Personal Decision is important in life’s journey.

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, 26^TH JULY, 2020.

Youth Week Sunday

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: “Personal Decision is important in life’s journey.”

             “Ipinnu se pataki ninu irin ajo aye.”

TEXT: Genesis 29:18 & 28.

“Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, "I'll work for you for seven years if you'll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife... So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel too."

"Jakobu si fe Rakeli; o si wi pe, Emi o sin o ni odun meje nitori Rakeli, omobinrin re abikeyin. Jakobu si se bee o si se ose re pe: o si fi Rakeli omobinrin re fun ni aya pelu."

The English word "decision" simply means a conclusion or resolution reached, either by an individual or a group, after consideration. According to Cambridge Dictionary, decision is a noun which means "a choice that you make about something after thinking about several possibilities." Looking at en.m.wikipedia.org, "decision making is regarded as the cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options." The same online source goes further to describe decision making as "the process of identifying and choosing alternative based on the values preferences and beliefs of the decision maker" which may be an individual, a group or an organization. It is however important to note that every decision making process produces a final choice, which may or may not prompt action. In today's word of God to his people, personal decisions of Jacob which played great role in his life journey is what we want to meditate upon. Truly, life is not easy and whatever it does to us as human beings depends greatly on what it finds in us. The story of Jacob in Genesis chapter 29 verses 14 to 30 should not be seen as an ancient story of just a man and the beginning of his family life. Rather it should be taken as a contemporary story about all of us who cannot but make important decisions in the journey of life, decisions which may determine our character and destiny as they did in the life of Jacob.

Jesus Christ gave his support to holy marriage between a male and a female, and saw it as a blessing from God to humanity, but he made it clear that not everybody will get marry in life (Matt.19:1-12). It is however obvious that Jacob's marriage was not an option at all, but a divine arrangement for his future success and to as well bring God's promises to fulfillment. The establishment of God's covenant and promises made to Abraham (Gen.12:1-3, 28:1-4) depended much on Jacob's decision to marry, have his own children and build his own family, which would eventually become the chosen people of God. It could however be recalled that Jacob, having deceived his father, Isaac, and rubbed his brother, Esau, ran away from his ancestral home as advised by Rebekah his mother (Gen.27:41-46) You may as well re-call that Jacob was further fortified at Bethel on his way to Padden Aram through the gracious promises made to him by God (Gen.28:10-22) Indeed God was with Jacob and ready to bless him according to the promises he made to Abraham, his grandfather.

Jacob's fresh enthusiasm and his new outlook were the direct result of the vision he received at Bethel (House of God), a great revelation that God was going to protect him and prosper his journey. He knew too well that the fulfillment of God's promises depended on his personal decision which will also be directed by God. So on his arrival in the land of the East, he resolved to water the flock of Rachel when he discovered that she was the daughter of Laban, his uncle whom he had come to stay with. (Gen.29:1-13). This singular act of Jacob portrayed him as generous, industrious, energetic and a young man to be associated with. Thus Rachel took the news of her meeting and interraction with Jacob to her father in a hurry. This confirmed the notion that family ties were very strong in the ancient East, and that visiting relatives, including those you have never met before, would be entertained in the home of their own flesh and blood. No wonder, Jacob was warmly welcomed by Laban into his home, and he honestly told his story to his uncle (Gen.29:13-14) who later requested him to work for him and be paid (Gen.29:15).

Here comes another important decision in the life journey of Mr. Jacob. Within the first month of his stay in Laban's house, Jacob performed well in his duty, and as well enjoyed every opportunity he had with Rachel, the second daughter of Laban. In the excitement of that moment of decision, which involved his acceptance of job offered to him by his uncle, and the engagement to the love of his life, Rachel, Jacob did not realize that Laban was a master schemer who would control his life for the next twenty years. His joyful prospect of marriage to the beautiful Rachel became an occasion for Laban's shrewdness and Jacob's discipline. Remember that Jacob and Rebekah, his mother, had deceived his father and brother to gain blessing; now his mother's brother deceived him to serve longer term for the purpose of love. Surely, we shall all reap whatever we have sown (Gen.6:7) The man who deceived his father was deceived by his father-in-law, and Jacob who presented himself as the first born of Isaac now receives Leah, first born of Laban, as his wife instead of the second. God in his grace forgives our sins when we confess them (1John1:9), but in his government, God allows us to suffer the consequences of those sins (Gal.6:8). Laban's deception was perfectly designed to make Jacob aware of his own craftiness.

