SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE MESSAGE 11/04/2021
TOPIC: THE VANITY OF EARTHLY GLORY
TEXT: Ecclesiastes 1: 2; Mark 8: 36; Mark 10: 28; 1 Corinthians 7: 31
Everyone born into this earth is a stranger to this world. As a Stranger, we must go home One day. A Stranger abideth not forever. As I am talking to you now, some people have gone today. As for those who will make heaven, the kingdom of God being the eternal home of the Righteous, such peoole must have their identity. Get the Passport to Heaven.
John 3: 1-4
Whoever that must eneter Heaven, such person must be Born-again. That person must get that identity, that Passport to Heaven. This passport is our salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 1: 12
If you receive Jesus Christ, you receive transformation. You receive eternal life. You receive the power of sonship. If you come to Jesus Christ, he will give you rest.
John 14: 6
Whoever that wants to make Heaven, must be with God, reconcile with God, that person must come to God through Jesus Christ. Only through Jesus Christ we have eternal life. There is no Co-mediator.
John 10: 10b
Jesus Christ came to give us eternal life. Our salvation is through Jesus Christ. After we have obtained a passport, we must go on to purchase the visa. Even though you belong to the miniature kingdom here on earth, before you can enter heaven, you must get visa.
This visa i am taking about is ensuring sanctification, purity, righteousness and unto holiness.
Heaven is a holy city. Heaven is a holy place. You can be in the church, you can be Born-again. However for you to make heaven, you must be holy and this is the visa to the kingdom of Heaven above.
1 Thessalonians 4: 3 & 4
It is the will of God that you should be holy and pure. If you want to enter heaven the holy city and holiness is the visa to Heaven above.
Matthew 5: 8
Those who are pure those who have no unrighteousness. If you want to be in Heaven where God dwells, you must be holy.
Hebrews 12: 14
Heaven is the abode of the Lord, our God, the Holy Spirit and the Holy Angels.
1 Peter 1: 15 & 16
Be holy in every area of life. So God is holy and if you want to see God, you must be holy.
If you are in the Church, that does not qualify you going to heaven.
Those that will forget their identity in this world and go on to live their lives without their true identity or go on to live like the people of the world, such people will suffer the effect of being denied entry into the kingdom of heaven. No matter their exploits in this world, if they go on to live in unrighteousness, wickedness, evil, you cannot make it whoever you may be.
Matthew 7: 23
As long as you go on to live in unrighteousness and evil, on that day the Lord will deny you. This is because an unrighteous person cannot enter the kingdom of God. Heaven is a holy place.
1 Corinthians 6: 9
Those that live unrighteous life cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Even if you are in the Church and you have the passport, if you are living an unrighteous life, then you will be denied visa to enter heaven.
SOME POINTS TO CONSIDER:
- THE REASONS, EXAMPLES AND UNFORTUNATE SITUATION
Many people are after the things of this world as though our lives are dependent on these things.
Many people do not have time for the kingdom of God.
Luke 12: 15
I do not know the kind of life you are living. Do you have time for your soul? Do you have time for Heaven?
We brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we shall carry nothing out. Jesus Christ made it very clear to show the vanity of earthly possessions.
1 Timothy 6: 6
I do not know what is disturbing you; why you are worried and sorrowful? As long as you are a Child of God, in want you to understand that what you have is the greatest. Do not ever throw away your salvation because of the things of this world.
Mark 8: 36
We must not allow material things or our flesh to hinder or deceive us. Whatever we have made in this world, we are going to drop it here.
One thing that is very certain is that, so long that your need is the will of God, God Almighty will take care of it.
Whatever we are giving attention to our souls can be dangerous to our souls. When you are giving attention to materialism, your soul will be grieved.
Ecclesiastes 2: 1 & 2
All these vanities are all vexation to your spirit and your soul.
If we give more attention to the things that trouble our spirit more than those things that cause the soul to be nourished and flourished, the soul is endangered.
Are you paying attention to the things of this world and you do not have time to examine your soul, you need to search your life.
2 Kings 17: 15
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end of that way is destruction.
Matthew 27: 3-5
Judas lost his soul. He took money and sold his Master. When he realised that the Devil had deceived him and he sought repentance, it was too late.
No matter who you are, do not conclude. Make sure you are searching your life everyday.
Examples abound in the Bible. Solomon was a perfect example. He had all things in abundance, however strange women took away his heart.
Judas was an Apostle of Jesus Christ. He worked with Jesus, he listened to all the Teachings. However, because of materialism, he missed it. The Rich Fool was seeking to increase his wealth not knowing that death was at hand.
Luke 12: 15-21
The Rich fool was having things for his flesh to enjoy. However, his soul was poor. He was not living right.
If I ask you how many of you are Workers, a large number of persons will raise their hands. However if I ask for the number of people that came for yesterday’s Workers Meeting, only a few hands will be raised. Such are like persons who have passport with no Visa.
