Easter Convention - (Day 4 - 17/04/14) (RESILIENCE) - Dr David Antwi

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[0:40] Father, we thank you for the privilege to hear your word. We pray that this short moment you've got to hear and to pray, deposit yourself in us, that our family lives and our lives will never be the same.

[0:54] We will have an upper hand in the matters of the future. In Jesus' name. Amen. Hallelujah. All right. So, a family to take over in the future.

[1:07] There are things that I said, that family must have an altar. Amen. And I said the A stands for what? Altar. Altar. Let's all say altar.

[1:17] Altar. And then the L stands for what? Altar. Can you imagine? Some have already forgotten. Yeah. No. The L stands for love.

[1:33] Love. And then the T stands for? Training. Training. Without love, a family cannot hold together to take the future or prepare the next generation to take over.

[1:45] Without strong sense of love. Because the sense of love, that gives people the confidence, boldness, and security. And then the training. Training gives you skill.

[1:56] Gives you a healthy worldview. Your training gives you etiquette. The way you should behave. Your training gives you a proper way you interpret things and how you handle things.

[2:09] Discipline. Boundaries. All has to do with your training. And if you are not disciplined or you don't have training, there is no way you can reign or you can take over there or you can have an upper hand in the future.

[2:24] You can be a gifted boxer. Born a gifted boxer. But if you don't train, you won't win any fight. It doesn't matter how gifted you are.

[2:38] Even top musicians and dancers, they may be naturally gifted. But for them to rise to the heights that require global attention, they must give themselves to strong exercises or practices and to sharpen their skills.

[2:55] Praise the Lord. So it's very important to appreciate that inspiration plays a major role in your greatness. But perspiration is what you can have. Inspiration if you don't have perspiration.

[3:07] If you don't press on. If you don't exercise. If you don't work with the inspiration, you won't go anywhere. That's why training is important. And then yesterday we spoke about the next one was A, association.

[3:19] Who you associate with. It tells us a lot about how your future is going to turn out to be. Who you associate with.

[3:30] The brother you marry will impact how your future will turn out like. You may choose to like it or not. Someone say, I mean, I can't even marry the devil.

[3:41] No problem. No problem. But you may have children who are partly devils. The sister you marry will invariably impact your future.

[4:00] All right. So the people you associate with, the kind of people you are, the kind of church you associate with will tell to a large extent how your future turns out to be.

[4:12] So you don't go to a church because it's near to your house. Just the way you won't go to, you won't apply for a job because it's nearer to your house. Or you go to work because your workplace is nearer to your house.

[4:24] How many of us go to parties because it's close to our house? So, it's important to, this church matter matters. This church matter matters.

[4:37] Tell someone, this church matter matters. This church business matters. Yeah. Don't be quick to jump out of a church.

[4:49] But don't be so quick, swift to jump into a church. Don't jump out of a church because someone offended you. That's a reflection that you are not a very mature Christian.

[4:59] You see, you see, people have this thing wrong. You can be born again. There are people who have been born again for eight months and are more matured in the spirit than someone who has been born again for 15 years.

[5:11] So, spiritual maturity has no got to do for how long you've been in church. Spiritual maturity has got everything to do with how well you have applied yourself to the scriptures and Christ is being formed in you.

[5:23] So, there may be someone who is born again six months and Christ has been well formed in him than someone who has been born again 20 years. Pastor is here.

[5:35] He will tell you. If you are watching me and listening to me online now, it is not every church you can join yourself to. Bible says, God called Abraham and Lot went with him.

[5:46] Genesis 13 verse 5. And Lot also, who went with him? Lot also. Say, Lot also. Lot also. So, who you affiliate yourself with? So, association.

[5:56] Say association. Association. The relationships you keep will define the kind of future you will enjoy. And then finally, the R. R. What does the R stand for?

[6:09] Resilience. Resilience. Resilience. Every family that have gone resilient. But, okay, let me show you a scripture. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 36.

[6:20] Let's just look at that. For you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise. your endurance defines your promise.

[6:31] I know people who grew up, they all went to medical school together. But not all of them finished because somebody didn't have endurance. Last Sunday, London Marathon.

[6:42] A lot of people started but not all of them finished. Not everyone finished. And we must, Bible says that they, they, shall endure to the end.

[6:53] They save. Shall be saved. yesterday, one of our scriptures, Luke chapter, chapter 9 verse 52. He who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom.

[7:10] So, every family, families that will make it tomorrow, family that will have an upper hand in the future is the family that train people in the family that train people to be tough, resilient because life can be tough.

