29/07/2025
EXTRACT FROM SUNDAY'S SERMON
TOPIC: FORGET ABOUT YOURSELF
TEXT: JOHN 12:20-26
INTRODUCTION
You have personally spent a large portion of your life focused on yourself. Your life has been in your own hands, confined to your own control for a long time. Your attitude and culture have been shaped by your own standards your self-made laws and your cultural background.
There is a Yoruba adage that says, "Bi ina ba jo'ni, to ba jo omo eni; t**i ara eni laa n ko gbon," which means, "If fire burns you and also burns your child, you attend to your own wounds first." But in contrast, when it comes to Jesus, your decision to submit to His lordship when you gave your life to Him requires a total surrender to His ways and not your own (Regarding Him first above yourself irrespective of the situations and challenges). Forgetting yourself means prioritizing God above yourself. It means putting Jesus first in your life, in your thoughts, in your attitude, and in everything you do.
The day a person decides by God's grace to prioritize God above all else is the day they begin to truly submit to His will. That moment marks the birth of true freedom and victory in Christ. Jesus requires that you forget yourself so that He can have full access to your life.
The text we read from John 12:20-26 gives a full picture of the Greeks who came seeking to see Jesus. But Jesus' response was not a direct answer instead, He said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” He continued, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” This response reveals something deeper such that Jesus was pointing to a necessary kind of death not just His own, but one expected of anyone who truly wants to follow Him. If we want to grow in Him, we must go through a process of dying to self. There is a level of denial and personal surrender that each believer must experience. Without that death, there is no fruit, no growth, no transformation.
So then, what are the requirements for forgetting oneself, as prescribed by the text?
1. Determine to experience and encounter Jesus vs. 21
✓ The longing of the Greeks to see Jesus was not just a mere visual look but an encounter and experience leading to transformation. Therefore, you must seek to encounter Jesus as you journey along with Him for easy access to know and follow his will.
2. Seek to Glorify, Honour and Magnify Jesus Vs. 23
✓ Honouring and Glorifying Jesus does not stop at the realm of your substance. The requirements of Jesus is honouring with your life first then your substance. Your walk with him is more important than your work for him. It is essential you honour him with your substance but he requires most importantly your body as a living sacrifice that honours him either with or without substance. Your money matters but your life in magnifying Jesus matters the most.
3. You must die to self vs. 24; Gal. 2:20.
✓ “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” Jesus’ response to the Greeks was indirect, yet deeply intentional. He was pointing to a principle which implies that death must come before fruitfulness. This aligns with His call in Luke 9:23, where He says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” The desire of Jesus is clear; if anyone will follow Him, they must forget themselves. Death to self is one of the greatest struggles every believer faces. But without it, we cannot truly live for Christ.
Apostle Paul captures this in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Paul emphasizes the need for the "I" to be crucified. Until your ego and your self-life is nailed to the cross with Christ, your labor in the kingdom risks being empty. Service is valuable, but your life matters even more. To be truly productive in Christ, you must die to self. That’s the only path to real fruitfulness and a life that counts before the Master.
4. Passionately Love Jesus Vs. 25a
✓ Loving Jesus is sacrificial. You must be able to surrender your emotions while following him. For a man to be proven and trusted by God, there is a test of love that follows. Test of love to vet maybe you love yourself, your parents, siblings, family and friends than Jesus. You must be ready to lose your life for Jesus' sake.
5. Seek eternity on daily basis
✓ Jesus said behold I come quickly... No matter how busy you are for the things of God alway reflect on your eternity while on the go for Him because you can lose eternal focus all in the name of working for Jesus. For you to be able to enter eternal life; you need to forget, neglect and deny yourself while still on earth. This world has its way of distracting (fame, popularity, success at all cost, visibility, and lots more) you from eternity. You must not pay attention to the noise and distractions of this world, if you want to have access to eternity. Do not forget that eternity is forever.
6. Serving Jesus through surrendered following Vs. 26
✓ The first requirement in service is to follow Jesus. He is the one who knows the way and how he should be served. For you are just a partner in His agenda. Follow him to direct your path in His service and if your service is found faithful, you shall be honoured before the father.
Conclusion
How long will you keep living under the confinement of your own will?
Will you keep being a slave to what you were meant to conquer? There's freedom in surrender. Lay down your will at the feet of Jesus, and He will receive you. He is not asking for your performance; He is asking for your heart. Surrender today. Let Jesus lead, and you will finally start to live.
If you are not yet part of the family of Jesus and you want to be a part... Give your life to Jesus today as your lord and personal saviour. He is really expecting you to do that. He Loves You dear brothers and sisters.
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