Participants: Roland Nwosu
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000014
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00:01 Please stay with us,
00:08 3ABN presents 00:16 this closed captioned program. 00:29 Praise God. My name is Roland Nwosu 00:32 pastor of the Salt Lake City Central SDA Church 00:34 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 00:36 We're glad you joined the program today. 00:39 You see everything today has a "how-to" resource. 00:44 How to cook, how to do-it-yourself, 00:47 how to garden or how to remodel yourself. 00:50 But, why not? 00:52 How to stay in church and not stray out, 00:55 Why not? 00:56 How to stay connected with Jesus. 00:59 So, in today's sermon we want to explore with you 01:05 how we as Christians who want to believe in God 01:09 who have believed in God, 01:11 people who want to have their lives 01:13 connected with Almighty God 01:15 how we can do that. 01:17 How to stay connected to Jesus. Let us pray. 01:23 Father, we are willing right now 01:27 Pull us to You, plug us in to You, 01:30 let's be connected to You, 01:33 and when we are we ask that you give us the power that we need 01:36 to live the life, power to be active, 01:41 power to shine, power to be alive, 01:44 in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. 01:47 Amen. 01:50 The Christian journey 01:55 is one that requires 01:56 a disciplined life. 01:58 I want to share with you 10 ways 02:01 we can stay connected with Jesus 02:05 especially in a world that is so distracting, so confusing, 02:10 a world filled with distractions 02:13 and all kinds of concerns and issues that tend to pull us away 02:19 from the way that God wants us to walk in. 02:22 Ten ways to stay connected with Jesus 02:26 and to stay connected continually. 02:30 First is to pray, you see, prayer is something 02:36 that is indispensible in the Christian life. 02:39 Point # 1: Pray in good and bad times. 02:45 If we must stay connected to Jesus 02:47 we cannot afford not to pray. 02:50 King David said that he prayed, he cried unto the Lord 02:56 in the morning, at noon time and in the evening. 03:03 Prayer is a key that unlocks 03:09 Heaven's storehouse we have been told. 03:12 Prayer is a strong resource. 03:16 It is the key in the hand of faith 03:18 to reach the storehouse of God our Father. 03:24 You see, Paul tells us not to stop praying 03:28 but for us to continually pray, 03:31 he says, "Pray without ceasing. " 03:35 What does it mean to have a prayer life, 03:39 to never cease practicing the presence of God? 03:43 It does not mean to kneel down and pray 03:45 every day or to close your eyes and pray while driving, 03:49 better not do that because that would not be right. 03:51 It means actively living in the presence of God 03:54 regardless of what we are doing. 03:56 It means having a prayerful 03:58 life, having a life of prayer, 04:00 practicing God's presence, 04:01 acting as if God is there with us... with us 04:07 seeing Him face to face, 04:12 because He is there with us all the time. 04:15 In Mark 11:24 we are told to believe when we pray and have 04:21 faith, explicit faith in God. 04:34 You see, we have to believe 04:36 not based on a lack of understanding in God. 04:46 It's a belief that He who has said it is faithful and sure 04:51 to accomplish what He has said. 04:54 Believe God in every circumstance, 04:58 believe in His leading, 05:00 believe that His Word will come true. 05:04 2nd Point: If we must stay connected to Jesus 05:09 and connected to Him all the time we must study His Word. 05:15 You see, the Bible is Jesus in a written form, 05:20 God has communicated to us 05:26 through the written Word. 05:29 We love to read letters from our loved ones. 05:33 We like to communicate with our loved ones, 05:35 God has communicated to us through the Bible, 05:40 through His Word. 05:42 To stay connected with Him 05:44 we are to be in touch, in constant contact 05:49 with the Word, searching the Scriptures 05:51 knowing what God's will and plan is for us. 05:55 You see, God has revealed His will in the Scriptures. 05:59 We are told that we must study to show ourselves approved 06:08 unto God. 06:10 Paul told Timothy, "do your best, 06:14 do your best to present yourself 06:17 to God as one approved as a workman 06:21 who does not need to be ashamed 06:24 rightly dividing the Word of Truth. " 06:28 God's Word is sure, it's a sword, 06:36 it's a weapon that we can use in our spiritual fight. 