Messages for February, 2016: Our month of Divine Lights – John 1:1-5, Isa.8:20
Theme Understanding the Power of Lights
Message for Sunday the 21st of February, 2016
Topic: understanding the light for fruitfulness
Introduction: In God’s purpose statement for man in Genesis 1:26, His intention for us to be fruitful is clearly stated when he said “let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” This intention of God did not even change after the fall of man because in His covenant with Noah in Genesis 9:1, He told Noah and his sons to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth. When we come to the New Testament after the redemption of man was actualized by the Lord Jesus Christ, this intention of God is clearly stated by the Lord in John 15:8 and John 15:16 where He said it is the will of the father that we should bear much fruit and that we had not chosen him but that he has chosen us that we should bear fruit and that our fruit should abide. Further, Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 7:4 that we are dead to the law by Jesus Christ that we should be married to Him who is raised from the dead so that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
What does it mean to be fruitful?
To be fruitful means the following among others:
To be able to proliferate or give birth to children like you. In Gen. 4:1-2 and 25, Adam exemplified this with the birth of Cain, Abel and Seth respectively.
To be able to produce fruits of wisdom also known as children. In Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:35 respectively, Jesus said wisdom is justified of all her children. In other words, when we walk wisely, we become productive in whatever area we are wise and the positive results of our productivity is called our wisdom child. Note here that to walk wisely means to walk in obedience to the word of God. See Mt.7:24-27.
To build legacies of other people your life has impacted positively. You are said to have a legacy when your work endures beyond your tenure in a place where you served or your life time or both. For example, when Jesus came, he impacted 12 men and a few other men and women thoroughly and they in turn continued the legacy from generation to generation until date. This was a wisdom God saw in Abraham that caused Him to confide in Abraham as a friend in Genesis 18:17-19. Up till today, God wants us to follow the example of Abraham and Sarah. From their example, it is evident that any relationship cultivated with God would always result in fruitfulness. See Isa.51:2.
Godly character showing you are indeed a new creation. This is called bearing the fruit of the spirit. In Gal.5:22-23, the fruits of the spirit are listed and we are told that anyone who makes the choice to cultivate these would have no law working against him or her.
To build institutional legacies demonstrating the good works with which we shine to show that we are the light of the world indeed. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said we should let our lights so shine that men may see our good work and glorify our father in heaven. So we shine by good works. See Isa.60:1-3.
Fruitfulness is a blessing from God: In God’s purpose statement for man, after He made him, the first thing He did was to pronounce a blessing on the man and the woman he made. In Gen. 1:28, He said to them “… be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…” this explains why when people are not fruitful in any of the ways mentioned here like in their bodies [biological fertility], minds [mental productivity], character [spiritual fruitfulness] and the work of their hands, they are viewed as failures.
Fruitfulness is a commandment of God that must be obeyed within the right confines. Paul said to Timothy in 2Tim.2:5 that if we strive for mastery, it is important that we strive lawfully to guarantee our being crowned. In other words, any kind of fruitfulness is honorable when it is engaged at the right time and in the right way. For instance, bodily fruitfulness must be done within the confines of marriage. Mental fruitfulness must be done within the ambit of what the word allows. Spiritual fruitfulness occurs only when one walks in the spirit. No one walking in the flesh can generate the result of the spirit.
We cannot be said to be truly fruitful by any other means than that allowed by God. This is why the Psalmist says in Ps.127:1 that except the Lord builds a house, those who labour to build would do so in vain. This is why we have so many trying to build without any perpetuity in relevance because God is not the one building for them. These kinds of efforts are wasted and cannot leave any eternal values behind. For instance, all the founders of the different religions have left a legacy of pain and destruction for mankind. The only road to true and lasting peace was given by the way Himself [Jesus Christ] and that road is eternal life: knowing God in experience and Jesus Christ whom he sent. As much as men have tried to make a religion of this, it has never been one. This is the only relationship between God and man that has proven to be authentic time and again.
On the other hand, unfruitfulness is a curse. God’s solution to this curse is the blessing. We would find this in Gen.1:28; Galatians 3:13-14 and Gen.12:1-4. As we draw the curtain on today’s message, the challenge to us all is whether we have been fruitful in ways that are adding eternal values or not. For instance, since I got saved, how many people have come to know Jesus Christ through my good works?
We shall stop here for today; next week, we shall be looking at how to be fruitful in all the ways we have mentioned here. Meanwhile, we must belong to the family of God as a first step in gaining access to the fruitfulness that only God can give. If you have not yet made that decision, you can do so right away by saying the following prayer out loud in faith and you will be born again:
Heavenly Father,
Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the fatherhood of Satan and embrace Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name!
Amen.
Congratulations! For more information and resources that would help you grow in this new life, please visit our website at www.kingdomheirsministries.org and our blogs at www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com and follow us on twitter at alero_nanna and on face book on www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl www.facebook.com/khmii2015; www.facebook.com/thewellbeingcenter. Or www.facebook.com/kingdomjointheirsfamily email: jointheirsfamily@gmail.com.