However, Jacob was determined to have Rachel not minding what it will take him. He had a decision and was willing to do anything to achieve his goal. Jacob was such a man who is ready to give whatever it takes as long as he will get what he wants. Though Jacob complained bitterly about the treatment given to him and Rachel, his beloved, by Laban, but he meekly accepted his lot and agreed, resolved and decided to serve another seven years just to have Rachel. At the end of Leah's marriage, Jacob married Rachel, the woman after his heart and thus lived like a king in Laban's house for another one week. But he later endured thirteen more years of hardship and conflict in his father-in-law's house, not only because of the shrewdness of his in-law, but also because of his decision in life.

Men and brethren, please note that there is no wisdom, no insight, no decision, no plan which can succeed without the blessings of God. For the Bible says; "So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase." (1Cor.3:7). It is therefore important for us to consult God before we make any decision in life and also allow God's word to guide all our decisions.. Let us take all our plans to him through prayers and allow him to lead and direct us in all our resolutions for future. Young men and women who are waiting and searching for future partners should seek God's mind and approval before making their choices. It is also important for all our children in secondary schools to come to God in prayer before choosing subjects for their future career so as to avoid "had I know." All our divinely guided decisions will surely end in joy and happiness. God was with Jacob and approved his decisions, hence he ended up becoming the father of a great nation, Israel, which has twelve tribes. He became a very wealthy man (Gen.30:43).

The decision of Joshua, son of Nun, to serve the Lord together with his family brought sanity to the Israelites and influenced their own decision to choose and serve the God of their fathers against all foreign gods (Joh.24:15-16). Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters in Christ, please allow the Holy Spirit to guide your decisions and you will never make mistakes (Rom. 8:26-28). If God is on our side, just as he was with Jacob, our personal decision can never lead us to failure or disappoint us. "Commit your ways to the Lord, Trust also in him, And he shall bring it to pass" (Ps.37:5). Let us end this message with Hymn (MHB 504) composed by Georg Neumark, (1612-81) and translated by Catherin Winkuorth, (1829-78):

1: LEAVE God to order all thy ways,

And hope in Him whate’er betide;

Thou’lt find Him in the evil days Thy

all-sufficient strength and guide: Who

trusts in God’s unchanging love Builds

on the rock that nought can move.

2: Only thy restless heart keep still,

And wait in cheerful hope, content To

take whate’er His gracious will, His

all-discerning love, that sent; Nor doubt

our inmost wants are known To Him

who chose us for His own.

3: Sing,pray,and swerve not from His

ways, But do thine own part faithfully;

Trust His rich promises of grace, So

shall they be fulfilled in thee: God

never yet forsook at need The soul that

trusted Him indeed

Let us pray

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

We cannot hide from God

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, 19TH JULY, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: “We cannot hide from God”

   “A ko le f’ara pamo fun Olorun.”

TEXT: Psalm 139:7.

“Where can I go from Your Spirit?” or “Where can I flee from Your presence?”

“Nibo ni emi o gbe lo kuro lowo emi re? tabi nib ni emi o sa lo kuro ni waju re?”

