Participants: Rowland Nwsou
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000321
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00:31 Welcome to Faith Chapel. My name is Pastor
00:35 Rowland C. Nwosu, the pastor of the All Nations 00:38 African Seventh-day Adventist Church in 00:40 San Bernardino, California, and the President 00:42 of the Adventist Our International Ministries 00:45 in Loma Linda, California. Let us pray. 00:51 Father, we thank you today for your love 00:54 and for your blessings. Be with us as we study 00:58 your word, as we listen, speak to our hearts 01:03 and our minds, interpret what is read 01:07 and what is heard. And let your spirit 01:12 refresh us. In your name we pray, amen. 01:18 Seven ways to live as a Christian in this society, 01:22 in this age and generation that is filled 01:26 with criminality and crimes, bigotry, adultery, 01:32 and idolatry, favoritisms, and fundamentalisms and 01:36 terrorisms, hospitalities and festivities, 01:40 immoralities, and inequalities, how can the 01:44 Christian live? Apostle Paul describes our 01:48 generation in Second Timothy chapter 3 01:52 verses 1 through 5. Second Timothy 01:55 chapter 3 verses 1 through 5 and I read: 01:59 But know this, that in the last days perilous 02:05 times will come: For men will be lovers of the 02:09 themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, 02:14 blasphemers, disobedient to parents, 02:17 unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, 02:23 slanderers, without self-control, brutal, 02:27 despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, 02:30 haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers 02:34 of God, having a form of godliness but denying 02:38 its power, And from such people turn away! 02:46 In a nationwide, nationwide poll by the Barna Group, 02:51 they found out that out of every five adults 02:56 in the United States consider themselves to be 02:59 Christian, 72 percent said they had personal 03:04 communication or personal commitment to Jesus, 03:09 that was and still is important to them 03:11 they said. Now out of that 29 percent attended 03:16 church, church service and prayed to God and read 03:19 from the Bible during the past week. 03:23 Now, 16 percent of the entire people who 03:28 responded 16 percent of this said that the highest 03:32 priority in their life was their faith. In fact the 03:38 conclusion of the Barna Research Group was that 03:41 according to the research and I quote 03:46 "For most American's, being a Christian is about 03:49 an image than action." Wow, it's an about image 03:58 than a action, that is to say that there is a 04:03 form of godliness rather than the power 04:06 of Christianity, rather than the power of the 04:09 relationship, that is spoken about. 04:12 How can we live as Christians in such a 04:15 world today? Speaking about the day of 04:21 destruction, the day of the Lord, the day when 04:25 Jesus will come and when all will be subjected 04:29 to the judgment of God. In Second Peter 04:32 chapter 3 verses 11 through 13, 04:35 Apostle Peter speaks about that day and he warns 04:40 Christians about that day he says: Therefore, 04:43 since all these things will be dissolved, 04:47 what manner of persons ought you to be in holy 04:50 conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening 04:55 the coming of the day of God, because of which 04:58 the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, 05:02 and the elements will melt with fervent heat. 05:07 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, 05:10 look for new heavens and a new earth in which 05:13 righteousness dwells. God's children all these 05:20 things will be burned up and it will be surprise, 05:24 it will be a surprise. Our possessions 05:28 we've accumulated for years, the jobs we 05:31 have kept, that have kept us from worshiping 05:36 God and serving God the way he wants us to serve. 05:39 The cash we've accumulated, 05:41 and hidden will be burned up. 05:45 All the things that have prevented us from serving 05:49 God will be burned up. Now Apostle Paul, 05:51 Apostle Peter ask in view of all these things, 05:55 what manner of persons ought we be. 06:02 And in Second Peter chapter 3 verses 14 06:06 through 17 he suggest seven ways that we as 06:12 Christians must live. In verse 14 Apostle Peter 06:16 says: Therefore, beloved, looking forward to 06:23 these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, 06:30 without spot and blameless. Point number one, 06:38 principle number one as Christians; 06:40 if we must live the way God wants us to live. 06:45 We need to live as people who are looking 06:49 forward to the Day of Judgment. 06:51 You see when we look forward to something; 06:53 we tend to prepare for it because anticipation 06:57 precedes preparation. The day of the Lord 07:00 is degrades and blessed hope of all Christians 07:04 because on that day this body will be changed 07:09 and will take on the new body that Jesus had 07:12 made it to be. On that day we will be saved 07:17 and all the problems we have on this earth will be 07:20 abandoned, will be over. There will be no more pain, 07:23 no more tears, no more sorrows, 07:26 no more sickness, no more diseases, 07:29 no more cancers and those of us who have lost 07:32 our beloved brothers and sisters and mothers 07:37 and fathers if they were faithful we will see them 07:41 again now we will live with them eternally, 07:43 that is why that day is a blessed day. 07:47 So, looking forward to that great day is something 07:51 that is so precious for every Christian. 