[7:26] some of you have discovered that already. Others are beginning to find that out. Life can be tough. You see, someone married for 20 years, check the record.

[7:39] There were times they felt like I gotta quit. Hello? That is why one of the ways you can model resilience to your children is how you can fight forward and not give up quickly.

[7:55] Fight forward. other than that, your child will come and tell you one day, oh, me, this course is too hard, I won't do it. And he say, oh, no, no, you have to do it.

[8:05] Oh, mom, you know, I don't have to do it, I can't do it. Resilience. You have to pressure. You started a business, you have stopped, you closed everything because, oh, I didn't sell anything.

[8:18] You won't sell immediately. Sometimes you may even sell only one in a month. You sell one. Two months, you've sold only one and a half stuff. But it doesn't matter. Keep pressing on.

[8:29] As long as you know it is a viable venture, as long as you know this is the right course, run, keep going on the course. Don't be derailed. Someone is frustrated, so you quit their job in that way.

[8:42] So when they're asking for reference, what's good? I don't care. See, people who say they don't care about their misbehavior are not matured. You have to care. Even if you want to leave a church, live in a caring way.

[8:58] Don't create so much problem fighting with everybody, kissing the pastor. When you go and the devil chase this, you're in front of that, this is the, because sometimes you go places and you realize that the grass looks greener over there but realize the water bill is too high.

[9:16] You run and come back because someone who's paying the water bill over there. Hallelujah. Teach people, teach the children.

[9:27] That's why this church, we have to teach our people to be resilient. That's why we are big on faith because faith perseveres. Faith perseveres. Faith keeps pushing on. You've applied for 1,800 jobs and still haven't got it.

[9:40] You don't quit. You keep applying. Hallelujah. So resilience is necessary. Once you have this combination, once you have altar, sound Christian principles, principles of faith, sound faith life, once you have love in the family, once you have training, once you have right association and you have resilience, all these things are in place.

[10:10] Once resilience comes, you're definitely going to laugh. You are going to laugh because, as most of us have always said, winners don't quit and quitters don't win.

[10:26] Finish hard. Someone, keep pressing on. Finish hard. Finish hard. Finish hard. Finish hard. Keep pressing on.

[10:37] You've proposed to three sisters. They all said no. Don't fold your arms and say that God has abandoned you. God hasn't abandoned. Keep forward. See this one. You like her.

[10:48] Pray about it. Take a step. Don't go and tell her God said I should marry you. Go and tell her you want to marry her. You've prayed about it. You have a release in your spirit. Pray.

[10:58] If she says no, you are not my type, just gently, sister, God bless you. Let her know that you believe she has missed a miracle.

[11:08] That's right. And she will also believe her own. But time would leave her. Go to another one. Look for another one.

[11:19] Pray. Open your eyes. By God's grace, there are more women in town than men. Have you noticed that? Only the men say yes. But the truth of the fact is someone needs to press on.

[11:36] The fact that you failed once. You see, failure does not consist in falling. But when you fall and you refuse to rise, then you are a failure. When you fall, rise up.

[11:49] Fail forward. You got it? You fail. Learn something from that failure and take advantage to use it at a luncheon pad.

[12:02] It's not duvet. Our pastor, he says that it makes me to lie down in green pastures. Okay, so long as where you are lying is green pastures for you, you actually keep lying there.

[12:14] You got to rise up. Rise up. Failure will come as long as you are trying to succeed. some hurdles will come as long as you are trying to go.

[12:26] That's a good sign that you are actually alive. Things are working. When a woman is pregnant and she doesn't feel the kick, there's a problem. If the baby is still alive every now and then, you know what I'm talking about.

[12:41] So, the fact that you feel some pain is a sign that you are actually healthy. it's just the same. A Christian, if you fall to sin, if you go and sin and you don't feel anything, hey!

[12:55] But, if you go and sin and you come to sit in church, you feel, pastor, someone has told you something, this man is preaching me and you feel very uncomfortable, that tells me that you are responding to spiritual stimuli.

[13:07] And that means that you are still alive. The seed of God is active in you. But once it's not active, again, you sin and you don't see anything wrong. And you are singing in the choir. And you are doing anything normal like someone in the world.

[13:20] And you don't see anything wrong. Hey! There is a problem. Someone tell someone, press on. Press on. How many of you here? There are people here, most people here, who have experienced certain challenges this year and there have been times they felt like, what's the point?

[13:37] I don't even want to go to church. Yeah! There have been times you feel like, what's the point? Why all this? That's why tonight we are taking communion. Say communion. Communion.

[13:50] So have you got all the A, the L, the T, and the R? What's that? Altar. And your family, your future is secured with this altar in the name of Jesus Christ.

[14:00] In the book of Exodus chapter 12, verse 13. Let's look at that quickly. I want to show you something. Exodus chapter 12, verse 13. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are.

[14:13] And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

[14:24] This blood is a plague exempting blood. It exempts us from plagues. What others suffer commonly, you are not permitted to suffer.

[14:36] Amen! You are not permitted to suffer. Why? Because the blood still works. The blood still works.

[14:50] I said the blood still works. The blood of Jesus still works. Show the blood! Show the blood!

[15:02] Bible says that he purchased us with his blood. 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 18 and 90. But just get, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things.

[15:13] Say, I'm redeemed. You know what it means to be redeemed? Oh, I can't wait for tomorrow morning. Solos Christos. Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just, Jesus is enough.

[15:26] Give me Jesus, take the whole world. Solos Christos. Tomorrow morning is going to be something else. But redemption, when we are redeemed, we are bought back.

[15:36] We have been taken back from the hands of the captive. Remember, what have we been bought back from? From what? Sin? From what?

[15:47] The wealth? From what? The law? From what? The devil? And from what? The justice of God.

[15:59] The wrath of God. Yeah, we have been redeemed from the devil. We have been said that for he has redeemed us from the curse of the law.

[16:12] Anyone who is not born again, if you are not a Christian, you are a slave to the devil. It doesn't matter how nice you look. You actually are a nice looking slave.

[16:27] Can you imagine how many nice looking slaves you have been seen? And if you are a free man and your master says, go and your brothers and sisters are, some of your brothers and sisters are enslaved, slavery help them, you don't care.

[16:38] You will talk to them. So I don't see why you won't tell somebody about Jesus. So to bail them out of slavery. He said, for you were not redeemed, for you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers.

[16:58] Hey, everyone receives something new. That's why whoever gave birth to you gave you something. All right. It's in the bloodline. But the blood.

[17:13] Listen to this. This is a very nice one. There is a problem with every natural bloodline. Every natural bloodline. Something is in the family that is being passed on to you.

[17:26] If it's not sickness, it may be habit. If not habit, it's some spiritual issues. Something in every family, there is something in the bloodline because we all should have polluted. And so when you get born again, you are redeemed and they give you a new bloodline transfusion.

[17:42] Hallelujah. But the issue is that when you are born again, this blood is transfused into you. You have been given new bloodline. However, some of us choose to stay on the old system.

[17:54] old. The other time, I think my, either my iPad or my computer, I bought a newer version of Microsoft Word, the Apple version or something like that.

[18:06] And that was a while ago, the 2008 one. And I still had the 2004 one. So both of them were sitting on the system. And sometimes when I'm about to open a document, he asks me, do you want the old one or the new one?

[18:20] Because there are some stuff you need the old one to open. And there are some stuff you can't open with the old one. And some of us, some things, you are expecting some things to happen for you, but you're operating with the old software.

[18:36] Old bloodline. That is why Jesus came to die. So it says, you are not being redeemed by corruptible things like silver and gold from the endless life. Verse 19. Hey, I like that one.

[18:46] Let's already together. Let's go. But with the precious blood of God. But what? With the, which I'm around, even louder, say, I've been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.

[19:07] Say it again, I've been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. It is precious in the sight of God because it's efficacious, it's effective, it's the blood the blood the blood it was.

[19:20] The blood wears. The blood wears. The blood wears. The blood wears. Oh, in Exodus it says that when I see the blood.

[19:32] And he was talking about the blood of the lamb. But now we have the precious blood of Jesus. Why would God cause every evil to pass over? If the blood of a lamb can work.

[19:46] If the blood of a natural lamb. And Hebrews, we understand from Hebrews. That the blood of bulls and goats could not deliver us. So natural animals, their blood is not powerful enough to do their job.

[20:03] So Jesus said, I'm coming myself. So when John the Baptist saw him. John chapter 1 verse 29 and 36. Behold the lamb of God. That takes away.

[20:18] Behold the lamb. Behold the lamb. And he says that we. Back to 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 19. But by the precious.

[20:31] 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 19. But by the precious blood of Christ. As we see the lamb. Lamb without.

[20:45] Blemish. Without spot. It's faultless. I mean. I'm not preaching. I'm preaching now. Someone need to get this.

[20:57] I was talking about. I can't. This is too much for me. Brothers and sisters. Romans says that. He was delivered for our offenses.

[21:08] Romans chapter 4 verse 25. Jesus was delivered for our offenses. And he was raised for our justification. He was delivered. He. The Bible says that.

[21:20] For the chastisement. For the chastisement. The chastisement for our peace. Isaiah chapter 53. The chastisement for our peace was upon him.

[21:31] In other words. Isaiah 53 verse 3 said. He. 53 said. He was bruised for our iniquities. He didn't commit it. But he took it for us.

[21:42] Second. Second. Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 21 said. God made him. Who knew no sin. To be sin for us. Why?

[21:53] The story didn't end there. That we. Might become. You see. You may not be. But you can become. That we might become.

[22:06] The righteousness. Of God. In him. So once you are in him. That's when it counts. The righteousness. Of God. In him. He was. Made something.

[22:18] So. What I'm saying is that. There. It says. We are saved. First. Chapter 1. Verse 19. By the. Precious blood of the lamb. As of a lamb. Without blemish.

[22:29] Or without spot. Now watch this. So. When you commit. Sin. Because you can't pay. For your sin. Because. Do you know. The punishment. For sin. Or you don't know.

[22:40] Romans chapter 6. Verse 23. What does it say? Sin has wages. Okay. Pay time. Pay time. Check. The wages of sin. Is there. So. When. When sin.

[22:51] Is committed. Someone needs to die. So. He says. That when you commit sin. You can't go and say. God. Please. I'm sorry. Actually.

[23:02] I've done that. Please. Forgive me. Forgive me. Yeah. God wants to forgive you. But. His justice. Must be satisfied. It's called expiation. Or propitiation. He must be. He's like. Just God.

[23:12] Just God. He can't just overlook sin. And remain just. So. He says that. Even in the. Under the old testament. If you sin. For your sin to be.

[23:23] Covet. You need to bring. A lamb. That is white. Without spots. So. He brings a lamb. And this is what the high priest. Is supposed to do. This is. Who has sinned?

[23:33] He sinned. And he brought a lamb. Has the lamb sinned? No. So. The high priest. Lamb. The high priest. You know what he does? You bring the lamb. Stand there. And the high priest.

[23:43] Is trained. To examine. The lamb. To make sure. It's not. Faulty. It's not sick. You know some people. When they are giving their tithe. They give a tithe. That is. When you are giving.

[23:55] Offering. The offering is disabled. It's. Whatever they are bringing to God. The high priest. Examines. The lamb.

[24:05] Who sinned? But it's not. It's not the one being examined. It's the lamb. They examine. If the lamb is clean. They.

[24:16] They then confess his sins. And sacrifice the lamb. And then. He goes free. Now. Why am I saying this? Jesus is the one who is under the.

[24:27] Examination of God. Not you. All you do is put your trust in him by faith. And God examines him. But watch this.

[24:38] Watch this. Watch this. But the good news is that. Because he is spotless. You saw it. First Peter chapter one. Verse what? Nineteen. Nineteen. Because he is the lamb.

[24:50] Without spot. The examination of God. Because can you imagine if God is examining. Bible says if God can. Should he regard iniquity. No one can stand. So God has special examination skills.

[25:02] If I should put it that way. Because sometimes. We don't even know our heart. So. The psalmist went. I think it's on 138. No. 139. 23. 24. Somewhere. He said.

[25:13] Search me oh God. And know my heart. And try me. And see if there is any wicked way in me. And lead me. Search me oh God. Because sometimes you don't even know. Bible says in Jeremiah. The heart of man is desperately wicked.

[25:26] Wicked. That's why someone may say. Oh me I'm a good person. Me I'm a good person. So situation come. And then you will be surprised. The things you can do. How many of you have disappointed yourself before? Some of you have disappointed yourself.

[25:44] My spiritual father said something some time ago. He said. If you don't pray. You will be shocked at the things you find yourself doing. Prayerlessness. It will make you sin.

[25:54] Seriously. Do some things that. You believe that you will never. You will swear. Me. Me. Me. Never. Hey. The heart of man is desperately wicked.

[26:07] Who can find. So God. He knows us. Even what we don't know about ourselves. He knows it. And if God himself examines you. And God says that you are without sports.

[26:18] And what brings us. Gives us access before God. Is a very clean. Sportless price. The blood of Jesus.

[26:29] He has been redeemed. So you don't have a problem. You have been redeemed. Now watch this. Why did I quote Exodus? Exodus. Because. When Exodus chapter 12.

[26:39] Verse 13 and 14. 14. He told them that you shall do this. Exodus chapter 12 verse 14. So this day shall be. To you what? A memorial. Let's all say a memorial.

[26:51] A memorial. Oh say it loud please. A memorial. It shall be. What does that mean? What's a memorial? Then you remember. Memorial. So you don't forget. It's always there.

