussing every step and move we make with God is regarded by Him as a serious sacrifice
- The strange disease in the body of Christ, is that sacrifice is not understood by many many believers
- The concept of sacrificing anything to God or in the name of the Lord is very strange to most believers
- Our focus today as Christians is money, prosperity, career, safety, marriage , protection, self, self, self
- That is what pagans do, Christians identify with Christ
- It is sad to note that even pastors also measure their success by the amount of money they have
- They measure their success by the number of cars, houses they have and by the offering that come into church
- We have become a generation of people who just focus on God’s hands
- We are not seeking his face at all
- If you go to someone to ask for favour
- You cannot just look at his hands
- You must look at his face, to see if he is happy or not
- Our most common Christian jargon is “I Claim it, I receive it in Jesus name”
- When are we going to start to present ourselves to the Lord as people who have something to give or even sacrifice?
- If we send out our convention posters and advertise healing and miracles and deliverance explosions
- You will be amazed at the number of people that will show up, shouting “ I receive it”
- When are we going to present ourselves as living sacrifice to God?
- Money has never and it will never be the mark of God’s approval for your life
- It’s not what you get that makes you richer or happier
- It is what you give. Remember its more blessed to give than to receive says the Lord Jesus Christ , Acts 20:35, Luke 6:38
- Any time I sacrifice my time to go out to the hospital on Saturday, I come back rejoicing. Am happier than if I have just sat at home watching T.v.
- When was the last time you gave a sacrificial offering to God?
- January fast was a great opportunity, but how much did you give?
WHAT DOES SACRIFICE MEAN?
- It means you drop something that is useful to you
- It is highly valuable but you give it up
- When will you bring something very valuable to God’s house?
- What will you sacrifice for this convention for your breakthrough to be powerfully released?
- Even the Philistines understood the principle of powerful offerings
- 1 Samuel 6:1-4,7-8
- Samuel understood this principle very well
- 1 samuel 7:7-13
- Samuel’s mother understood this principle very well
- 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 22-28
- Hannah’s sacrifice was powerful
- She suffered and prayed a lot just to get Samuel
- Then she paid her precious vow
- She did so with high praises
- She did so with sacrifice of praise
- She did not run away with Samuel
- She did not release him grudgingly
- Knowing that God loves a cheerful giver
- She released him with high praise
- She continued to dress him up for the Lord year after year 1 Samuel 2:18-21
- If you give sparingly, you will also receive sparingly
- She gave bountifully and she received bountifully
- Sacrifice is very difficult to do
- This is why the church is powerless today
- The truth is wherever your treasure is, that is where your heart is
- The problem with us present day Christians is that our heart is not in heaven
- Paul made sacrifices for his faith and he was rewarded with a heavy anointing
- There is nothing in this world like living for God without paying some price
- It will surely cost you something
- Many people have sacrificed their very lives for Christ
- What have you done for him?
- What have you given for him?
- Where will you go for him
- Many have died for Christ
- Many here are offended because it’s time to give sacrificially for the convention
- Many are complaining about fasting
- Many cannot forgive, sacrifice their pride or worldly clothes to please God
- “I won’t look nice, what will people think of me?” they keep thinking and saying
- The issue is what will God think of you?
- We are a generation that hates to do anything for the excellency of Christ
- A generation that has become insensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit
- A generation that has so much resisted God’s voice that we are now deaf or struggling to hear God because He too is tired of trying to help us Genesis 6:3
- Bible says submit yourself as a living sacrifice
- Living sacrifice means that you are alive but you willingly surrender to God
- Normally you must tie an animal you want to sacrifice so it won’t run away
- But a living sacrifice is not forced, he is willing
- That’s why the cross of Jesus Christ is the symbol of obedience and sacrifice
- Jesus willingly laid down his life
- When it became tough for Him he went and prayed for grace and strength in Gethsemane
- Because he won the battle against satan and self-love, selfishness and self-worship in the garden of Gethsemane, you can also win that battle if you pray and trust Him
- Jesus was sacrificed on that cross
- When you understand the cross and its power all your struggles will be over
- That cross will bring out your blood Paul says” Im crucified with Christ”
- The preaching of the cross is the preaching of sacrifice 1 Corinthians 1:18
- But it is foolishness to those who are perishing , but for us who believe it is the power of God
- Sacrifice whether negative or positive releases spiritual power
- Satanist sleep in cemeteries for days with dry fasting, looking for breakthroughs
- They can abstain from sex for years just to be strong spiritually
- But Christians won’t even pray for self-control
