CHRIST OUR LIFE GIVER: DR. MENSAH OTABIL – SUNDAY SERVICE 13TH DECEMBER, 2020
ONLINE SUNDAY SERVICE MESSAGE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)
TOPIC: CHRIST OUR LIFE GIVER.
DATE: 13TH DECEMBER, 2020
TEXT: JOHN 10:10
Amen! – Let us rise together wherever you are (or reading on the Label of DMC) as we make our DECLARATIONS OF EXCELLENCE, in this Year of Excellence.
… Are you READY?
SAY WITH ME:Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, God shines forth. The Lord my God causes the righteous to shine forth as the Sun.
His Awesome Hands has formed me; His Creative Spirit inspires my mind. He skillfully guides my hands.
Therefore, I boldly declare: I am Set Apart for Excellence. The Ruler of the Universe has exalted my horn among the Nations. He sets my feet on high! In His Strength, I rise!
By Faith, I Press forward towards the Prize of my Highest Calling.
I believe in my heart, and confess with my mouth: that Jesus is Lord! He is the Vine, I am the Branch; in Him I abide, in Him I Blosom.
As it is written: God, who commanded Light out of darkness, has shone His Light in our hearts.
We have His Treasure in Earthen Vessels. That the Excellence of the Power may be of God, and not of us!
In this Year, I commit to EXCELLENCE, I commit to EXCEPTIONALISM, I commit to do the EXTRAORDINARY.
In Jesus Name – Amen! – Hallelujah!
… Please be seated!
We are centering on CHRIST. We have spoken about: CHRIST THE BREAD OF LIFE AND CHRIST THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD;
DMC NOTES: We can access the Full Text of these Messages on these Link:
https://discoverymediacrew.com/Christ-The-Bread-Of-Life-Mensah-Otabil
https://discoverymediacrew.com/Christ-The-Light-Of-The-World-Dr-Mensah-Otabil
And today we are talking about “CHRIST OUR LIFE GIVER.”
And my Main Bible Text is going to be John 10:10 (NKJV).
This is Jesus speaking, He Says:
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more Abundantly.”
Jesus made the statement when He was comparing His Mission with other False Messiahs –
Because there were many who had come before Jesus claimed to be the Messiah; even this time there are People who still claim to be Messiah.
Jesus calls them “False Shepherds” and He likened their works to the work of a thief.
And Jesus says their works (as thieves) is to kill, to steal and destroy. But Jesus (as the “Good Shepherd”) has come that we may have life and have it more Abundantly.
Now many times People use the Scriptures to characterize the Thief as Satan; but in the context of this Passage, Jesus was not directly talking about Satan.
… Indirectly, YES, but not directly!
Directly the THIEVES He is talking about here are the “False Shepherds”, “False Messiahs”.
But there is a Logic to it – And the Logic is that:
- The “False Shepherd” is like a THIEF.
- And the “False Shepherd” is a Messenger of Satan.
- And Satan’s work therefore is like a thief. And his work therefore, is the work of a thief.
So, basically that is the Logic!
But directly, Jesus is talking about People who bring “False Messages” to us.
And then Jesus talks about His Mission – He says: “I HAVE COME, that you may have life and have it more Abundantly”.
I’m going to ask four (4) Questions and then I’m going to Answer those four (4) Questions based on the Passage we have just read.
- So the First (1st) question I will ask; which I will attempt to answer the question is: WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?
Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life and have it more Abundantly.”
There is something called “Life More Abundant” or “Abundant Life”; in other Places in the Scriptures. It is also called “Everlasting Life”. And sometimes it is also called Eternal Life”.
You can also listen to the audio here: Christ: Our Life Giver – Pastor Mensa Otabil
Eternal Life, Abundant Life, Everlasting Life: are ALL talking about the same kind of life.
It is not a Quantitative Life it is a QUALITATIVE LIFE.
So, when Jesus talks about “Eternal Life”, He is not just talking about leaving for a very long time – That is not what Eternal Life is. But it is having a GOOD QUALITY LIFE.
So, there are four (4) things that characterized “Eternal Life” or “Abundant Life”:
I. Abundant life is life that is IN CHRIST. It starts with Salvation in Christ.
And when we to talk about Abundant Life as a life that is “IN CHRIST”, it is like a well of water – Having a Well that you can draw water out from, or water out of.
