Redemption by the Blood of Christ

Lord, I just ask during this time, Lord, of listening to Pastor Sylvester, Lord, that you just bring this message home, Lord, have it be relevant and truthful, but Lord, at the same time impactful, Lord, that so people are changed tonight. We just ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

So I'm going to go ahead and ask Pastor Sylvester to come up. He's in town from Africa and his lovely wife Mary with him as well. And just have him speak to you, just share his heart.

I said this is a great opportunity coming from Africa where they're actually confronting Muslims and being killed for the faith and different things. And why don't you get a little different perspective than what we get here in America? So come on up. I'll grab you a mic.

I think it'll reach pretty far. If not, let me know. It's a long one.

It's good to be here again. This is my second time. I'm here with my wife, Mary.

For 29 years of our marriage. This is the first time of her vacation. Six children and three boys and three girls.

So she's coming to California for the first time and then it's pretty cold for us. I want to get my note, but I feel so intimidated because Pastor Shane just gave us all that God wanted us to have. And I'm thankful because I'm just convinced that there is hope for America.

If one man will stand to say the truth of God without fear of losing the offering and the glamour of popularity. If one man will refer to the purpose why Jesus came, that man and all that listens to him are the hope for this great nation, America. We have the help of technology to look and hear messages from famous American preachers.

And when we got the time, we listened to some famous women preachers via TBN. That is if we have electricity and we are fortunate to find that someone has a television. And also there are some famous preachers.

But many of them are not really popular in Nigeria and in Africa in general. Because we listen to them, we watch them, and some of them can preach four, five, six, seven messages. Without mentioning repent, without mentioning sin, without mentioning hell, without mentioning salvation.

Four, five messages in a stretch. Some of them will say, let's leave it to Christ. They never told us what you're repenting from.

The plan of redemption right from the Old Testament has always been enshrined in the power of the blood. And we have to make this clear. When Jesus was crucified, there were two other people that were crucified along with him.

So it's not necessarily the crossed wood. It's majorly the activity on the cross. The prize that was paid.

The blood that was shed. And how it benefits us. Without the shedding of the blood, there will be no remission of sins.

I love the old song. Oh, the blood of Jesus. I'm going to figure out how to sing it.

Oh, the blood of Jesus. Oh, the blood of Jesus. It washes white as snow.

When the children of Israel were crying unto God in the land of Egypt for redemption. After the encounter with Moses and Pharaoh. God gave them instruction.

That instruction was very simple and precise. Apply the blood on your door post. That's the power of the redemption.

If you want to be saved tonight, kill a lamb, put the blood on your door post. That will make a difference. Jesus went to the cross.

Shed his blood. I want to read something from scripture because, as I said, I think it's a wonderful blessing tonight that we are all here. Because this is what is called revival.

American church are now redefining the Bible. And finding words to replace what God says. Sin is a mistake.

It's no more sin. And all of this recycling to produce an acceptable terminology. It must be clear that God says, as many as received Christ, to those God gave power to become sons of God.

It's not for everybody. It's not. And when we talk about the cross of Christ, here is what the scripture says, right here in Matthew chapter 16, verse 21.

And if you have your scripture, read with me. Matthew 16, verse 21. From that time forth, began Jesus to show unto his disciples how he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes.

And be killed. And be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord.

These shall not be unto thee. But he turned unto him, unto Peter. Jesus turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan.

Thou art an offense unto me. For thou servest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it. And whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Every single believer must follow the footsteps of Christ.

We have to follow the steps of Christ. The cross of Christ gave us redemption. Our own cross will give people the light.

Jesus says, We are the light of the world. That's how powerful and that's how elevated and that's how important we are. We are the light of the world.

So if any man will follow me, Jesus says, He, she has to take up your own. He did not say take up the cross. He said take your cross.

So each believer has a cross to bear. A price to pay. And it's not just taking the cross.

Jesus said something that's scary. He said something that is only safe for me from Africa to say. Because if somebody from America say it, he might get wounded.

Yourself. Yourself. Bear my step.

We are in the world. But we are not of this world. Definitely we are not of this world.

We must have the revelation. Peter got it wrong. Peter got it wrong.

Jesus says the purpose is the son of man will be crucified. He will die. He will pay the price.

He will rise again on the third day. Peter says no. It wouldn't happen.

Jesus said, Jesus knew the spirit that was speaking. Jesus called the spirit that was speaking by his name, Satan. And where did Jesus say Satan go? Get behind me.