07:55 Let us live in anticipation, let us live like people 08:00 looking forward, you see when we look forward 08:03 to the future. When we look forward to the 08:06 coming of the Lord, we won't look back 08:08 to the things that have happened, 08:10 to the mistakes we have made in the past, 08:11 to the sins that we had committed in the past, 08:16 for the troubles we've had and we will also look 08:19 forward. We wouldn't look back to people who 08:22 have hurt us and who have offended us, 08:25 because we're moving forward we forgive them, 08:28 we know that we have hurt our Lord. 08:32 We know that our God has so even forgiven us 08:35 more than we need to forgive those who have 08:39 offended us. We live in anticipation. 08:41 We live looking forward. We ought to live a holy live. 08:48 Apostle Peter says as we look forward to the 08:51 Day of Judgment, the Day of the Lord. 08:55 Point number two is that we need to live as one 08:58 diligent to be found by Him in peace, 09:02 without spot and blameless. 09:06 In the verse that we read Second Peter 09:09 chapter 3 verse 14, we were also remind that, 09:13 as we look forward to be diligent to be found 09:19 by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 09:23 diligent to be found by Him in peace. 09:29 Does this mean salvation by works? Certainly not; 09:33 no one can make himself holy. Only God can make 09:37 someone holy. God's presence in anything and 09:41 in anyone makes someone or anything holy. 09:45 His presence in our lives makes us holy, 09:49 because he is present in our lives, our choices and 09:54 our decisions become decisions that are made 09:58 according to his will. So, the idea is for Christians 10:03 to be found holy, when Jesus makes his 10:09 second coming, his surprise entry into our lives. 10:13 He says, we ought to make to be diligent to be 10:17 found in Him in peace, to be found by Him when 10:21 he comes, because he is going to be coming 10:24 as a thief in the night, as a surprise to us, 10:28 when he comes in surprise as a surprise may he 10:32 find us blameless, may he find us tuned our hearts 10:38 and our lives in a way that is in harmony with his 10:42 requirements for us. We must live by setting 10:45 our goals and priorities based on the kingdom 10:48 requirements. When we live as one diligent 10:51 to be found by Him in peace, without spot or 10:54 wrinkle, we shall not be deceived by false teachers 10:59 because we are studying the word. 11:01 We will not be surprised because we are in tune 11:07 with him. When we live as one diligent and to be 11:13 found by Him in peace, without spot or wrinkle, 11:16 shall we then be deceived by what false teachers 11:21 teach now, shall we then when they say to us 11:24 that he's in the inner room, shall we be deceived, 11:27 no, because he we have heard his word, 11:31 we have studied his word, we have prepared. 11:33 When people come to us and say behold 11:35 he's in the desert shall we be deceived, no. 11:39 And of course we will be watching being careful, 11:44 knowing that the day of the Lord will come and 11:48 not find us, not faithful. Point number three 11:54 that Peter suggests to us is that we live our lives 11:58 bearing in mind that God's patience means salvation. 12:02 We need to live our faith and exercise our faith 12:06 and practice our beliefs. We need to bear in mind 12:11 that the God's coming, his longsuffering, 12:15 his patience with us because he's now reacting 12:19 and sending thunder and lightning whenever we 12:22 make mistakes that his longsuffering is his desire 12:29 for us to be saved, is his longsuffering is 12:32 our salvation. In Second Peter chapter verse 9, 12:36 we're told we read that: The Lord is not slack 12:41 concerning His promise, as some count slackness, 12:46 but is longsuffering toward us, not willing 12:49 that any should perish but that all should 12:53 come to repentance. Point number four, 13:00 Apostle Peter encourages Christians to be on 13:04 guard against false teachers and false 13:06 teachings that lead us stray. Peter warns 13:09 the early Christians against miscoding and 13:12 misinterpreting Apostle Paul's writings. 13:16 According to Peter in Second Peter chapter 3 13:19 verses 16 and 17 Peter, Peter, Peter warns that 13:23 we Christians in reading or listening to Apostle Paul 13:29 that we understand him, he says. 13:34 In Second Peter 3 verses 16 and 17: as also 13:38 in all his epistles, speaking in them 13:44 of these things, in which are some things hard 13:49 to understand, which untaught and unstable 13:52 people twist to their own destruction, 13:55 as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 13:59 You therefore, beloved, since you know 14:02 this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from 14:07 your own steadfastness, being led away with 14:10 the error of the wicked. Peter warns Christians, 14:19 be careful what you read and what you interpret 14:22 you read Apostle Paul's writings. 