Life that is IN CHRIST, is ABUNDANT LIFE.
II. Abundant Life is life that IS FULL.
And when we say a life IS FULL; it means it is PURPOSEFUL, it is not Empty!
It is Possible to have life, and have an “Empty Life”; And there are People who are living an “Empty Life” – THERE IS NOTHING IN THEIR LIFE:
Nothing gives them satisfaction, their life does not fulfill any Great Purpose – An empty life.
But Abundant Life is a life that is in Christ, a life that is FULL!
When we liken it to water, it is like a Spring of water that bubbles to the top.
Salvation is like a well of water, the “Full Life” like a Spring of water that bubbles to the top.
III. Abundant Life is Life that is OVERFLOWING.
… It is a Life IN CHRIST; it is FULL, and it is OVERFLOWING.
It is a Life that cannot be STOPPED, it FLOWS and it touches People’s Life.
And when we you look at it in the sense of water, it is like a river overflowing its Banks.
So, it is like a Well, it is like this Spring – Peace like a river that is overflowing its Bank.
Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more Abundantly.”
… The Life that touched People!
If your life never touches People, People are not blessed in the Life in you; then there is no Overflow.
… That is the Life Jesus came to give to us!
IV. And finally, Abundant Life Is life that NEVER ENDS.
It is connected to Jesus Christ, and so never comes to an end. And in that sense it is like an Ocean.
An Ocean has no beginning, it has no end – It just keeps flowing.
- So Abundant Life is Life that is IN CHRIST: – It is like a WELL
- It is Life that IS FULL – It is like a SPRING
- It is a Life that is OVERFLOWING – It is like a RIVER
- And it is Life that NEVER ENDS – It is like AN OCEAN.
Jesus says the thief when he comes, will take away from you; but when I come to you this is what I add to you: I give you life IN ME, Life that is FULL, life that is OVERFLOWING and life that NEVER ENDS.
And may God cause our lives to OVERFLOW and TOUCH People’s lives and be a Blessing to many People – Amen!
“… I have come that you may have LIFE.”
So that is the Life that Jesus wants us to have.
- Second question: WHERE IS THIS LIFE FOUND?
Jesus says: “I have come that you may have life and have it more Abundantly” – WHERE IS IT?
Where is the Abundant Life? Where do we go looking for it? Should we go the Outer Space for it? Should we go to a High Mountain for it? Should we travel to some Places for it?
Where is this Life found?
John 5: 26 says: “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,”
WHERE IS THIS ABUNDANT LIFE FOUND?
- Well, this Passage says it is FOUND IN THE FATHER – Because the Father has life in Himself.
God the Father does not owe His Life to anyone; neither did He receive His Life from another!
He is LIFE itself – HE IS THE ORIGIN OF LIFE.
… “For as the Father has life in Himself”.
So, if we are going to find Abundant Life, and it is with the Father; but that is the Problem because if it is with the Father (God), and He is in Heaven; how does it get to us?
Because it is Life that must get to us!
And the Passage says it is with the Father – and it must get to us.
- The Abundant Life is FOUND IN CHRIST.
So, He says: “For as the Father has Life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have Life in Himself.”
Christ is GIVEN life in Himself!
… The Father has life and the Son has life also.
Now when you read this statement it can be a little troubling because, if Jesus is God, why does the Father has to grant Him Life? Because He must have life!
Well the reason is very simple – When Jesus was coming to Earth he shed all His Glory as God, DOWN, and He became man!
But when He became man, He had to be given the Life of the Father; and it wasn’t given to Him for Him to have. It was given to Him for Him to GIVE.
Because He is the One who is going to give us the Life of God; and God put that Life in the man Jesus
The Man Jesus carries the Life of God so that the man Jesus can give the Life of God to all men.
God became man, so that ALL men can become like God.
And in Christ is the meeting Place between God and man!
The Life that was granted to the Son was not for the Son to keep – It was Life given to Him for Him to share with us.
“The Father has Life in Himself, the Son has Life in Himself.”
John 1:3-4 says: “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was LIFE, and the life was the Light of Men.”
“… In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of Men.”
So, when Human Beings want to receive Light and Development and a “Better Life”; they find it in Christ.