He never bothered about the activity. He just said get behind me. And he says we must take our cross.

You know, like I said, if a suicide bomber bombs on a Sunday morning three churches in California. Another Sunday morning, four churches in California. Another Sunday morning, a different three churches in California.

Be honest. How many of you will be in church on Sunday? Did you hear what I'm saying? If suicide bombers will come and bomb three different churches when the service is in session. Another Sunday, they go another area, bomb another four.

Another Sunday, they go to a different area and bomb another four. And they have done that three Sundays in a month. How many of you will be there in your own church on the fourth Sunday? That's what we have to contend with in Africa.

Every day, every Sunday, when you go to church, you thank God that you are going. And if you go from there, there's no regret. The weight is a cross that one must carry.

The cross of Christ cannot be easily carried if self-denial has not taken place in the first place. To lighten the weight of the cross. To understand the grace that helps you to move on.

The application of self-denial. And self-denial is simply, stop putting me first. As simple as that.

A lot of Americans are prayerful people, especially when it comes to praying for credit and money. And people have a lot of credit card debts. But the reason is because they didn't deny themselves.

They commit, they charge everything for themselves. And then when it is time to pay, they come back and begin to ask God to help them pay. But when they were charging, they never involved God in their charge.

You know, all of that. It's easy to swipe the card. But if you didn't add God, if you never added God when you were doing this, Don't call him when they ask you, pay me.

If you never involved God when you were charging, don't complain to him that the interest is high. Because he didn't negotiate the interest with you. If we learn how to deny ourselves certain things that holds us back.

In the natural, they make life good. But in the spiritual, they kill us. I one time preached in a church back home and I said, If every woman will spend amount of time they spend in putting cosmetics, and it differs.

Some do it in 5 minutes, others do it in 50 minutes. And the whole decoration is on the face. If you will spend the amount of time in prayer, as you spend putting cosmetics and all the little, little details.

You'll be a more spiritual Christian. If you don't care about your hair, do. But you care about your spiritual, do.

You find out changing our generation is not a difficulty. That way the effect of the cross will be visible. Here is this and I'm closing.

Let's talk about how Paul lists what the cross is. Jesus says, take your cross and follow me. If you deny yourself, Apostle Paul gave us the list of all that in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. So Paul gave us the list of what Jesus was talking about.

We take up our cross and follow him. Found in 2 Corinthians chapter number 6. And I'm reading verse 4. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 4. But in all things, approving ourselves as the ministers of God. In much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distress, in stripes, in imprisonments, in turmoil, in labors, in watchings.

You got to watch everything has S. That is everything is in plural. It doesn't happen once. He didn't say once.

All of them is with S. Meaning they happen more than once. It's a continual tense. I just want to observe that.

Now, verse 7. Verse 6. Righteousness is an armor. On the right hand and on the left hand. By honor and dishonor.

By evil report and good report. As deceivers and yet true. As unknown and yet well known.

As dying and behold we live. As chastised and not killed. As sorrowful yet always rejoicing.

As poor yet making many rich. As having nothing. And yet possessing all things.

Now, if you look at all these things. Approving ourselves is the key. The effect of the cross.

When we understand and we reflect what Jesus have done. That effect will help us to prove ourselves. In proving ourselves as the ministers of God.

In other words, how do we prove it? Imprisonment. In poverty. In sickness.

When any of this comes. And you are able to stand. That's your proof.

That indeed you have a contact with Christ. Because all the church fathers. Who had contact with Christ.

When the old Roman Empire. Were arresting them and trying to kill them. Some of them like Polycarp would say.

I have served Jesus for so long a time. He never disappointed me one time. But this is a guy under persecution.

He says yet Jesus have never disappointed me. I have found nothing wrong with Jesus. If it's me, we would say.

Well Jesus since you allow this to happen. I'm going to help myself out here. But he was in that.

Paul was in prison. I say praise God. So in every circumstance.

The effect of the cross. Is that you prove yourself. That you are son of God.

That you don't give up. You don't throw in the towel. You stand your ground.

Can I hear an amen on that? And then. There's an inseparable effect of the cross. You know when Jesus was on that cross hanging.

Even his enemies confessed and said. This is the fruit of the truth. This is a son.

Oh my goodness. He had power to react. You know sometimes I begin to think.

Jesus blood had already been shed. The stripes had been completed. Every prophetic thing had been completed.

Except for him to give up the ghost. I am not sure. We would have lose our salvation.