God sees and knows everything he created, and as such nothing can ever be hidden away from him or from his presence. Human beings are not Creator, but creatures and for this reason they can never hide themselves from God nor hide away their deeds from his presence “Nitoripe oku kan ki f'ara pamo fun eni tio sin”. In fact, our God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. These of course are the subjects of David’s meditations in this great Psalm, Psalm 139. In this Psalm, which is said to have been written by King David and chosen as the text for our meditation this 16th Sunday in ordinary time of Christian calendar, David asked God to examine him thoroughly to affirm his innocence and see how cordial his relationship with God is. David knew very well that what we think about God and the level of our relationship with him usually determine what we think about every other thing around us in the world. That is to say, our thinking about God determines what we think about our neighbors, the world itself, God’s word, God’s will, faith, sin and other things in life. When we have wrong ideas about God, certainly, we are going to conceive wrong ideas about who we are and what we should do as human beings. Consequently, we may find ourselves living wrong life and following the wrong path towards the wrong destiny. It is therefore important for us to have the right knowledge of God, which is essential to living a fulfilled life in this world and according to God’s will. David thoughtfully considered the way of God, and concluded that God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. He then wrote Psalm 139 to encourage us (readers) to be in right relationship with God and never think that we can hide ourselves or our deeds from God who created heaven and earth. The Psalm under study today can be divided into four (4) strophes (sections) with 6 verses each. Its message progresses significantly from one topic to another as follows:

1) The all-knowing God cannot be deceived (Ps. 139:1-6): Our neighbors, friends and fellow human beings can only see the outside of us, but God sees the heart, and so cannot be deceived by anyone (1Sam. 16:7). Adam’s and Eve’s attempt to hide themselves from God in the garden of Eden after they had missed the mark was obviously fruitless effort (Gen. 3:8) Cain tried to hide himself from God after killing Abel, his brother, but he could not (Gen. 4:1-15) and even David, the Psalmist, tired it in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12, but discovered that God knew everything about him. The Psalmist therefore in verses 1 to 6, explains that God examined him with pain and care and got to know him in and out without anything hidden from him. God knows each of us too well. The fact that God knows us intimately and exhaustively is asserted in verses 1, 2, 4, 14 and 23 of Psalm 139 under study today. God knows our locations, our actions, our thoughts, our words, our way and all our motives for doing whatever we do (Heb. 4:13) This is further confirmed by the Old Testament reading appointed for this Sunday, Genesis 28:10-19a, where Jacob ran away from home having rubbed Esau, his brother, of his birthright, but met with God in the wilderness. No one can hide from God. He knows what is best for us and does all he can to guide our foot-steps in life. God is always behind us and before us, and he puts his hand on us to take care of us and direct us. As human beings, who recognize God as omniscient one should therefore be thankful to him always that he knows us by name. Any attempt of human beings to deceive God will amount to wasteful effort and share foolishness.

2) The ever present God is always with us and so we cannot escape him (Psalm 139:7-12): To say our God is omnipresent, as seen in the Psalm, means that all humans' escape routes are not hidden to him. God knows so much about us and he is with us constantly. The best thing is for us to walk blameless before him and ensure we please him with the rest of our life on earth. Let us run away from everything which can lead us to hiding away from God. For if we go up to heaven or down to sheol, God is there; if we run to the east or west, south or north, God’s hand will catch us and tenderly guide us. There is no hiding place for human being under the heaven because darkness is as the light before God. Our God is interested in walking with us because his plans for us are not of evil (Jer. 29:11) Why then should anyone be thinking of running away from him into a hiding place if not for his/her wickedness (sin). (Lev. 26:17-36) Instead of trying to hide from God for reasons best known to you, why not come to him with remorse for your misdeeds and plead for forgiveness today. Remember what happened to Jonah when he tried to run away from God. He went from bad to worse (Jonah 1:2-4,15) Men and brethren, do you know that we need the presence of God with us if we must enjoy his love and fulfill his purpose in life (Matt. 28.19&20; Ps.23:4). Hiding from God or his presence for any reason(s) is therefore a great disadvantage to anyone. Amend your way and stop hiding from the omnipresent God.