Christ has the Eternal Life, He has the Abundant Like.
So now we know what Abundant Life is, we know where it is.
But the fact that you know where something is doesn’t mean you will get it.
We can all know where the money is but it doesn’t mean you will get it.
We all know (that’s Probably not true) that when you go to the Vault of the Bank of Ghana there is a lot of money in there!
… That is where Printed Money for Ghana is kept?
But the fact that you know where it is doesn’t mean you will have it.
So, we know what Abundant Life is, we know who has it; but it doesn’t mean we have it!
We don’t know how to find it – How are we going to find it?
So, my next question tries to address that.
- HOW do we get Eternal Life or the Abundant Life?
We know WHAT it is, we know WHERE it is – HOW DO WE GET IT?
1 John 5:11 and 12 . And this is what it says: “This is the Testimony that God has given us Eternal Life and this Life is in His Son; he who has the Son has Life, he who does not have the Son does not have Life.”
So, we know:
- What Abundant Life is – It is Life IN CHRIST, it is a FULL life – It is AN OVERFLOWING life, it is a life that NEVER ENDS.
- We know where it is – *It is it is with the Father and it is with the Son
Now, HOW DO WE GET IT?
So 1st John 5 is telling us HOW TO GET IT; there are three (3) Important Statements in 1 John 5 that I want you to take note:
- First (1st), it says that God has GIVEN US Eternal Life.
In other words, God has made Eternal Life available to us: He has not hidden it from us, He has not denied us Eternal Life – He has offered it to us.
So, if God has given us this LIFE; this Abundant Life, this Eternal Life, this Overflowing Life, this Good Life; where is it, if He has given it to us?
- The Second (2nd) Statement says: This life is in His Son.
So Eternal Life or Abundant Life is in CHRIST.
It is in Christ – It is not in a Man or Woman of God; it is not in our Good Works, it is not in our Church, it is not in Jerusalem, it is not in Prayer, it is not in Fasting, it is not in Tithes and Offerings!
So, when you want Eternal Life or Abundant Life, you don’t get it because you are Tithing and you are giving the Offering; as Good as it is – That is not where to find Eternal Life.
It is not in your Church – it is good to come to Church; I am happy to see all of you in Church and all of you joining us Online. But it is not in going to Church!
It is not in the Man of God – I am Preaching to you the Gospel, but Eternal Life is not in me.
You know sometimes, some of the difficulties I am beginning to see in a lot of People is Perhaps somehow – They have shifted Faith in God to faith in Man!
And it is a very dangerous trend in Christianity – Where Christ is removed and Man is believed.
But Eternal li Lifefe is not in your Good works – We do some Good works. But you don’t find Eternal Life because you gave to Orphans.
You don’t find Eternal Life because you Paid your Tithes, you don’t find Eternal Life because you went to Church, you don’t find Eternal Life because you are a Good Person.
You don’t find Eternal Life because you Pray a lot, you don’t find Eternal Life because you Fasted a lot, you don’t find Eternal Life because you traveled to Jerusalem or read the Bible a lot.
The Scripture is clear: God has given us Eternal Life and this life is IN HIS SON.
… That is where it is!
- So the Third (3rd) Statement that the Passage gave us: In consequences of the fact that God has given us HIS LIFE, and this life is IN HIS SON,;
So Third (3rd) Statement is logical: “He who HAS THE SON, HAS LIFE.”
When we have Christ we have Eternal Life – To have Eternal Life we must have Christ.
Why? – BECAUSE ETERNAL LIFE IS IN CHRIST!
That is the Logic of where we get Eternal Life from – THE LIFE OF CHRIST!
… Abundant life IS IN CHRIST!
Now let me use a very Crude Analogy; but it may help us to get it.
Oranges and other citrus fruits have Vitamin C (at least that is what we are told) – That oranges and other citrus fruits like tangerine, and lemon and unfortunately lime (Laughing) and grapefruits and all other citrus fruits have Vitamin C.
I don’t know how Vitamin C looks like!
How many of you have seen Vitamin C? Have you ever looked at something that says: Hey I am Vitamin C?
No, we haven’t seen Vitamin C!
But we believed that Vitamin C is in Orange Juice – Though we haven’t seen Vitamin C.