06:43 Studying God's Word is indispensible as well, 06:47 if we must connect ourselves with the Savior, 06:53 if we must stay connected to Jesus 06:55 we cannot but study His Word. 07:04 Studying daily, reading inspirational books, 07:10 there are many that we have, many men and 07:16 women of God have written, have been inspired, 07:19 encourage yourselves reading the Word of God. 07:24 In the book of Acts 17:11, we are told that the Berean's, 07:32 after hearing the sermon, after hearing the Bible studies, 07:52 Even Jesus Himself told us that 07:57 man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word 08:03 but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 08:05 So we know that the Word of God is food 08:09 for our spiritual bodies. 08:11 It's more than necessary food. 08:13 Job said, "I have not departed from the commands of His lips 08:17 I have treasured the Words of His mouth 08:20 more than my daily bread. " 08:22 There is another point, Point # 3: 08:27 If we must stay connected to Jesus, 08:30 faithful church attendance is necessary, 08:35 it's not just on the day of worship but 08:38 when the church doors are open for worship. 08:40 The Bible tells us in Luke 4:14-16 08:47 that Jesus went to church. 09:19 So here we see that Jesus of Galilee, 09:21 regularly, His custom was to go to church service. 09:25 Why did Jesus need 09:27 to attend church? 09:28 He needed to be encouraged, He needed to be supported, 09:31 He needed to keep in contact with His Father 09:34 knowing that He Himself came from Heaven. 09:37 If Jesus needed to go to church, 09:39 if Jesus needed to keep in touch with His Father 09:42 how much more us today. 09:46 We are told not to neglect the assembly or meeting together 09:54 of the brethren, as some have formed a habit of doing, 09:57 let us encourage one another 09:58 and all the more as you see the day approaching. 10:03 Point # 4: 10:06 If we must stay connected to Jesus, 10:10 if we must stay in church and not stray out 10:13 or backslide we must trust in God and God alone, 10:17 we cannot trust in friends. 10:20 Micah the prophet said in Micah 7:5 10:40 Even your own spouse, don't put your confidence in them, 10:44 God is the One in whom we can trust. 10:48 Yes, the Bible does not say, don't trust your spouse, 10:51 in the sense of when they say something 10:54 to you in relationships, yes trust them, 10:57 but when it comes to spiritual matters, 10:59 when it comes to moral matters, 11:00 where only God Himself is the Arbiter, 11:05 is the ultimate authority, 11:07 God is the ultimate authority and not your spouse. 11:11 So we cannot trust anyone else in matters of spirituality. 11:14 King David says, "Do not put your trust in princes 11:19 not in mortal man who cannot save. " 11:23 King Solomon says, "He who trusts in himself 11:26 is a fool. " And who is a fool? 11:29 A fool is someone who has denied there is no God, 11:34 And if we don't trust God and God alone 11:41 then we run the risk of being disconnected. 11:47 You see, we cannot trust in ourselves either 11:51 because, the prophet Jeremiah tells us 11:56 that the heart of man is desperately wicked, 11:59 no one can understand it. 12:02 Don't trust in yourself, trust in God. 12:08 The prophet Isaiah says, "Trust in the Lord forever 12:10 for the Lord Himself is God; He is eternal 12:13 He is the Rock, Eternal, the Immovable Rock. " 12:17 Trust in the Lord. 12:19 Point # 5: 12:21 If we must stay connected with Jesus, 12:23 if we must stay in church and not stray out 12:27 if we must keep our faith active and alive, 12:30 we must mind our own business, 12:34 mind your own business, let other people alone. 12:39 Mind your business because it is your business 12:41 between you and your God 12:42 and between them and their God. 12:44 And Paul makes it very clear to us in 1 Thessalonians 4:11 13:04 So the Bible tells us to live a quite life, 13:13 we can stretch it out and include that, 13:16 there are some people who study to make noise, 13:18 who study to cause confusion in a group, 13:22 in the church, among their associations at work 13:25 at school, I don't know, wherever! 