3. The all-powerful God and Creator of the Universe cannot be ignored (Psalm 139:13-18): In this passage, David declared that God is present at the conception and birth of any child, because all human beings emanate from him and he has a purpose for every person who is born into this world (Ps. 139:13) God created us as he wants us to be, and we must accept his will no matter how we feel about our structures, looks or abilities. Do you know what? Beyond the creation, God also plans and determines our days for us (Ps. 139:16; Job 14:5; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12&13). Then if we live our lives foolishly, outside his plan and will for us, we might die before the time ordained for us by God. How then can we ignore God who has power to create and bring to fulfillment his good plans for our wonderful life. Let us therefore yield ourselves to God daily, meditate on his word, and walk in the Spirit on his way. Brethren, don’t forget that the omnipotent God thinks of us always (Jer. 29:11) It is not bad if we also think about him every time of our lives.

4) God, the righteous judge cannot be disputed (Psalm 139:19-24): If God cannot be deceived, escaped, or ignored, it is then reasonable and sensible to obey him in all things. In Psalm 139, David referred to all who oppose God and dispute what he says about them in his word as wicked and violent people who are nothing, but liars, blasphemers and rebels. They are sinners who brought sorrow to God (Gen. 6:6), who grieved Jesus Christ (Mark 3:5), and the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:29&30). Christians who pray the Lord’s prayer every time must hate sin and flee from all evils which would not allow them to stand in the presence of God, because each time they pray “Thy Kingdom come”, they are requesting God to judge the wicked, and they leave everything about themselves in his hands. David, however, closed the Psalm with a prayer for God to search his heart, to know his worries and concerns, to forgive his sins and lead him on the right path. (Ps. 139:23&24). Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters in Christ, we must be careful as we examine ourselves because we do not even know our own hearts (Jer. 17:9) It is necessary to open the word of God, study it and allow the Holy Spirit search our heart and speak to us in order to discover the truth and be free. We must never quarrel with God who loves us and who wants the best for us. If we fight with God, where else do we think we can go to find answers to all our anxieties and worries? Let us run away from evils and stop all forms of wickedness which will not allow us to stand tall in the presence of omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God who is the only righteous judge, who will bring every work and all secret things to judgement on the last day, whether good or evil. (Eccl. 12:14). Remember, there is no hiding place for sinners. “Ase pamo lowa, ase gbe kan osi”. No sinner will go unpunished, stop sinning my fellow pilgrims, because there is no place to hide from the judgement of the righteous judge.

Let us pray

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

In the midst of thorn.

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, 12^TH JULY, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: “In the midst of thorn.”

             “Laarin awon egun.”

TEXT: Matthew 13:7&22.

“And some fell among thorns and the thrones sprang up and choked them. Now he who receive seed among the thorns is he who hears the Word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word and he becomes unfruitful.”

“Die si bo saarin egun; nigba tie gun si dagba soke o fun won pa. Eyi pelu ti o gba irugbin saarin egun ni eni ti o gbo oro naa; aniyan aye yii, ati itanje oro si fun oro naa pa bee ni o si je alaileso.”

Jesus Christ was a great teacher who spoke the Word of God with passion great conviction and authority. He taught his followers in parables because of their sluggishness (Matt. 1:10-17) and the prophecy in Psalm 78 verse 2 that “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old.” (Matt. 13:34&35). His choice of using parables to teach was not to confuse or condemn his listeners, what they wanted to know. Jesus Christ used parables to excite the interest of his followers and as well arouse their curiosity. It is believed that parables would give light to those with trusting and searching hearts. They could however bring darkness to the unconcerned and unrepentant people. Matthew Chapter 13 contains some simple but great parables of Jesus Christ in the scriptures. According to the Maxwell Leadership Bible (2^nd edition), “Jesus Christ is a master at communicating vision and his simple stories illustrate the Kingdom of heaven.” The parable of the Sower in Chapter 13 verses 1 to 9 and 18 to 23 does not begin with “The Kingdom of heaven is like” because it describes how the kingdom itself begins. Rather it starts with the preaching of the Word of God which is the same as the planting of the seed in the heart of human beings. In the parable of the Sower, the seed is the word of God; the different soils represent various kinds of hearts of people; and the different outcomes show the various responses of human beings to God’s word in this world.

