₦sermon 2
(A Sermon Preached by Rev. Fortune Emerence Chinemerem Nwaiwu)
“Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have peace”—Proverbs 12:20
Brethren, I want to begin my sermon this very moment by asking you “what is in your bag? Actually, the bag is a metaphor for human heart where every thought is being harboured. The bag is not a visible item. Though, we may say literally that a bag is a carrier of our vital items. At times, some unnecessary items may be put in it and when the owner later on realizes that they are of no use occupying the space in his/her bag, she takes them out. Thus, human heart is a carrier of human ideas, feelings, thoughts and emotion.
There’re some human hearts that are full of evil and wickedness. This kind of hearts always plot evil to kill and always live in enmity with neighbours without a cause while the good heart is full of love, joy and live in peace with neighbours.
Our hearts are deceitful; we neither tell the truth nor direct our neighbours to the right path for success, instead we plan evils. We deceive people from gaining access to their properties. At times when we have seen that a daughter of our neighbor is getting married, we begin to plan evils either to kill the girl or snatch the lucky husband away from her. I’ve seen under the sun a young lady that snatched away her friend’s husband who was about to be wedded. I may not know what your heart is pre-occupied with.
Simon, the great occultist in the land of Samaria, was using his occultic arts to deceive many of the Samaritans until Philip the evangelist came into the land and delivered his message. His sermon was followed with signs and wonders. The believers in Samaria had not yet received the power of Holy Spirit after their baptism. When the news of how the people of Samaria have received the Gospel preached to them, other apostles in Jerusalem asked Peter and John to go to Samaria and over-see what was going on there. When they came, they found out that such believers including Simon have not yet received the Holy Ghost baptism; as Peter prayed and laid his hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit. Simon demanded for such power so that it would enable him to deceive his people and collect more money from them. Thus Simon is a man with a burning desire to be powerful in spiritism. Such a burning desire in him is evil. He wanted to use the Holy Spirit to do magic for his people, to show his people that he is still as powerful as Philip thereby retaining his reputation. Peter rebuked him: “You have no part or share in what we’re saying, because your heart isn’t right with God”- Act 8:21.
We have seen that Simon’s heart despite that he claimed to be a believer of the gospel is still not right with God. This is because he was following the apostles so that he could gain additional power to the one he has already as to become more powerful. Thus, his heart is crooked and deceitful. He was a true believer just like so many of us who go to church with evil hearts that are full of deceit. If it were modern apostles today, they would have accepted the money being offered by Simon and pray for him to get the Holy Ghost power. I want to tell you that there is no how our hearts would be full of deceit and yet the power of Holy Ghost rests upon us. No! The power of the Holy Spirit would only rest on people whose hearts are clean and who have accepted Christ into their lives.
Why did Cain kill his brother? Is it not because his brother’s sacrifice was honoured and his heart was right with God and as a result, Cain harboured hatred in his heart and took his brother deceitfully to a field to murder him? So many of us are like that. When we see our brother driving cars we begin to plan how to put a stud to his progress. Can’t you see that Satan is dominating your human instinct to cause problem? Because of our hearts are full of hatred that is why Cain bloodily murdered his younger brother. The bible says “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer”-1John 3:15. Don’t be misled that you have not used any means to kill your neighbour. If you develop and harbour hatred in your heart, remember that you are a murderer. Do you hate your Christian brother because he has spoken the truth? Or has he rebuked you in the right time? And as a result, you begin to make mockery of him? You see that your bag (heart) is full of lies because “if anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar?-1John 4:20. You can discover within yourself that there is something missing in your bag which is love.
Love is always patient, love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited and she is never rude, she never thinks just of herself or gets annoyed, she never is resentful…” 1Cor. 13:4-5.
Brethren, let us sanitize our hearts with love and take away every attitudinal impurity that has dominated our hearts.