13:27 But, the apostle Paul says make it your business 13:33 to stay to yourself and mind your own business 13:36 and work with your hands 13:40 just as the Gospel has been entrusted to us. 13:49 You see, the devil always finds work for idle hands, 13:55 idle hands, empty drums make the most noise. 14:00 Those who complain most are the ones who don't do anything, 14:07 but when we mind our business 14:11 certainly God will fill us up with His Spirit. 14:17 You know there is something else 14:19 that the apostle Paul told Timothy once 14:22 he should take care of the tale bearers 14:27 and busy bodies in church. 14:52 Have you made some calls you weren't supposed to? 14:54 Christian friend, if we must stay connected with Jesus 15:01 we must mind our business, 15:03 we must stay off the phone, 15:05 we must stay off the couch, 15:09 and do things we are supposed to be doing, 15:13 calls that we ought not be calling, 15:15 visits that we ought not be making, 15:18 tale bearers and busy bodies, 15:21 you know the church grapevine. 15:25 If we must stay connected, mind your business, 15:31 follow Christ and not others. 15:34 You see, apostle Peter had that problem. 15:38 Jesus was sharing with His disciples one day 15:42 when He was telling Peter how he would be dying, 15:50 how he'd die when he gets old, 15:52 and John came by and apostle Peter said 15:59 "How about him... " 16:30 Mind your business, why do you care, what is that to you? 16:34 "Follow Me Peter, 16:35 it is not your business if I want him to live forever. 16:39 How does that matter to you?" 16:43 Some of us as Christians because we are supposed 16:47 to love one another, we are supposed to care for one another 16:49 we get into people's business, 16:51 and it discourages some people, 16:54 it burns some people. 16:55 We say things we are not supposed to say, 16:58 people are hurt, 17:02 and they don't feel that church is a place to come and share 17:07 their inmost concerns and problems. 17:11 That is not the will of God, 17:15 mind your business, 17:19 and talk to the Lord about it in prayer. 17:23 I want to share with you the # 6 Point: 17:26 If we must stay connected to Jesus and stay in church 17:29 and not stray out 17:33 we must be witnesses of Christ 17:40 because that is our first job. 17:43 You see, in Acts 1:8 we're told the reason the Holy Spirit gives 17:51 us power is to energize us 17:54 to do the work of the ministry. 17:56 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you" 18:01 and Jesus said, "You will be My witnesses 18:04 in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria 18:10 and to the ends of the earth." 18:13 So the purpose of the Holy Spirit, 18:17 the reason why Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit 18:23 is to do the work of His ministry, 18:26 to do the work of the church. 18:28 So when we receive the Holy Spirit 18:31 we receive power to do God's work, 18:34 because that is the purpose for which 18:36 the Holy Spirit has been given to us. 18:39 Point # 7: 18:42 Don't be deceived, 18:44 don't be a fake, be real, 18:50 be a real Christian. 18:51 As my friend told me this afternoon, she said, 18:55 "We should not be afraid as Christians", 19:00 because God has not given us a spirit of fear 19:03 but God has given us a spirit of strength, 19:07 fearlessness, and boldness 19:09 before His presence. 19:11 Don't be deceived God is not mocked. 19:15 Love of the brethren is essential for we know that 19:21 for we know that we have passed from death to life 19:23 because we love our brothers. 19:24 And anyone who does not love 19:27 remains in death. 19:29 Now some of come walking into a church 19:33 and we act like we are so holier than all the people. 19:38 We smile but inside we don't have the love for one another. 19:42 Be real. 19:45 If we must stay connected 19:46 we must be genuine. 19:50 In 1 John 1:8 20:07 Point # 8: 20:09 Love, love one another. 20:14 If we must stay connected with Jesus 20:17 If we must stay connected to Jesus 20:20 and stay plugged in to Him, the power source 20:24 of our spiritual life 20:26 we must love one another. 20:28 Yes the Bible says, "Love your enemies. " 20:31 Love one another. 20:34 And don't show favoritism. 20:37 In 1 John 4:20, 21 21:13 Love is primary, 21:17 love is essential in the church of God. 21:22 Oh, how many have left the church because 21:26 they complained or they felt they were not loved. 