Pastor Mrs. Sade Olukoya
Date: Sunday, 18th August 2019.
Venue: MFM HQ Youth Church
Text: Jn. 10:23-30, Jn. 3:1-12
Beloved, the Scripture in Jn. 10:23-30 above, confirms our license to eternal life. It also confirms that the perpetuity of this promise can only be activated through a new birth.
New birth then, is the pathway to eternal life.
New birth also means: Forsaking all others, saying goodbye to sin, turning one’s back against the devil, surrendering one’s life to Jesus, and (finally,) having him as one’s personal Lord and Savior.
Jesus explicitly in Jn. 3:1-12 demystified what new birth means, which simply is to be born again. Jesus in this scripture, pointedly emphasized the need to be born again (or born of the Spirit) as it would prove extremely difficult for anyone who is carnal to understand the things of the Spirit.
Biologically, we were birthed into the world by our parents, quite inherently though, that kind of birth carries the ‘Adamic nature’ (1 Cor. 15:22a). We, however, become born again when we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ who in 1 Cor. 15:47, was described as the second Adam.
1 Cor. 15:47: “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”
Comparisons between the First and Second Adam:
In comparison,
- The first Adam sinned while the second Adam (Jesus Christ), committed no sin.
- Through the first Adam sin entered the world, through the second Adam, the world knew right.
- Through the first Adam, sin separated us from God whereas, through the second Adam, righteousness reconciled us with God.
- The world knew death through the first Adam but abundant life through His resurrection was offered the world through the second Adam (Jn.11: 25).
Beloved, it is the life in the redemptive blood of Jesus that runs through the spiritual DNA of every true believing Christian and by it we’re made alive in Christ Jesus.
Anatomical Similarities between a Dead Body and a False Believer:
- Since without blood, it is impossible for a person to remain physically alive, likewise a life without an encounter with the redemptive power in the blood of Jesus Christ through salvation is deemed spiritually dead.
- Just as a body is pronounced clinically dead once the heart stops, so it is when a man’s heart, is not sincerely with Christ.
- Just as bacteria depletes a dead body, cleverly concealed sins and conceit, eats up false believers. Friends, listen carefully, one telling sign of spiritual deadness is a lack of appetite for heavenly things.
- Just as dead people are totally insensitive to activities around them, so it is with false believers. They are without discernment!
What then causes death?
Some death causatives include:
- Wrong and unprofitable relationships (Prov. 2:16-18).
- Iniquity (Prov. 5:2-12).
- Lack of understanding (Prov. 21:16).
The Bible in Prov. 21:16, exposes to us a social gathering called the congregation of the dead. Members of this congregation are those with familiar spirit, wizards, pleasure-seekers, those separated from the things of the Spirit, those appointed unto death, those who hate the Lord (Prov. 8:35), those who misuse their tongue, liars, carnally-minded individuals.
The implication of all these then is that there’re many dead walking corpses around.
I decree upon you, that you would not dine with the congregation of the dead in the name of Jesus.
The Ways of Death:
The ways of death is the way of the following:
- Envy.
- Worldliness and a skewed fashion appetite.
- Bad Spiritual diet.
Way to Redemption: In need of redemption? Then,
- Totally repent and surrender to Jesus’ Lordship.
- Have a rugged determination to please the Lord at all cost.
- Nurture a sincere and balanced hunger and thirst after truth and righteousness.
- Cultivate the habit of praying well-targeted, reasonable and bible-based prayers.
- Study God’s word.
- Finally, be broken (Psa. 34:18).
Prayer Point
- Fire from the altar of God, fall upon my life in the name of Jesus.