We all must learn from these examples and should not follow them.
The unfortunate situation today is that so many Christians today are not mindful of the will of God. Let me tell you Brethren, hands join hands together, the wicked shall not go unpunished.
The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is at hand. Many are after the pursuits of the trappings of this life.
Several of these persons have children and are not mindful of the quality of life the children are living.
You call yourself a Christian and your child is living a wayward life.
What do we do then ? We need to do something before it is too late.
1 Corinthians 7: 29
The glory of this world passeth away. So the time is short. Give attention to what should be given attention.
Give attention to your children, your husband, your wife and your soul.
- OUR EXPECTED RESPONSE AND WARNING.
We must give more attention to our souls than the vanity of this world. Our lives do not consist of the vanities of this world.
1 Corinthians 15: 19
Let your hope in Christ be towards heavenly possession and heavenly glory.
We must spend more time to prepare our souls for the next life.
Matthew 19: 16
In the above scriptures, Jesus Christ responded to the Rich young man. Many people are not following. Are you among them?
When the answer was given to the Rich young man, he went away sorrowful. He was already engrossed in the things of this life.
These set of people act like they are too big for God.
They only come to CHURCH service in Sundays to fulfil all righteousness. If you must go to heaven, prepare now for the next life. For Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. No careless soul shall be there.
Amos 4: 12
Prepare to meet God. Chosen People, know it that God is holy. This God is too Big. You do not meet him anyhow. Let us prepare in season and out of season.
Jeremiah 29: 13-14
You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.
If anyone must make heaven, such a person must spend time in prayers and in pleasing the Lord always.
If you are pleasing God, you will know. Enoch had a testimony that he pleased God. Letbus see the case of Jesus in the following scriptures.
John 8: 29
Jesus Christ had the same testimony as Enoch. We should also have the same testimony that we please God.
What will be your argument in the days of trials and tribulation?
What will be your argument on the day you drop this body?
What are you doing for God?
You have been in Church for the last one year, two years and yet no record of your service before God.
How are you going to make heaven? Don’t you know there is no more time? If there is nothing to present before God as a matter of preparation, where will you be on the last day.
You have a Passport, i clap for you. Where is your VISA?
You bought a car and when it cannot serve you, you will dispose it off.
As long as you are not doing the pleasure of God, he can dispose you.
I pray that you will repent at the end of this message.
No One should think that they will give 99% to the things of this world and then give 1% to God. You must do something before it is too late.
Remember that a man’s life does not consist of the things he possesses.
Give God the first priority. Give God attention and God will take care of you.
If you are serving God and useful to God, any problem you are having God will intervene.
If you are a Child of God and you are doing the will of God, God will protect you.
Let us be warned that, what shall it profit a man that he gains the whole world and loses his own soul.
John 13: 15-17
May I remind you, Christ has laid a foundation of the example of Christianity. He pleased God at all times. Let us follow after his example.
As i round up, take note: Vanity upon vanity, all is vanity. You must therefore be mindful of your soul.
Those who are not living right, confess your sins and ask the Lord for mercy.
1 John 3: 8 & 9, Romans 3: 23
Unbelief is sin. Selfishness is sin; Covetousness is sin, Insincerity is sin; backbiting, murmuring, speaking evil of others, these are terrible sin.
Going to native doctors, going for divination and palm reading, all that is terrible wickedness. No child of God does that. If you are into stealing, any form of stealing; stealing from Government, stealing from companies and individuals, that is sin. Amend your ways.
If you are there and you are involved into armed robbery, duping people, do not bring such money to this Church. The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
If you are among those people that are involved in masturbation, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, abortion, that is terrible wickedness. All those people involved in private or open prostitution, that is wickedness.
Are you into fighting and quarreling? Are you disobedient to your husband or you are beating your wife, that is sin.
Matthew 19: 4 Are you into polygamous marriage or you have sent away your wife or you moved away from your husband, that is sin. Marriage is between a man and a woman not women. Marriage is for better for worse. Marriage is until death do us part. Amend your ways.
Are you a woman dressing like a man or a man dressing like a woman, all that is sin.
Deuteronomy 22: 5; Revelations 21: 8
People that are into this abominable life, will be cast into hellfire.
Are you among those that take snuff, take cigarette and banned substances, that is sin.
All these people that bleach their body and turn yellow over night, that is sin.
The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Confess them and promise God, that you will not continue in that wickedness.
Mercy is waiting for you. The Lord has made provision for the sins that are past.
John 8: 36; John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5: 17
Through Jesus Christ, you have freedom indeed.
If any man is claiming to be a Christian and you are into one form of worship which is not in Christ, that is a faulty Foundation. Give your life to Jesus Christ today.
Romans 10: 13
Rise up now and call upon the Lord.