Obviously, the word of God is compared to Seed, because God’s word is not the same as human beings’ word. The word of God is Jesus Christ (Jesus 1:1-4) and in him there is life and that life can be imparted to those who wish to make heaven. The word of God is truly living and most powerful (Heb. 4:12) Its truth must take root in the hearts of all hearers. It must be cultivated and allowed to bear fruit. It is therefore unfortunate and shocking to discover that most of the seed planted in Jesus’ parable did not bring forth fruit. Some did not germinate at all, while others which sprang up died at tender age. What a loss! The word of God is preached in order to get results. Fruit (results) therefore is the test of true salvation in the life of any believer (Matt. 7:16). These fruit include holiness (Rom. 6:22), Christian Character (Gal. 5:22-23), good work (Col. 1:10), soul wining (Rom. 1:13), sharing with others (Rom. 15:25-28), and praising God always (Heb. 13:15). All these and more are the expected results of the word (seed) proclaimed or preached in the power of the Holy Spirit which are well received by the hearers who allowed it to bear fruit in their lives. Men and brethren, I wish to focus on the seed which fell among the thorns (Matt. 13:7 and 22), in today’s message.

It is well known that any plant which must bear fruit, it has to be rooted in soil for nutrients and water. Its body must also be exposed to sun-light for photosynthesis to take place. My problem with the seed which fell among the thorns is how it will survive in the midst of these killer plants? In the parable of the Sower the sun represents tribulation or persecution which comes because of the gospel we preach. The heat of the sun on the plant is the persecution which comes to believers of the word of God in order to help them grow in their faith. Just as the sun-light can kill any plant which has no roots in the soil, so can persecution pull down any believer who is not well grounded in the word of God. Any believer with weak faith cannot last because his/her understanding of the word is meager and his//her decision was not sincere. Truly, it is possible for someone to accept the word, believe the word and yet not saved by the word (John 2:23:25). This is the interpretation of the last two results of the parable of the Sower, I mean those represented by the seed which fell on the rocky places and had no root, and the ones which fell among the thorns, meaning among the worries and wealth of life. When the seed on the rock finally sprang up and became plants, they stumbled, fell and died because they had no root in the soil while the rest of the plants among the thorns were choked to death by the worries and love of material wealth of the world. These are the hearers with initial interest in God’s word, but without genuine and sincere heartfelt response.

The main issue here is not the seed, but the soil and the environment of the soil on which the seed were sown. If I may ask, which soil are you and what surrounds your heart and life? The good news about Jesus Christ is one and the same everywhere. The difference is in the individual who heard, received, digest and believe the word; knowing fully well that human beings are not all the same and our responses to issues and messages (sermons) are also different. It is however sad that the response of majority to the gospel today is in the negative. It must be noted that love and cares of the things of the world destroy the word of God in our heart and result to negative attitude towards the word in our lives. In as much as persecution kills the faith of many, anxiety wealth and other worldly pursuit are more dangerous to our faith in Jesus Christ and his word, because they are not as loud as persecution in our lives. Actually, stones spoil the root, but the thorns spoil the branch, leafs and fruit at the same time. Thorns, worldly cares, are great obstacles to all that will can gain from God’s word, and our proficiency in religion. Why? The answer is not far-fetched; thorns are indeed great obstacles because:

v  They consume that strength and ability in us which should have been used for divine purposes.

v  They divert our attention from the mission of God which we are called to do.

v  They distract us from doing God’s will.

v  They help to quench the fire of the Holy Spirit in us.

v  They reduce the sparks of good affections in us.

v  They burst the cords of good resolutions us.

v  They eat up our minds and cause us to neglect the needful.

Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters in Christ, the challenge today is for every one of us to rise, break up our fallow ground and stop sowing among thorns. Let us surrender our hearts to Jesus Christ for circumcision now, and the word of God shall begin to flourish and prosper in our lives (Jer. 4:3-4) Come for a new heart which is devoid of thorns and your life will never remain the same (Ps. 51:10). Allow God to give you a new heart today and everything about you shall become new just as it happened in the life of Saul when he was anointed king over Israel. (1Sam. 10:9) Then the world will see you in a new form with new features. Surrender yourself for this today, tomorrow may be too late.

Let us pray.

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.

 

HIGHLIGHT OF BIRTHDAY MESSAGE DELIVERED

HIGHLIGHT OF BIRTHDAY MESSAGE DELIVERED
@
VERY REV. A.B.A. AYILARA’S 80TH NATAL DAY ON WEDNESDAY 8TH JULY, 2020

Theme: Secret of longevity (Asiri emi gigun).

Text: Psalm 34:12-14 cf 1Peter 3:10-12
“Who is the man who desire life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil; And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it”
“Okunrin wo ni o nfe iye, ti o si n fe ojo pupo, ki o le ma ri rere? Pa ahon re mo kuro ninu ibi ati ete re kuro ni etan siso. Lo kuro ninu ibi, ki osi maa se rere; maa wa alaafia, ki o si lepa re.”

• Like Psalm 25, this Psalm 34 is written with the Hebrew letter (alphabets) in an acrostic (puzzle) way.
• The background has to do with David’s dangerous experience with the Philistines in Gath (1Sam. 21:10-21:1), after which he fled to the cave of Adullam and he was saved by God at last.
• The Psalm centers on the fear of God (vs. 7,9,11) and total trust in his goodness (vs. 8,10 & 12) for human salvation and deliverance.
• There are four (4) main instructions for those who trust God for happiness and long life today in Psalm 34

                     Learn to bless the Lord (Ps. 34:1-3)
                   Learn to seek the Lord (Vs. 4-8)
                   Learn to fear the Lord (vs. 9-16)
                   Learn to trust the Lord (vs. 17-22)
                   Fear the Lord and live happily. Those who fear the Lord do not need to fear anything                            else (Ps. 112:1). Pa Ayilara, what you need now is happiness for the rest of your life,                             but you must continue to live in the fear of God.
                  When we fear the Lord, he provides all that we need at the right time (v. 9 cf. Matt.                               6:33, Ps. 84:11) If we don’t receive what we think we need; it means those things are                           not good for us, and so we don’t need them at this time. (Rom. 8:28)

SECRET OF LONG LIFE:

• Desire what is good (v. 12) – Abundance life (John10:10) which Christ came to give is part of the promised goodness. Christians must therefore love good character, be faithful and honorable, and take delight in doing God’s will. (Ecc. 2:17-20; Ps. 37:4)
• Speak what is true (vs. 13) If everyone of us can control his/her tongue, such person can as well control his/her body. (James 3:1-12; Prov. 21:23) Though it is not easy to speak truth today, but we can and we must (Ps. 141:3-4) Pa. Ayilara at 80, you must speak nothing, but the truth.
• Purse what is right (v. 14) It means abandoning sin once and for all. Do good, be a peace-maker, and not a troubleshooter. (Heb. 12:14-21) Pa. Ayilara you are now an octogenarian; you must represent righteousness.
• Expect what is best (vs. 15 & 16) – Those who live by faith shall surely live long, because they trust God for guidance, care and help. (Ps. 32:8) His eyes are always on us but his face is against anyone who tries to do us evil (Acts 12) This is the assurance we all have as God's children. 

I wish you Happy birthday and many pleasant surprises in Jesus name, Amen.
Let us pray.

Come and rest

METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA

DIOCESE OF OSOGBO

FOURTEETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, 5TH JUNE, 2020.

GOD’S WORD TO GOD’S PEOPLE.

THEME: “Come and rest.”

   “Ewa ki e si sinmi.”

TEXT: Matthew 11:28.

“Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

“E wa sodo mi gbogbo eyin ti n sise ti a si di eru wuwo le lori, emi o si fi isinmi fun yin.”