Or that the blood of Jesus would be ineffective. If Jesus had reacted and said. Well now I've shed my blood already.

I'm going to put a curse on all of these people. See he didn't put a curse. Even when he resurrected.

He never said. Where are those people who did that to me? Let me just prove a point. Jesus never wanted to prove a point.

By reacting negatively. He proved a point. By learning how to endure.

And not being overcome by evil. But rather overcoming evil with good. So when people treat you bad.

Don't let your heart explode. Don't try to prove a point. Overcome that evil with good.

So there are inseparables in the effect of Christ. Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter number 8. We are reading verse number 35. Romans 8 number 35.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation. Or distress. Or persecution.

Or famine. Or nakedness. Or peril.

Or sword. As it is written. For thy sake we are killed all day long.

Let me just pause. And make that point clear. Because we don't have time.

If for his sake we are killed. It shouldn't have been all day long. If we are killed all day long.

It means there's a different killing than being killed. Because we are killed all day long. Every other day.

Every other day. Paul said I subject myself. And I put it on them.

Otherwise when I have speech to others. Myself will be a cast away. No, I don't want that.

Beloved. Don't feel odd. When people who doesn't know Christ don't understand you.

Jesus says. It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom. But unto them is not given.

Don't feel odd. And don't be intimidated. Don't feel ashamed to speak out for Christ.

Wherever you are. Because apostle Paul says Romans 1.6 says. I am not ashamed of the gospel.

Because of what the gospel is. The power of God. Unto salvation.

That thing is a bomb. The next time we have time to talk. As I saw with pastor.

He paid for me. I didn't pay. See.

Options in America is a huge challenge for the church. People who doesn't have food. Somebody will feed them.

They don't have shelter. Somebody will feed them. Somebody is sick.

They go to the hospital, they are attended to. All of that. All of that.

Some of you need to be in Africa. When you are in Africa. Even if you visit and come back.

Your theology will change. And if you think your knee will never bend. And if you think your hand will never be raised up.

you know, as some of us were when the praise and worship was going on, we were watching them as a movie. No, we have to participate when praise is going on. Because God inhabits the praises of his children and we adore that we should give him the praises.

So, let us understand that when we connect with the cross of Christ, we become inseparable with the values of the kingdom. We become inseparable with the values. We become inseparable with the power.

We become immune that they will have authority and power to overcome whatever the enemy will throw on us. Well, verse thirty-six says, verse thirty-six says, as it is written, for thy sake, we are killed all day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things, we are more than conqueror. Through him that have loved us. And here is verse number thirty-eight.

Paul says, by the Holy Spirit, for I am persuaded. When that effect, what Jesus did, happens to you, you become persuaded. The clarity will be there.

I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers, again, in plural, not just one angel, not just one power, not just one death. I am persuaded that in their multitude, I am inseparable. Because once I connect with the cross, there's no other place I will go.

I am persuaded that neither depth, nor life, nor angel, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, Jesus Christ Jesus. Our Lord. That's what we talk about.

That when your life is no more important to you than your destiny. When the temporal life is no more what you're working on. Food and clothing and housing.

You are now walking about eternity. It means I've caught the revelation of the cross. As Paul wrote, is not only given unto us to believe in Christ, but also to suffer with him.

And he went on to say, if we suffer with him, we also shall reign. far away from us the emblem of suffering and shame. What's that? How do you say it? That I love that old cross.

What a diarist and best for a wall of the sinister How about if you know how to sing? Shall we stand? So, I cherish the old rugged cross and my trophy at last I let down. I will cling to the old rugged cross rugged cross and exchange it Sunday for a crown on that old rugged cross so despised by the world was wondrous attraction for me for the lamb of God left his glory above to die to die so I cherish oh I cherish the old rugged cross my trophy at last I let I will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it Sunday for a crown. You know, without the cross, there will be no crown.

Father, we find ourselves in a situation where everything you have done may not challenge you. Even though they deny the cross we testify to it. We thank you for this revelation.

We thank you for our salvation. We thank you for the redemption. flowed from the blood of your only son on the cross.

that precious blood that set the captive free which will put the prison door. It dropped on the ground. and the veil was turned from top to bottom.

We had access and we still have access forever. No more left at the outer court. You gave us access to the holy of holies that we may come before your throne, lift up our hands and worship you and say unto you oh God, be all the praise because all in eternity, we will worship you.