……………..Meditation Point………………………………………
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me-Psalm 51:10
A SERMON PREACHED BY FORTUNE EMERENCE CHINEMEREM NWAIWU
(A Sermon Preached by Rev. Fortune Emerence Chinemerem Nwaiwu)
“Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have peace”—Proverbs 12:20
Brethren, I want to begin my sermon this very moment by asking you “what is in your bag? Actually, the bag is a metaphor for human heart where every thought is being harboured. The bag is not a visible item. Though, we may say literally that a bag is a carrier of our vital items. At times, some unnecessary items may be put in it and when the owner later on realizes that they are of no use occupying the space in his/her bag, she takes them out. Thus, human heart is a carrier of human ideas, feelings, thoughts and emotion.
There’re some human hearts that are full of evil and wickedness. This kind of hearts always plot evil to kill and always live in enmity with neighbours without a cause while the good heart is full of love, joy and live in peace with neighbours.
Our hearts are deceitful; we neither tell the truth nor direct our neighbours to the right path for success, instead we plan evils. We deceive people from gaining access to their properties. At times when we have seen that a daughter of our neighbor is getting married, we begin to plan evils either to kill the girl or snatch the lucky husband away from her. I’ve seen under the sun a young lady that snatched away her friend’s husband who was about to be wedded. I may not know what your heart is pre-occupied with.
Simon, the great occultist in the land of Samaria, was using his occultic arts to deceive many of the Samaritans until Philip the evangelist came into the land and delivered his message. His sermon was followed with signs and wonders. The believers in Samaria had not yet received the power of Holy Spirit after their baptism. When the news of how the people of Samaria have received the Gospel preached to them, other apostles in Jerusalem asked Peter and John to go to Samaria and over-see what was going on there. When they came, they found out that such believers including Simon have not yet received the Holy Ghost baptism; as Peter prayed and laid his hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit. Simon demanded for such power so that it would enable him to deceive his people and collect more money from them. Thus Simon is a man with a burning desire to be powerful in spiritism. Such a burning desire in him is evil. He wanted to use the Holy Spirit to do magic for his people, to show his people that he is still as powerful as Philip thereby retaining his reputation. Peter rebuked him: “You have no part or share in what we’re saying, because your heart isn’t right with God”- Act 8:21.
We have seen that Simon’s heart despite that he claimed to be a believer of the gospel is still not right with God. This is because he was following the apostles so that he could gain additional power to the one he has already as to become more powerful. Thus, his heart is crooked and deceitful. He was a true believer just like so many of us who go to church with evil hearts that are full of deceit. If it were modern apostles today, they would have accepted the money being offered by Simon and pray for him to get the Holy Ghost power. I want to tell you that there is no how our hearts would be full of deceit and yet the power of Holy Ghost rests upon us. No! The power of the Holy Spirit would only rest on people whose hearts are clean and who have accepted Christ into their lives.
Why did Cain kill his brother? Is it not because his brother’s sacrifice was honoured and his heart was right with God and as a result, Cain harboured hatred in his heart and took his brother deceitfully to a field to murder him? So many of us are like that. When we see our brother driving cars we begin to plan how to put a stud to his progress. Can’t you see that Satan is dominating your human instinct to cause problem? Because of our hearts are full of hatred that is why Cain bloodily murdered his younger brother. The bible says “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer”-1John 3:15. Don’t be misled that you have not used any means to kill your neighbour. If you develop and harbour hatred in your heart, remember that you are a murderer. Do you hate your Christian brother because he has spoken the truth? Or has he rebuked you in the right time? And as a result, you begin to make mockery of him? You see that your bag (heart) is full of lies because “if anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar?-1John 4:20. You can discover within yourself that there is something missing in your bag which is love.
Love is always patient, love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited and she is never rude, she never thinks just of herself or gets annoyed, she never is resentful…” 1Cor. 13:4-5.
Brethren, let us sanitize our hearts with love and take away every attitudinal impurity that has dominated our hearts.
……………..Meditation Point………………………………………
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me-Psalm 51:10
A SERMON PREACHED BY FORTUNE EMERENCE CHINEMEREM NWAIWU
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