[27:01] Every time. And you. And you. Watch this. This is serious. Listen to it. It said. And you shall keep it. Okay. As a feast to the Lord. Throughout your generations. You shall keep it.

[27:12] As a feast. By. A feast. By an everlasting ordinance. So it doesn't stop. It doesn't stop. So. Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. On the night he was betrayed.

[27:24] He took bread. And when. They are going to take Passover. He took bread. And he told them. That from this day forward. This represents. And replaces. What happened.

[27:35] In Exodus. That you are not supposed to stop. But. Because. God said you are not supposed to stop. Because he knows. That the original lamb of God. Who takes away the sins of the world.

[27:45] Is coming as a replacement. To. In fact. What happened in the old testament. Is called shadows. They were just showing with original. So when original came. You don't need a shadow again.

[27:56] And so what it means is that. That's why. In 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Verse 23. I think we should have to see that. That's where I'm ending. 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Verse 23. For I receive what I deliver to you.

[28:07] By the Lord. And verse 24. Go to verse 24 quickly. And. And. And. And when he had given thanks. He broke it and said. Take. Eat. This is my body which we give. We broke it for you. Do.

[28:17] Do what? How? In remembrance of me. It must be done consistently. To remember that. I've got a lamb.

[28:29] Spotless. That redeems me by his blood. And as soon as I'm redeemed. I'm introduced to a new bloodline. So. The devil can't stand and say that.

[28:41] No. This one is generational curse. It stays in your blood. And it must continue. You can say. No. It doesn't. It's not in my blood. Because. I'm purchased with a spotless blood. I'm purchased with a spotless blood.

[28:52] I'm purchased with a spotless blood. I'm purchased with a spotless blood. I see God. Turning someone's situation around. Anything that has stayed in your family for so long.

[29:03] That is trying to ail you. That is trying to frustrate you. Sicknesses in your bloodline. All kinds of challenges in your bloodline. Marital setbacks in your bloodline. Non-achievements in your bloodline.

[29:15] As we take the communion today. The bloodline of God. The blood of Jesus. Exempts you. Brings you an exemption. Brings you an exemption. Brings you an exemption.

[29:26] Brings you an exemption. Brings you an exemption. In the name of Jesus. I prophesy. That you are exempted. I prophesy.

[29:38] Because of the blood of Jesus. You are exempted. Because of the blood of Jesus. You are exempted. because of the blood of the Lamb you are exempted from background challenges from background steadfast in the name of Jesus shout out and redeem shout out and redeem shout out and redeem shout out and redeem the blood still works listen if you are not born again it doesn't apply to you because you are a candidate of hell it's true people think it's not nice to say it but it's true to say it if you are not born again the only way the blood can work for you is by you accepting the lordship of Jesus and then the blood separates you and the Bible says if a man be in Christ if anyone be in Christ it's your new creation so you join the new team the Bible says for we are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people called to show forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 8 and 9 and so if you are not born again you are not permitted or you don't qualify to be a beneficiary of the blood blessings

[31:25] God is not discriminating against you but that is God did it for only those who accept it so as soon as you accept it it becomes yours if you don't accept it it's not yours because Satan got you if you are not born again when I was in the Catholic church when it's time for communion if you make a mistake and you go you don't have to be born again but if you haven't done first communion and you go you know you are cursed yeah and if you go and commit some sin you don't go around communion because it's too holy for your mouth right there and then many people are disqualified but the good news is that all it requires to qualify to take the communion is being born again and why do we take the communion because Jesus said do this in remembrance of me not the lamb remembrance of me the holy one of God

[32:30] I die to redeem you I die to set you free Bible says that it's written cares be he who hangs on the tree that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us the Gentiles Galatians chapter 3 verse 13 the blessing of Abraham is coming on someone listen before we take the communion if you haven't you know been in your heart of hearts pastor I've been sometimes I go to church but I know in my heart of hearts I have not accepted the work of the lamp I see sicknesses vanishing from somebody's system right now I want to pray with you if you are such a one you want to make a commitment genuine commitment from your heart just lift up your hand and I'm going to pray with you lift up your hand right now lift up your right hand lift up your hand I'm going to pray with you sometimes people I'm shy I'm shy how can you be shy to let the paramedics help you when you are dying Jesus said don't have to shy of me father we thank you thank you that you are building us a future in our family we give you praise lord we appreciate you for what you have done on the cross come on begin to thank him begin to thank him thank you for listening for more resources please visit caris.org or call us on 0207 740 9960 god bless you thank you