Give us the persuasion. Give us the conviction, the audacity to know. Neither death nor life.

persecution. bad mountain. betrayals from brothers and family members.

Nothing. Oh god. will separate us for the love of your son Jesus.

which we have embraced. Thank you. for the cross.

Thank you. You know, it's funny. It's when I heard something on the radio, share with you guys before I thought of Pastor Sylvester.

It's when that African pastor was asked, why is there so much counseling in the American church? but not in the African church. There's so much counseling in the the American church but why not in the African church and he said to the interviewer because in America, you counsel and in Africa, we repent and that is no truer words have ever been spoken and no matter how this message hit you tonight, that's the answer is to repent and turn back to god or to just be encouraged by the cross. Be encouraged in your walk that yeah, it's difficult.

You're carrying a burden like you said nothing can separate me from the love of god which is in Christ Jesus. Nothing and the enemy is going to try to do that and actually, I'm going to do this a little bit different than how I wanted to end. I'm actually have Gordon come up right now.

If you could Gordon, I think it'll flow a little bit better and what I'm going to ask him to do is Gordon's part of a group and kind of tied in with Sylvester and we want to do an exit offering as we're leaving tonight on just if you want to sew into this ministry in Africa, we don't do that too much here but I think sometimes you know, there comes a time when we have to reach out and help others. So, we're going to have an exit offering as you leave the ushers. I think I'm just putting you on notice now if you guys want to grab some some of the plates that we have and be at either one of the doors as people are leaving.

We're going to do that but I want him Gordon to explain briefly what exactly we're helping out here. You're welcome to sit for just a moment. Sure.

My name is Gordon Skinner. I'm from All Nations International. We train missionaries and leaders in other nations because of the passion of the love of Christ that has affected our hearts.

I've noticed that the preaching and the message of the cross in the early church began something inside of each of those that brought such a passion, a compassion for souls that I've often found lacking in my own life even as a mission director but I have a challenge that's just simply two things tonight. The first challenge is this. How can they go? How can they hear without a preacher? This message of the cross that we've received that transforms lives.

There are areas of this world that have no opportunity of receiving the truth of the gospel that the teaching and the preaching that they've heard has been deception and lies, animism, where they worship everything, this ism and that ism but the challenge is this. Will you go? Pastor Sylvester is building a place to receive you and if you go, do you have this work of the cross worked in your own life? That you have something to give in a demonstration out of your own life. Sometimes like you I struggle with the simplest little things to be Christlike in the midst of challenges.

Paul had the ability I believe because he went and some of that ability only comes as we place ourselves denying ourselves with a compassion and a passion for others. So the challenge of the first one is will you go in obedience to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? And second, will you give? In 2006 I can be very brief and tell you the story. In 2006 my wife and I went and we visited Pastor Sylvester and Pastor Mary in Abba, Nigeria.

He took us to the village of his mother. We observed there were no electric lines above the streets or paths. There was no water anywhere and we understood that they walk four or five kilometers in the morning.

Kids six, seven, eight, nine years old carrying water for the day and our hearts were stirred with compassion by the Spirit of God and we were challenged. We observed that they were processing their grains and their cassava and their groundnuts by hand and compassion began to stir within us. Not sympathy but the Spirit of God with compassion and we began to say God.

We began first to weep and then we began to pray. We said God you will provide and he did. 2007 we were able to complete together with Pastor Sylvester a well that would serve 10,000 and more people per week.

So 10,000 times a week somebody is there turning on that faucet and filling their cans with fresh running water. There's not been as yet one case of cholera typhoid or waterborne diseases amongst the people around that well since that came and before that I understand a dozen or more a year died from those things. You see what happened is the love of God was demonstrated to that people because we went.

Because we saw the need and we cried out on behalf of that people. Now the hearts of that people are open. Pastor told me himself.

He said three generations of intensive evangelism could not accomplish amongst this people what has been done in a single act and demonstration of the love of Christ. When Christ came amongst it he says his love was made manifest in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. You see love cannot be just something that we feel in our heart.

It must be demonstrated. And my challenge to you tonight is demonstrate that love by either going or by giving. Tonight what we're going to ask you to give to is we're building together a training center where you can come.

A place that you can be safe and that you can teach what it is if you're a construction worker, if you're an electrician, if you're a seamstress, if you just are good with training children. Come and invest your skills amongst the pastors and the leaders in that area and watch the change that's going to happen. There's over a million people in this area that are open to the gospel.

We just want to challenge you. Pastor thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for coming and sharing Sylvester.