It will not give me Vitamin C because I looked at the orange and said: Oh, they are beautiful oranges I love oranges – I will get no Vitamin C.
I don’t get Vitamin C by putting an orange in the fridge. I don’t get Vitamin C by cutting an orange into Four (4) quarters (as my mother used to do)! I don’t get Vitamin C by smelling the Orange.
… I get Vitamin C by SUCKING the Orange!
So, you can say: God has given us Vitamin C and this Vitamin C is in an orange. He that takes in an orange has Vitamin C. Although he has never seen Vitamin C before.
… Does that make sense to you?
So, God has given us Eternal Life – Have I seen Eternal life before? – No! Do I know how Eternal Life looks like? – No! Can I identify a Eternal Life and say that is Eternal Life? – No!
But God has Pumped His Son with Eternal Life; and when I want Eternal li Lifefe I don’t ask Eternal Life to come to me; I only go and Partake of the thing that contain Eternal Life – And His Name is JESUS!
… He that has the SON has LIFE!
Now, there are People looking for Eternal Life and they are looking for it – Sometimes People just say: Oh, I like Jesus: He is a Good Man, He is the Greatest Philosopher of all times! Oh, Gentle Jesus meek and mild. Oh, I love Christmas.
… But that is just admiring the Orange
If you want what He has, then you have to receive Him INTO your LIFE! And to receive Him into your life is to BELIEVE that He is Who He is.
I take an orange by putting it into my mouth and squeezing the juice out of it.
I think of Jesus by putting Him into my heart by Believing that He is Who He says He is; and declaring it with my mouth.
So, the Bible says: With the heart man believes, in the mouth confession is made.
If you believed that Jesus is the SON OF GOD, and that God RAISED Him from the dead, and you say it with your mouth – You have believed that Christ has come with you, and Eternal Life has come with you.
“He that has the Son has LIFE” – That is the simple Message of Christianity.
I. It is not about Good works – Although Good works are Good.
II. It is not about trying hard – Although trying hard is Good;
III. It is not about giving money to Church – Although giving money to Church is Good!
It begins by receiving Jesus Christ into our heart as your LORD and SAVIOUR
And when He comes He comes with what He carries:
- It is called ABUNDANT LIFE;
- It is called ETERNAL LIFE;
- It is called EVERLASTING LIFE;
- It is called THE GOOD LIFE.
Alright! The Last question;
- HOW DO WE MANIFEST THIS LIFE?
If this life is in us, how do we get it to show? How do we get People to see that we have it?
If I have taken all the Orange, all the Vitamin C, what will be the proof?
We must manifest the Eternal Life – I can’t have a thing and not manifest it and it is Possible to receive something but it doesn’t show in your Life.
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 says: “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are Perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed — Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the Life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
… How many of you felt hard-pressed on every side especially in 2020?
Everybody say: “YET NOT CRUSHED!”
How many of you have felt Perplexed before? Have you ever been Perplexed?
Everybody say: BUT NOT IN DESPAIR!
Now look at what the Passage is saying – It is talking about difficulties, Hard Problems, Perplexing, being Pressed down, being Persecuted, being Struck down.
… But in all of these the Person is bouncing back!
“Hard-pressed on every sides, yet not crushed; we are Perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; Struck down, but not destroyed”.
Now this Person who is going through these, has something in the Person that bounces back.
So, imagine a Person who is being Pushed – You push him he falls, then he gets up!
He is in a boxing match and he gets all the blows from Mike Tyson, and all the other hard hitters.
And they are all giving him hard blows – One here the other there and he falls and he gets up.
Then they hit him again, he falls and he gets up. Hit him again, he falls and he gets up, hit him again!
After that one, People are going to say: “What is in that guy?”
Because there is something in him that helps the Person to bounce back!
And that is 2 Corinthians 4:10 – So let us read it again:
“We are Hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are Perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; Struck down, but not destroyed”
Why are we able to come out from all the hardship of life?
“Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the Life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
What does that mean?
Now this is the Apostle Paul who is speaking; and if anybody typifies that, he is talking about his Life.
There was even a time they stoned him, he was supposed to be dead but he came back.
And he says the reason is because: “I am conscious of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And because “I am conscious of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ;” the life of Christ manifest in me.
What does that mean?