14:27 On steadfast men and women, 14:29 people who are not stable in their understanding 14:34 of scripture, misinterpret, misapply the writings 14:39 of Apostle Paul for their own advantages, 14:43 to their advantages to the disadvantage of the 14:46 souls of Christians who listen to them. 14:50 What did Paul teach? Paul taught about the role 14:53 of the law in the life of the Christian. 14:56 Paul taught that the keeping of the law cannot 14:58 save anyone but anyone who is saved keeps the law. 15:04 Paul talked about the fact that circumcision 15:06 cannot save anyone, that circumcision was 15:10 more significant if it was done from the heart 15:14 rather then on the body. Apostle Paul talked 15:17 that the life we live in Christ was more important 15:23 than the form itself, obedience to the law 15:26 cannot save anybody. Apostle Paul talk, 15:30 but when one is saved they keep the law, 15:33 they observe God's requirement because they 15:36 have been saved. Apostle Paul talked about the 15:39 grace of God, being the agency, being in means 15:46 by which we're saved by grace, by the grace 15:51 of God. Saved because God send Jesus Christ 15:56 his son because Jesus died for us, paid our price. 16:01 It is not about what we do that saves us. 16:05 It's not about who we are, but it's about who he is. 16:09 It is about because of the grace that he has 16:11 dispensed, because of his love for us. 16:15 But when we love him, then we will obey him 16:18 because we've been saved then we obey him. 16:22 We don't obey him in order to be saved this was 16:25 what Apostle Paul taught. And people misinterpreted 16:31 and still do today misinterpreting Apostle 16:34 Paul speaking that the law is no longer necessary 16:38 to be kept by Christians, it's no longer, 16:41 it doesn't matter what I do, going to Church 16:43 is not necessary. Obeying God does not pay, 16:47 it does not pay, it does not reward us. 16:51 There is no need to obey God's law. 16:53 But Apostle Paul does not teach that and 16:56 Peter warns us if you want to believe that you are 17:00 doing so, anyone who wants to believe that, 17:03 is doing that to the damnation and destruction 17:07 of their soul. God against the avenues of the soul 17:16 protect those things that affect your soul. 17:22 In First Peter chapter 5 verse 8, 1 Peter chapter 17:27 5 verse 8 Apostle Paul, Apostle Peter warns 17:31 us to be sober, to be diligent; 17:34 because our adversary the devil walks about like 17:38 a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 17:42 All around us, the enemy is all around us, 17:46 seeking who he may devour. Throwing 17:49 all kinds of curved balls against unto us, 17:54 trying to find a way to interrupt and to 18:00 entice us. He does that through our friends, 18:02 he does that through those who work with us. 18:06 He does that through those who even walk 18:09 and talk and eat and fellowship with us. 18:14 My dear brothers watch and be careful. 18:20 Point number 5, Apostle Peter wants us to live 18:26 while growing in grace and in the kingdom of God, 18:33 live while growing grace. Second Peter chapter 3 18:41 verse 18, Second Peter chapter 3 verse 18 18:43 Apostle Peter says: Grow in the grace and 18:46 knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 18:51 To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. 18:58 If we must live a life here on earth that will be 19:03 pleasing to God and that will lead us in that faith 19:08 relationship with Jesus and we must continue 19:11 to grow in grace, and that relationship, 19:14 that loving relationship with God and in our 19:16 knowledge of Him. And we cannot grow 19:20 without knowing and hearing from God, 19:24 it's like we cannot keep a relationship going 19:31 if you do not hear or hear from somebody 19:32 that you love from to one that you love. 19:35 You call them on the telephone or you write 19:37 letters or you exchange gifts. God has written 19:41 letters to us, his love letters to us, 19:45 the Bible the word of God. Let us grow in the 19:50 knowledge of the word of God to not just 19:55 personally knowing in our head, but to personally 19:58 experience to know God, to read his words, 20:04 to communicate with him in prayer, in meditation. 20:08 Live while growing and by the way growth, 20:13 growth in the spirit is not just reading the Bible 20:21 that is part of it. It's not just praying, 20:25 also that is part of it, but the daily walk 20:30 we have when we fall, we learn from it, 20:34 the experience, the challenges of faith, 20:39 when our faith, when our belief, 20:41 beliefs encounter the daily challenges that we 20:45 face in life today. When we overcome, 20:48 when we are victorious in the name of God 20:53 with the power and the strength that God gives 20:56 us that helps us to grow, is like a baby who 21:01 is learning to walk. They don't just walk straight 21:05 and start running to his first time, 21:06 when they stop they get up, they start to walk, 21:12 they start to walk, they start to walk sometimes 21:15 they flup, they fall down and some of us adults, 21:19 some of us adults we watch the kids fall 21:21 and when they fall we wonder oh! 21:26 He will break his bone or her bone, 21:28 or when they' run, or they're riding their 21:30 bicycles they fall over. But have you notice 21:34 that God protects those little children. 21:37 You try it and fall like that you break your bone, 21:40 but when these kids fall and we will shout 21:42 and wow! These are growing pains, 21:49 they learn that way how to resist the pressures 21:55 and the pressures, the elements of this world, 22:00 the things that this world tend to give us. 22:03 We need to accept our experiences and our 22:09 encounters that challenge our faith and build 22:13 on them and let them be stepping stone rather 22:15 then a crushing stone. Let them be a stepping 22:18 stone, because God has promised that in each 22:21 of those circumstances he will not let anything 22:23 that will overcome us come upon us. 22:26 So, anything that comes to us, God has allowed 22:30 and he has allowed that so we can build up 22:33 on it and grow from it. Number six, 22:42 I want to share with you seven ways to live 22:46 as a Christian. The sixth is to live while denying 22:50 yourself and take up your cross, 22:56 live while denying yourself. 23:00 In Matthew chapter 16 verses I think verse 4, 23:04 verse 24 Jesus said to his disciples, 23:09 it says "If anyone desires to come after Me, 23:15 let him deny himself, and take up his cross, 23:20 and follow Me." If anyone wants to follow Jesus, 23:28 deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow. 23:35 Deny yourself, let me deny myself, 23:41 deny myself means that I count myself as nothing, 23:44 is no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me. 23:48 Whatever I do is done by the power that God 23:53 has given me by in the spirit of God. 23:56 I no longer exist, deny myself, 23:59 my accomplishments, my abilities are God given. 24:03 They are gifts from God. Deny myself means 24:08 that I do not take credit for what God has 24:12 accomplished. Deny myself means 24:16 I need to take on, I need to let God and 24:21 let go myself. I need to allow God to use me, 24:27 I need to follow him. Deny myself means 24:30 following him. Jesus says deny yourself now 24:33 take up your cross. Whatever the cross is, 24:36 whatever the situation is, whatever the pains are, 24:39 whatever these issues are, take them all and follow 24:45 Jesus Christ. And then grace by the way is 24:48 free but it's not cheap, genuine grace leads 24:52 to self denial and loving sacrifice. 24:56 You see we deny ourselves by saying no 25:00 to ungodliness and worldly passions, 25:06 Titus chapter 2 verses 11 through 13 25:10 the Bible says: "For the grace of God that brings 25:14 salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, 25:17 denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, 25:20 we should live soberly, righteously, 25:23 and godly in the present age, 25:26 looking for the blessed hope and glorious 25:30 appearing of our great God and Savior 25:33 Jesus Christ. I encourage you to take up 25:37 your cross; take up your cross it's an invitation 25:41 to come as you are. Whatever your cross is, 25:44 the cross of loneliness, the cross of bitterness, 25:47 the cross of hatred, the cross of prejudice, 25:50 the cross of poverty, take up your cross and 25:54 follow Me, Jesus says is invitation come and see: 26:00 O ye that have burdens and have been laden 26:03 with sorrows and pain and hardship and suffering 26:06 and trials and difficulties come, 26:09 I will give you rest Jesus says. 26:12 In Matthew chapter 11 verse 28 and 29 26:15 says here, that we have to just come, 26:18 as we: Come to Me, come to Me Jesus says, 26:21 all you who labor and are heavy laden, 26:24 and I will give you rest. And if you take your 26:29 yoke, take Christ yoke, take the offer that 26:35 Christ has offered and hook it up to you. 26:39 Follow him, then Jesus says I will give you rest, 26:42 I will give you peace, I will give you love. 26:44 You will say, come yoke up with me I will walk 26:47 with you, I will stand with you, 26:49 I will be with you through the trials that you 26:52 go through. And that leads me to my 26:55 seventh point. If we must live as Christians 26:59 in this world, stay in the narrow way, 27:02 stay in the narrow way and refuse to be 27:04 destructed, stay in the narrow way and refuse 27:07 to be destructed. Jesus spoke about those 27:09 two distinct roles in Matthew chapter 3 27:13 verses 13 and 14 the Bible says, that Jesus says, 27:17 enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate 27:21 and broad is the way that leads to destruction, 27:24 and there are many who go in by it. 27:29 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the 27:31 way which leads to life, and there are few 27:34 who find it. My dear friends as you follow 27:37 Jesus on the narrow traffic lane of this life, 27:40 there will be many destructions, 27:41 there will many disturbances, 27:43 refuse to be destructed, there will be many troubles 27:47 and many trials. Hold on to the faith you 27:51 have in Jesus, hold on to Jesus for he 27:55 himself is your strength and your guide. |
Revised 2014-12-17