Let us begin today’s message this way or rather with a question: What do you understand by the divine curses written in Genesis chapter 3 verses 17b and 19: “…Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.” “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground…” In my own view point, it is mis-use of free-will given to human beings at creation that led both Adam (man) and Eve (woman) to commit sin of disobedience which in turn led to their fall and later attracted divine curses and banishment from the Garden of Eden. The fall of the first human beings was indeed a great one. A fall from grace to grass, a fall from freedom into bondage, from rest to toil and from blessings to curses. It is therefore obvious that human beings are the architect of their own struggles, pains, sorrows sickness, pandemic, insurgency, robbery, political unrest and struggles, ceaseless labour, tiredness, failures, evil acts, restlessness and death. The moment Adam and Eve missed the mark set for them by God in Genesis Chapter 3, they became accursed and were driven out of the garden of peace and rest (Gen.3:23) into the world of unending labour and struggle, human beings were driven out into the world where the devil was already reigning as king (Rev.12:12). This is the beginning of restlessness and unending labour for us human beings in the world. But I have a goodnews for you today, a good news for the entire world, Jesus Christ is here giving an open invitation to all who labour and are heavy laden as he says; “COME TO ME… AND REST” (Matt.11:28). Come to Jesus and get rest from all your troubles and worries of life.

“Come to me and rest” is an open invitation issued by Jesus Christ to both his disciples and those who failed to believe him, especially the arrogant Jewish leaders of his generation. In our text for this 14th Sunday in ordinary time, Matthew Chapter 11 verse 16 to 19, and 25 - 30, Jesus Christ compared the people of his generation to a group of children sitting in the market places who could not be satisfied with anything or get rest within their minds. Like these restless and unsatisfied children, who refused the call of their mates to play or mourn, the Jewish leaders rejected both Jesus and John the Baptist. They were not pleased with John because he did not drink or eat with them. They were not as well satisfied with Jesus Christ who did eat and drink with common people called sinners and tax collectors. The Jewish leaders made the populace to see John the Baptist as someone who had a demon, and also convinced them to reject Jesus Christ, the author of peace, but rather made them to see him as a drunkard, glutton, and a friend of sinners. The Jewish leaders’ unbelief and hardness of heart did not help the populace at all. Rather, they became a big burden to the people they lead. The parable in Matthew chapter 11 verses 16 to 19 thus revealed the poor spiritual condition of these proud leaders of Jesus’ generation, and as well reveals the heart of unbelievers today. If I may ask, why did the religious leaders of Jesus’ time rebel against John the Baptist and Jesus Christ? The answer is not far-fetched. They rejected the duo (John and Jesus) simply because they were intellectually and spiritually proud. Instead of being childlike, honest, and humble in character, they were childish and stubborn, and thus heading toward destruction. But remember that God says in the scripture that “I, the Lord God, don’t like to see wicked people die I had much rather see them turn back from their sins and live” (Ezek.18:23 CEV) Jesus Christ as well affirmed this when he said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b) Consequent upon this and the fact that Jesus would not want his disciples or followers to continue to suffer under great burden and anxiety of how to make ends meet, he issued great call to those who in faith will turn to him and find rest for their worried souls. 

Hoever in Matthew chapter 11 verse 25 to 30, Jesus declared that true discipleship can be enjoyed by those who come to him in childlike faith. He felt that only those who trust in him will know the Father and his salvific work. (John 6:37) Jesus’ invitation in the text (Matt.11:25-30) is thus a call to all who are weary, those who are tired of hard labour and bearing burden of life. The call has these 3 commands: 

(1) COME TO ME: The call is to all who are under heavy load like the law of Moses and traditions of men (Matt. 23:4; Acts 15:10) The call, therefore, is to come and trust Jesus, the only one who can save. The call, ‘come and rest’, is an open invitation to those who are exhausted, anxious about many things of life, and burdened down by sin and its consequences. Come, Jesus is calling you to come and rest.