21:29 We must love one another, 21:36 support one another, 21:39 encouraging one another, 21:40 exhorting one another, 21:43 sharing with one another, 21:45 that brotherly kindness that God has given us 21:49 within His household. 21:50 Let me share the # 9th point with you. 21:53 The Bible tell us that helping others 21:59 through unselfish service 22:02 is one essential purpose for which 22:05 the church was established. 22:08 Galatians 6:9 22:24 Let's not be weary in well doing, 22:27 because at the proper time, 22:29 when He that shall come shall come 22:32 we will reap the harvest 22:34 if we have done faithfully. 22:37 Jesus told a story in Matthew 25. 22:40 He told a story about the sheep and the goats, 22:43 the ones that will be on the right hand 22:45 and the others that will be on the left hand side. 22:47 There is a difference between the sheep 22:50 that will be on the right. 22:52 They were the ones who served 22:56 with faithful, unselfish service. 23:02 They fed the hungry, 23:05 they gave drink to the thirsty, 23:08 they clothed the naked, they visited the sick, 23:12 and those in prison, 23:13 that was unselfish service at work. 23:16 At that time when the King shall come 23:22 He will reward us beyond what we have spent on others, 23:27 that is His promise. 23:29 There is nothing that we have spent on others 23:33 that will go unrewarded. 23:36 Jesus calls for our unselfish service to people, 23:39 and it's through service to other people, 23:45 and for other people, 23:46 that we ourselves receive the greatest blessings. 23:52 It is through giving 23:54 that we ourselves as Christians 23:57 as children of God 23:59 receive blessings from the Lord. 24:02 Let me share with you the # 10th point: 24:06 which I believe is the most important, 24:08 because there are so many things that are 24:10 so distracting and confusing in our world today. 24:16 The # 10th point is that we must focus. 24:20 If we must stay connected to Jesus, 24:23 if we must remain plugged in 24:25 to that Power Source, Jesus Christ our Savior 24:29 we must focus on Him. 24:32 Focusing means refusing to be distracted. 24:38 Though the things around our world, around us, 24:42 around our homes, around our work 24:45 might shake us, might try to test our faith 24:48 through trials and difficulties, 24:51 through sufferings and pains, 24:53 keep focused, children of God. 24:56 We must focus on Jesus if we must stay connected. 25:00 10 Points: why and how we must stay connected with Jesus. 25:06 We must focus on Him. 25:08 Hebrews 12:2 25:39 So you see, Jesus was focused. He refused to be distracted. 25:45 You see, He had a mission to save souls, 25:48 mission to bring back His lost world, 25:52 He stayed focused on His mission. 25:56 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, 25:58 let us focus on Him, 26:00 let us not fix our eyes on the leaders of the church, 26:03 let us take our eyes away from the pastor, 26:06 or from the elders or from the deacons 26:08 but let Jesus be our example. 26:12 Apostle Peter says, "To this we have been called " 26:16 because Jesus suffered and He suffered 26:20 leaving an example for us 26:23 that we should follow in His footsteps. 26:25 He committed no sin, 26:27 our elders have committed sins, 26:29 and we are sinners saved by the grace of God. 26:33 No one in the church ought to be the focus 26:36 of any member of the church. 26:38 So, Jesus committed no sin 26:40 and no deceit was found in His mouth. 26:43 When they hurled insults at Him 26:46 He did not hurl back, 26:47 He did not retaliate, 26:48 when He suffered He made no threats, 26:51 instead He entrusted Himself 26:53 to the One who judges justly, 26:57 so follow the steps of Jesus, 27:01 focus on Jesus. 27:04 For He is the One who has walked that way, 27:08 that path before us, leaving us that example, 27:12 "For we have such a High Priest 27:14 who has gone on to Heaven 27:17 to the right hand throne of God, 27:18 having suffered all the things that we have suffered, 27:23 having been tempted in all ways that we have been tempted." 27:26 So we have such a High Priest 27:30 who Himself understands us, 27:33 be encouraged and stay connected with Him. 27:38 Plug into that life source 27:41 that only Jesus can sustain 27:44 and keep us alive. 27:46 May the Lord bless you and keep you. 27:48 May the Lord make His wonderful face to shine upon you 27:52 and give you peace now and forever. |
Revised 2014-12-17