Remain on top of your challenges in Jesus’ name!
Theme Understanding the Power of Lights
Message for Sunday the 21st of February, 2016
Topic: understanding the light for fruitfulness
Introduction: In God’s purpose statement for man in Genesis 1:26, His intention for us to be fruitful is clearly stated when he said “let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” This intention of God did not even change after the fall of man because in His covenant with Noah in Genesis 9:1, He told Noah and his sons to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth. When we come to the New Testament after the redemption of man was actualized by the Lord Jesus Christ, this intention of God is clearly stated by the Lord in John 15:8 and John 15:16 where He said it is the will of the father that we should bear much fruit and that we had not chosen him but that he has chosen us that we should bear fruit and that our fruit should abide. Further, Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 7:4 that we are dead to the law by Jesus Christ that we should be married to Him who is raised from the dead so that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
What does it mean to be fruitful?
To be fruitful means the following among others:
To be able to proliferate or give birth to children like you. In Gen. 4:1-2 and 25, Adam exemplified this with the birth of Cain, Abel and Seth respectively.
To be able to produce fruits of wisdom also known as children. In Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:35 respectively, Jesus said wisdom is justified of all her children. In other words, when we walk wisely, we become productive in whatever area we are wise and the positive results of our productivity is called our wisdom child. Note here that to walk wisely means to walk in obedience to the word of God. See Mt.7:24-27.
To build legacies of other people your life has impacted positively. You are said to have a legacy when your work endures beyond your tenure in a place where you served or your life time or both. For example, when Jesus came, he impacted 12 men and a few other men and women thoroughly and they in turn continued the legacy from generation to generation until date. This was a wisdom God saw in Abraham that caused Him to confide in Abraham as a friend in Genesis 18:17-19. Up till today, God wants us to follow the example of Abraham and Sarah. From their example, it is evident that any relationship cultivated with God would always result in fruitfulness. See Isa.51:2.
Godly character showing you are indeed a new creation. This is called bearing the fruit of the spirit. In Gal.5:22-23, the fruits of the spirit are listed and we are told that anyone who makes the choice to cultivate these would have no law working against him or her.
To build institutional legacies demonstrating the good works with which we shine to show that we are the light of the world indeed. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said we should let our lights so shine that men may see our good work and glorify our father in heaven. So we shine by good works. See Isa.60:1-3.
Fruitfulness is a blessing from God: In God’s purpose statement for man, after He made him, the first thing He did was to pronounce a blessing on the man and the woman he made. In Gen. 1:28, He said to them “… be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…” this explains why when people are not fruitful in any of the ways mentioned here like in their bodies [biological fertility], minds [mental productivity], character [spiritual fruitfulness] and the work of their hands, they are viewed as failures.
Fruitfulness is a commandment of God that must be obeyed within the right confines. Paul said to Timothy in 2Tim.2:5 that if we strive for mastery, it is important that we strive lawfully to guarantee our being crowned. In other words, any kind of fruitfulness is honorable when it is engaged at the right time and in the right way. For instance, bodily fruitfulness must be done within the confines of marriage. Mental fruitfulness must be done within the ambit of what the word allows. Spiritual fruitfulness occurs only when one walks in the spirit. No one walking in the flesh can generate the result of the spirit.
We cannot be said to be truly fruitful by any other means than that allowed by God. This is why the Psalmist says in Ps.127:1 that except the Lord builds a house, those who labour to build would do so in vain. This is why we have so many trying to build without any perpetuity in relevance because God is not the one building for them. These kinds of efforts are wasted and cannot leave any eternal values behind. For instance, all the founders of the different religions have left a legacy of pain and destruction for mankind. The only road to true and lasting peace was given by the way Himself [Jesus Christ] and that road is eternal life: knowing God in experience and Jesus Christ whom he sent. As much as men have tried to make a religion of this, it has never been one. This is the only relationship between God and man that has proven to be authentic time and again.
On the other hand, unfruitfulness is a curse. God’s solution to this curse is the blessing. We would find this in Gen.1:28; Galatians 3:13-14 and Gen.12:1-4. As we draw the curtain on today’s message, the challenge to us all is whether we have been fruitful in ways that are adding eternal values or not. For instance, since I got saved, how many people have come to know Jesus Christ through my good works?
We shall stop here for today; next week, we shall be looking at how to be fruitful in all the ways we have mentioned here. Meanwhile, we must belong to the family of God as a first step in gaining access to the fruitfulness that only God can give. If you have not yet made that decision, you can do so right away by saying the following prayer out loud in faith and you will be born again:
Heavenly Father,
Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the fatherhood of Satan and embrace Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name!
Amen.
Congratulations! For more information and resources that would help you grow in this new life, please visit our website at www.kingdomheirsministries.org and our blogs at www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com and follow us on twitter at alero_nanna and on face book on www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl www.facebook.com/khmii2015; www.facebook.com/thewellbeingcenter. Or www.facebook.com/kingdomjointheirsfamily email: jointheirsfamily@gmail.com.
Remain on top of your challenges in Jesus’ name!