(2) TAKE MY YOKE: Jesus knew that he has to touch the hearts of his followers before he could ask for their hands, so he promised to give them rest. The word “rest” here refers to an inner holiday and not cessation of work or activities, but a new energy and motive. No wonder, Jesus in verse 29 of Matthew Chapter 11 offers his yoke of faith and obedience to all who will answer his call. When we take his yoke upon ourselves, it means that we have surrendered ourselves to him and our will is now lost in his own will (Gal. 2:20). It means we are willing to trust and obey him in all things. For it is then that we will have deeper rest. That is “Peace with God” (Rom. 5:1) and “the Peace of God” (Phil. 4:6-8) will be our portion here now and hereafter. To take a yoke of Christ on us may mean to become a true disciple of him. So, when a man or a woman is yoked to Christ, it means he or she has agreed to be his disciple for life and be his tale bearer (1John 5:3).

(3) LEARN MORE OF HIM: Truly, when we come to Jesus Christ and totally yield to his will, the next step is to learn and know more about him. The more we get to know Christ, the more we trust him, and obviously, the deeper our peace and rest in him become. 

Men and brethren, how many of us are tired today, especially at this time of COVID-19 pandemic attack on the whole world? Are we not tired of much works but small pay? How about our daily schedule? We work from morning till late in the night. There are many things to do and yet we have no enough time to do them. Our minds are anxious about many things. I can say emphatically that tiredness of our souls is far more than that of our body. We have grown tired as a nation over many evils and Coronavirus pandemic in our land. Are we not tired of corruption and corrupt leaders in Nigeria? Are students and parents not wearied of strike actions at our tertiary institutions? How about the evils of BokoHaram insurgency, blood thirsty Fulani herdsmen, kidnappers, ritual killers, bandits and rapists? We are indeed tired of poverty, terminal diseases and brutality of law enforcement agents in our nation. This generation is nothing, but a tired generation living in both physical and spiritual exhaustion. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters in Christ, the good news today is that Jesus is inviting us from the tiredness of life, physical and spiritual, and from everything which brings weariness. He is calling on us to come to him, to take his own yoke of faith and obedience upon ourselves, learn more about him and have rest for our body and soul. Are you ready now to come out of the place you have gone to seek rest. I mean the places where you have gone for rest and peace, but never found any? Are you willing to leave the occult you belong? Can you quit the club which will not give you the needed rest? Do you know that nothing else can give you rest in life, except Jesus Christ. Come to him, accept him as your personal Lord and Saviour today and you shall find rest for your soul and body even here on earth and there in heaven on the last day. Do it now, tomorrow may be too late. 

Let us all sing together the hymn (MHB 328 YMHB 220) composed by William Chatterton Dix, (1837 - 1898) as we come to Jesus Christ with all our load, physical and spiritual and we will find rest for our soul and body:

1: COME unto Me, ye weary, 

And I will give you rest! 

O blessed voice of Jesus, 

Which comes to hearts oppressed! 

It tells of benediction, 

Of pardon, grace, and peace, 

Of joy that hath no ending, 

Of love which cannot cease.

2: Come unto Me, ye wanderers, 

And I will give you light! 

O loving voice of Jesus, 

Which comes to cheer the night! 

Our hearts were filled with sadness, 

And we had lost our way; 

But Thou hast brought us gladness, 

And songs at break of day.

3: Come unto Me, ye fainting, 

And I will give you life! 

O quickening voice of Jesus, 

Which comes to aid our strife! 

The foe is stern and eager; 

The fight is fierce and long; 

But Thou hast made us mighty, 

And stronger than the strong

4: And whosoever cometh 

I will not cast him out! 

O welcome voice of Jesus, 

Which drives away our doubt, 

Which calls us very sinners, 

Unworthy though we be 

Of love so free and boundless, 

To come, dear Lord, to Thee.

Let us pray

Rt. Rev. A.K.O. Ogunrinde, JP, FICT.

Bishop, Diocese of Osogbo.

OS-CAN Chairman.