- When you fast, the fast is a sacrifice, because you are denying yourself food
- It releases power, it releases uncommon breakthroughs
- When you give sacrificially you are denying your soul it releases power and unimaginable testimony
- When you serve the Lord selflessly, you are releasing power
- When you engage in night prayers, deny yourself of sleep it’s a sacrifice
- When you say I will work in God’s house and get little or no money
- You are releasing serious power to prosper for yourself and children, and children’s children
- It’s one thing to pray, but it’s another to sacrifice
- Power will break forth in your life if you start to sacrifice
- Finally there is a spirit that works actively against sacrifice
- It does not want you to sacrifice anything
- Daniel 11:31, The spirit that works against sacrifice, is the anti-Christ spirit
- This is a serious matter, because our powerlessness bothers heaven
- When God is telling you to give up something or to do something for Him
- It is the antichrist spirit that won’t let you to do it
- Satan is against sacrifice , because he understands the power in it
- When Peter was forbidding Christ to die on the cross Jesus said “Get thee behind me, satan thou art an offence unto me, for thou savourest not the things that be of God but those that be of men”
- In other words Peter was a stumbling block to Christ because he was just filled with human concerns
- He was carnal, earthly, not spiritual
- Note that Jesus rebuked satan because he was the one talking through Peter
- The truth is we make sacrifices all the time
- It just depends where you direct yours
- Many of you wake up at 4am , drop children off at school at 6pm
- Many do 3 jobs a day and spend hours in the library for another decree or certificate
- Many will go to work when they don’t have money
- Borrow money to attend funeral and birthday parties
- But when it comes to God’s things, no time, no show, no money is what you will hear from them.
- Imagine the sacrifices the refugees are making now
- Little do you know that anything you do for God, He will note it and return it a hundred fold
- Coming regularly to church has serious place in God’s heart
- We all heard elder Emilia’s testimony, that woman and her husband attend all the services etc. people sacrifice always but for thing that they think are more profitable
- But few have understood the Christian sacrifice
- John 12:24
NECESSITY OF SACRIFICE
- Sacrifice is ordained by God to do several things for you
- It is God’s divine institution to make sure you are blessed
- Sacrifice will generate divine power from God
- Sacrifice will generate divine favour from God,
- Sacrifice is a sign of your total commitment to Jesus Christ
- Sacrifice is a sign of your total dedication and loyalty to Jesus Christ
- Sacrifice is a sign that you appreciate the Lord and what He did for you
- Sacrifice is a sign of your self-denial
- Sacrifice shows your level of spiritual maturity
- Sacrifice is a sign of brokenness and selflessness, sign of true Christianity
- Sacrifice is a way to generate discipling power
- Sacrifice is a sign of a life totally surrendered to God
- A lot of people come to church but contribute next to nothing
- Activities, hospital ministry, praise and worship etc.
- They can’t even sacrifice their energy to clap their hands and open their mouths in praise Heb.13:15
- Money, time, talent, not even love and appreciation for the servants of God
- They don’t like the ushers, the choir, Sunday school teachers etc.
- They don’t treat the house of God as their Father’s house
- For them, it is “their church” or “Nigerian church” or whatever
- Nobody in history who just lived a life of ease will ever be known
- We are reading about many people in history books today because of sacrifice
- Sisters, you want power but worldliness is your God
- You can’t discipline yourself and dress for Christ
- You say oh but I see many on TV that are preaching with heavy make ups etc.
- Is there name in the book of life?
- Many are even ashamed of Jesus
- Brethren there is no point in living a powerless Christian life
- Some are shy to evangelise, even to pray in the street, why are you ashamed of Christ?
- Jesus says “I gave my life for thee, I shed my precious blood for thee”
- What have you done for me? Luke 13
- Every time God is calling you to pray , you just ignore His voice
- Every time God is calling you to work for Him, no but you have other ideas
- You need to repent and finally surrender all to Jesus
- When you sing “all to Jesus I Surrender” are you sincere?
- Some should sing some or none to Jesus I surrender
- Ask God to forgive you for stinginess, lack of activity in God’s house, rebellion against His voice, disobedience, stubbornness and worldliness
- Some activities will not even be acceptable to God
- Repent from breaking your vows to God
- Repent from being a floating church member
- You need to commit yourself to God’s house
- You can sing, teach Sunday school ,counsel and follow up new comers give generously, fix the broken windows in the church, find something to sacrifice for God
PRAYERS
- Ladder of powerlessness in my life, die in Jesus name
- Spirit of spiritual ignorance , immaturity and selfishness die in Jesus name
- Spirit of self-worship and worldliness die in Jesus name
- Heaven has been struggling to talk to some or help you, but iniquity has separated you from God
- Say my Father deliver me from the power of death and hell in Jesus name