It means that when we identify with the death of Christ, we manifest His Life in our bodies.
Why is that so?
Because the Victory of the Believer is in the DEATH of the Lord Jesus Christ:
I. In His Death, He overcame all Principalities and Powers!
II. In His Death He destroyed every demonic entity.
III. In His Death He buried all our sins.
IV. In His Death He buried all our weaknesses.
V. In His Death He buried all our failure.
So that we can Manifest the life He has given to us in our bodies.
The Strength of the Believer therefore, is in the DEATH of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And in His Death we are More than Conquerors; in His Death we overcome
I. Because He died, you will not be destroyed.
II. Because He died, you will bounce back.
III. Because He died, nobody can push you and destroy you.
IV. Because He died, no demon from your family, no demon from hell, no power can destroy you. No curse of man, no incantation, no Divination can destroy you!
Not because you are a Nice and Wonderful Christian, or because you are a Nice and Wonderful Pastor, or because you have a Nice and Wonderful Church; you bounced back simply because you have the Life of Christ, who carries the Life of the Father;
And in His Death, He released His Life for you, so that His Life will be Manifested in you.
So, that when you are at the Point of death; His Life will be seen through you.
Never underestimate the Power of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ – The Power of the DEATH of Christ because it is in there that we have our Victory.
So, the Bible says we Manifest this Eternal Life, when we identify with the Death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Has Christ DIED for your sin? – Then Sin cannot destroy you!
Did Christ DIE for the chastisement of your Peace? – Then nobody can DISTURB your Peace of mind, nothing can disturb your Peace of mind.
Did He DIE for your Sickness and Infirmity? – Then,. Sickness and Infirmity has no Power over you.
Did He destroyed Principalities and Powers? – Then Principalities and Powers does not have Dominion over you again!
We MANIFEST the life of Jesus Christ by ACKNOWLEDGING the DEATH of Jesus Christ.
So, we can also say:
I. In Year 2020, you had Pressed us on every sides, yet we are not CRUSHED.
II. In Year 2020 we were Perplexed, but not in DESPAIR!
III. In Year 2020 we had been Persecuted, but not DEPRESSED.
IV. In Year 2020, we were Struck down but not DESTROYED.
V. In Year 2020, somebody gave us a dirty blow, but we BOUNCED BACK!
Because Jesus Christ died, and He died for all our infirmities and all our weaknesses, so that this Abundant Life – which is in Him, might be manifested in our lives.
May the Life of Christ be manifested in you today – Amen! And may His Victory be manifested in you – Amen.
May you walk in the Power of the Resurrected Christ – Amen; May ABUNDANT LIFE flow out of you, in every circumstance of Life – Amen.
You have the Dominion, you have the Power, and you have the Victory.
Before I conclude; if you don’t have the Son, you don’t have Life – No Jesus, no Life; because this life is in Him.
And the way to receive Him is very simple and I am going to lead you to receive him; so that Eternal Life will come to you.
If you are reading this Message now on the Label of DMC; and you say: “Pastor, I want Jesus to come into my Life:”
Just lift up your hand wherever you are, and we are going to Pray one (1) Prayer together.
Everybody is going to Pray this Prayer to receive Jesus into our hearts.
Put your hand on your chest and say: HEAVENLY FATHER, I THANK YOU THAT YOU HAVE LIFE; AND I THANK YOU THAT YOU GAVE JESUS YOUR LIFE SO THAT HE CAN SHARE HIS LIFE WITH US.
TODAY, I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD, HE DIED FOR ME AND ROSE AGAIN FOR ME AND TODAY I PROCLAIM HIM AS MY LORD AND MY SAVIOUR.
I RECEIVE JESUS INTO MY HEART. LORD JESUS COME INTO MY HEART, WITH ALL YOUR LIFE: WITH ABUNDANT LIFE, AND MANIFEST THROUGH ME.
I THANK YOU FOR NEW LIFE, FOR SALVATION, FOR VICTORY.
IN JESUS’ NAME – AMEN!
If you Prayed that Prayer, you have received Christ into Your life, and with Him comes the life that is MORE ABUNDANTLY.
May you walk in the VICTORY of Christ everyday of your life, in Jesus’Name – Amen and Amen!
God Bless you!
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.
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