SACRIFICE 1

1. “YOU THEREFORE MUST ENDURE HARDSHIP AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF JESUS CHRIST.”
2. “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
3. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.
4. IF WE ENDURE, WE SHALL ALSO REIGN WITH HIM. IF WE DENY HIM, HE ALSO WILL DENY US.
5. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
   2 Timothy 2:3,10 -13 (NKJV)

• SACRIFICE gives birth to the covenant, and by the covenant doors are open.
THE Sacrifice is when you are ready to deny yourself the legitimate things.

• If you can endure for the Kingdom, the work of God, the Lord also will embarrass you with blessings—nothing shall be too big for Him to do for you.
  WHEN you are ready to endure, he will establish a covenant with you.

-> The Covenant

• The Covenant makes you credible, it speaks and it is higher than labour.

• There are things fasting and prayer cannot give you, but the covenant will.
• Doors that fasting and prayer cannot open, the covenant with open it.

-> The Way Of Covenant

• Sacrifices leads to the covenant
EXAMPLES: Abraham sacrificed his father’s land by going to a strange land in obedience to God’s instruction, he also sacrificed Isaac, the promised son.

1. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. AND HE WENT OUT, NOT KNOWING WHERE HE WAS GOING.
2. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, AND HE WHO HAD RECEIVED THE PROMISES OFFERED UP HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON."
   Hebrews 11:8,17 (NKJV)

GOD established a covenant with him because of what he did (Genesis 22:15-18).

• The truth is,the work of ministry must cost you something (2 Samuel 24:24).
YOUR obedience to follow, come what may, is the thing that will determine your lifting in the ministry work.

• What the sacrifice IS: "Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF, AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME" (Matthew 16:24).

• The willingness to leave everything in order to face the work of the KINGDOM, is about sacrifice (Philippians 3:7-8; 2 Corinthians 4:8-10; 11:23-28).
• The choice to live in a house that has no fittings and toilets, is about sacrifice.
• The willingness to live in a room, 12 by 10 feet, a family of four, drinking a WELL water, is about sacrifice.
• The willingness to trek A long distance to Church, when there is no transport fare, is about sacrifice.
• The willingness to endure hunger, when there is no food, without murmuring, is about sacrifice.
• The willingness to keep at doing the work even when no one is attending the services, is about sacrifice.
• The willingness to wear used clothes, torn clothes that has been parched, stitched, and eat unpalatable food, the food that is not nutritive, is about sacrifice.
• The willingness to give in the time of NEEDS and sufferings, is about sacrifice.
• The willingness to keep the children at home when there was no school fees, is about sacrifice.
• The willingness to sell your property for the work of Ministry, is about sacrifice.
• The willingness to keep your certificates and be ready to suffer for the work of Ministry, is about sacrifice (Hebrews 11:24-25).
• Forsaking all things to answer the CALL of God, is about Sacrifice.
  SOME cannot sacrifice their money and all they have for God’s kingdom.

-> Honour

• There are people who find it difficult to deny themselves for Christ AND yet these same people would want God to honour their words.

"So Samuel grew, AND THE LORD WAS WITH HIM AND LET NONE OF HIS WORDS FALL TO THE GROUND."
1 Samuel 3:19 (NKJV)

• The truth is, God honours the words of those who are prompt in obeying Him, not the people who argued and delayed before they reluctantly obey.
  WHEN you are always ready, always at alert to do His will or bidding, obey His commands, you will see His goodness.

-> Obedience

• The secret of Abraham that made God establish an eternal covenant with Him is prompt OBEDIENCE, and likewise David (Genesis 12:1-7).

• Abraham always moves as God instructed.
• Jesus always moves as God Commaned.
• David always moves as God directed.
• When you delay in obeying Him, you are still far from Him and His blessing.
• When God speaks YOU should not pretend as if you did not hear.
• Do not deceive yourself, saying YOU want to receive clear direction.
  IF you know in your heart that He has spoken to you, take a step, do not procrastinate.
  WHEN you keep waiting, giving excuses that you do not want to make a mistake, or you do not want to be ridiculed, it shows that you are not ready for His lifting.

-> Faith

• Whoever wants to follow God and obey His commandment will do it by faith.
WE are called to faith walk (Romans 1:17).
YOU do not wait until you get all the certainties, if you do, you will miss your time.

• Timing is important in the programme of God for our lives and the ministry.
  WHEN you missed God’s Time, the appropriate Time for a thing that God has for you, struggling will SET in.

-> Reproach

• The reason why some could not answer the call of God on their lives is because of reproach and shame.

• The truth is that you must be ready for reproaches, ridicules, persecutions, and hardships as a result of taking the step He has told you (2 Timothy 2:3-13).
  BE willing to go outside the city to suffer reproaches with Him (Hebrews 13:12,13).

"Therefore I take PLEASURE in INFIRMITIES, in REPROACHES, in NEEDS, in PERSECUTIONS, in DISTRESSES, for CHRIST'S SAKE. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:10 (NKJV)

• It is when you suffer with Him, He can honour and glorify you (2 Timothy 2:11,12).
HE will justify, APPROVED you before HE glorified you (Romans 8:30).

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED