Mensa Otabil - A More Excellent Sacrifice
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Today is a great day, and it’s a joy to be able to speak to each one of you as we honor God and celebrate Him for what He has done for us as a church. Thirty-six years ago, we started an effort to please God, and a church was planted on the 26th of February 1984. It seemed like a very insignificant act to many people, but for those of us who were involved, it was a momentous occasion. In a small classroom, we started this church, and God has been so good to us in these 36 years. So, we gather to thank God in all our assemblies, in all our congregations, in our temples, and wherever we worship Him to thank Him for this very special blessing that He has given to us. I just want to share a couple of thoughts with you as we honor God on this great day.
The psalmist says in Psalm 107, «Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered out of the lands from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.» Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! There’s actually a song that most of you may be familiar with: «Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, let every demon of the Lord say so.» The tone may not be the best, but I think you get the idea. When you read through the psalm, it calls God’s people to show appreciation. God’s people, whom He has gathered from every part of the world—from the north, the south, the east, and the west—I believe we represent those people that God has gathered from different parts of the world, different tribes, and different nations, and has united us as one people to worship Him. We are the redeemed of the Lord, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and we say so; let the Lord be praised!
The interesting thing about this psalm is that when you look at the eighth verse, you read the words, «Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!» Then you read verse 15: «Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!» And in verse 21: «Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men!» So why does the psalmist repeat that phrase, «Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works,» over and over again? The reason is very simple—men sometimes forget to give thanks and to honor God for what He has done. Oh, that ICGC will give thanks and honor God for what He has done! That’s what this Thanksgiving service is all аbout: that we would remember what the Lord has done for us.
So today, we come to bring our thanksgiving to the Lord, and we want to show gratitude for His mercy toward us. I want to personally thank God for what He has done in me, through me, and through this church. It is humbling to see what God has done when He starts something with a 24-year-old and to realize that over the years, God has been faithful in spite of your own limitations. I want to start by giving thanks to all the pastors, especially those who have been here for all these years. Some have been here from day one, and I salute each one of them. I honor you; I treasure you. Some have been with us for 36 years, 35 years, and 34 years. I want to thank all our pastors, beginning from regional overseers to our district vision men, area vice ministers, local church pastors, associate pastors, and ministers of the church—those who take care of God’s flock and the congregation. Thank you for the work that you do, and thank you for your faithfulness, loyalty, and commitment to the Lord and to the work He has called us into.
I also want to thank all our leaders and church workers. We have some of the most awesome people serving God in our churches. It’s amazing to see people volunteering their time and effort to serve God, especially during our big events like Greater Works. We see masses of people who sometimes sacrifice their lives at that time and give so much time and effort to God, and for all those people, I want to salute you and thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord. I hope you will also thank God that He has chosen to use you. I want to thank all our church members, whether you have been with us for 36 years or just 36 minutes. Some of you may be visiting our church for the first time today. Whether you have been here for 36 years or 36 minutes, thank God for your life, and I am grateful that God has given you to us.
We are here as a church celebrating God because of what has been done in the past. The sacrifices that were made then have given us the favor we enjoy today. We wouldn’t be here if nobody sacrificed in the past. People sacrificed so we could get to where we are today. Each church and congregation exists because of sacrifices. For each church to start, people committed sacrifices; there are pastors who often start from scratch, from a rented place, a classroom, or another rented facility—packing and bringing in equipment—laboring and working. People volunteered to work in children’s ministries, youth churches, praise teams, and as ushers and intercessors. Churches start because people decide to honor God and sacrifice for the Lord, doing something that brings glory to God. If those people do not sacrifice, nothing is achieved. So to all those who have made sacrifices in your churches, may the Lord reward your labor and may your labor of love be appreciated and honored by Him.
When our church started in a little classroom in the Conda Estates of Accra, we had great expectations, even though we didn’t look like people with great expectations. As I said, I was just a young man, a little over 24 years old, and many of the people were younger than me, with just a few in their thirties. But this band of people believed that God had great things in store for them, and they set out to honor God with that. So today, I want to speak on a subject that I have titled «A More Excellent Sacrifice.» Sacrifice is what gets us going; it is what allows us to achieve anything in life. The quality of our sacrifice is important for the quality of our future.
I will read from Hebrews 11:4, which summarizes the lives of the two first children born into this world, Cain and Abel, who made sacrifices. Hebrews 11:4 says, «By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous—God testifying of his gifts, and through it, he being dead still speaks.» You know this story of Cain and Abel; they both brought a sacrifice to God. God accepted Abel’s offering, but He did not accept Cain’s. The reason, as the Bible states, is that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice. It is a very interesting description—it’s not just a sacrifice, but a «more excellent» sacrifice. Cain made a sacrifice, and Abel made a sacrifice; one was more excellent than the other, and God accepted the one that was more excellent.
This gives us a few thoughts that I want to share with you as we honor God on this 36th Thanksgiving Anniversary. So, what is a sacrifice? When we say someone has made a sacrifice, what does that mean? To answer that, let me tell you a story. A mother of 21 years is left to care for her two children. She commits to doing her best for them. She works from dawn until late at night to make a living for her children. She rejects the advances of men and wears the same clothes. She invests all that she makes into the lives of her children. From age 21 to her early 50s, her whole life’s mission is focused on her children. We can all agree that what that mother is doing is a sacrifice—she is giving up something for her children. We can say the same for a father who works hard day and night to save money so that his family can have a good life, denying himself pleasures. That is what sacrifice is.
But sacrifice is not only about denying oneself something. If sacrifice were only about that, nobody would ever sacrifice. So why do we sacrifice? Why do the mother and father do what they do for their children? They sacrifice not just because they love giving things up, but because they want something better for their children. There is something better in the future, so that is what sacrifice is. Sacrifice is essentially giving up something valuable now to gain something more valuable in the future. So when you see someone sacrificing, it is an act of faith—an act of hope. It is someone believing that something will be better.
This is why the Bible says, «By faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice.» Abel saw the future with God as better than what he was giving up. When people have no hope of the future and no vision of it, they cannot sacrifice. For us, sacrifice requires a vision of the future, hope, faith, and expectation. When we sacrifice, we expect a reward, and that is why when a person sacrifices and does not receive any reward, they feel disappointed.
Can you imagine the mother who gives up everything for her children, only to find they grow into drug addicts or alcoholics? She would feel that she wasted her sacrifice. Similarly, a father may feel the same. When people sacrifice, they expect a reward, and when that reward doesn’t come, they feel disappointed. That is what Cain felt—he sacrificed, but there was no reward, so he became offended and ultimately killed his brother. The reason his sacrifice did not receive a reward is tied to the quality of that sacrifice.
Let me give you an example: this mother who sacrifices for her children, while also being harsh and destructive—speaking negatively and cursing her children. On one side, she is sacrificing, but on the other side, she is sabotaging her sacrifice. Sacrifice is not just about giving up something; it is also about ensuring what you sacrifice for is protected and yields something good. So Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice—not just any sacrifice, but one of better quality.
Anything we sacrifice must not only involve giving something up but must also be qualitative and lead to a reward that makes all our efforts worthwhile. I will discuss three things for which we sacrifice. First, we sacrifice for the Lord. We sacrifice our time; we come to church, we give our offerings, and we serve in the church. That is a sacrifice. But for that sacrifice to be deemed excellent, one cannot just attend church once a year or only on special occasions—that is a sacrifice, but not a more excellent sacrifice. For the sacrifice of attending church to be worthwhile, consistency is key.
If you are giving an offering to the Lord, it should not be infrequent. If you are inconsistent—giving sporadically and not sincerely—then yes, it may be a sacrifice, but it is not a more excellent sacrifice. People often complain, «I have given and given but see no results.» Ask yourself, is it a more excellent sacrifice? Is it qualitative? Is it consistent? Is it genuinely from your heart? Is it a joyful act? If you complain while giving and attending church, that sacrifice, while valid, is not excellent.
We are not just here because people made sacrifices in the past; I believe they made more excellent sacrifices. Many of us also sacrifice for our families. When you do so, I hope it is a more excellent sacrifice—not just giving something up but doing so consistently and qualitatively while ensuring you don’t sabotage your own sacrifice.
We also sacrifice for our futures; everyone wants to live a better life in the future. You cannot have a better future without sacrificing today, but that sacrifice must be consistent, qualitative, and you must ensure you do not cheat yourself along the way.
So today, as we thank God for 36 years of our church’s life, I am calling the church to make a more excellent sacrifice. Each one of us, myself included—pastors and members—let us sacrifice to God something that is excellent. Let it be consistent and joyful. Let us give God something that brings honor to Him and glory to His name.
As the passage says, «By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous—God testifying of his gifts, and through it, he being dead still speaks.» When Abel made his sacrifice, there were three rewards: first, he obtained a testimony, a witness that served as clear evidence of God’s approval of his life. May God give you a testimony as you sacrifice to Him—a real testimony that can be seen by others, confirming that your labor for the Lord is not in vain.
Not only that, it says, «God testifying of his gifts,» meaning God favored him, improving his life circumstances. The third thing the Bible says is that though he died, he still speaks—impact. When we make a more excellent sacrifice to God, He gives us a testimony, He favors us, and He makes our lives impactful. Time cannot silence you; even if you may not be present, your testimony will speak for you in places you’ve never been.
I pray that God will give you a testimony, favor, and impact. May your life be impactful as we offer a more excellent sacrifice to the Lord. Teenagers in our church, it’s your time; it’s your destiny. You may be young, but you are not insignificant. When you read the Bible, you find that God had a way of raising teenagers. Samuel was likely a teenager when God spoke to him. David was a teenager. I received a call from God when I was around 14 years old. It wasn’t dramatic; nobody prophesied to me, and I had no dramatic visions. I just had a sense that God would use me, and I kept that in my heart.
For those of you who are teenagers, I pray you will listen to God’s voice. This is your time. If God is going to do great things in your life, this is when He is speaking to you. There are sacrifices you must make to receive your rewards; there are things you need to give up to have a bright future. You cannot live carelessly; you have to make sacrifices—you will keep your body pure, and you will live righteously. You are making a sacrifice for your future. If you’re in school, study hard and give your best to your work because the sacrifices you make in your teenage years will serve as your rewards in your older years.
For those of you in your twenties, your life is just beginning to take shape. You are about to do great things. I encourage you—don’t wait for your turn. Life can be profoundly lived from your twenties. I was just in my twenties when this church was founded. When I look back, I am amazed that people trusted me then, even though I was young.
For those of you in your thirties, you could be challenged significantly. Don’t underestimate the grace of God upon your life. Those in your forties, I have great confidence in you. You are doing wonderful things. For those in your fifties and sixties, there are still great things ahead. By now, you should have clarity about your life purpose, but if you haven’t, may the Lord give you that clarity.
No matter your age, God has a plan and purpose for you. We are all called to make sacrifices; the only way to move toward a fruitful future is to offer a sacrifice today.
So today, I encourage this church: if you are making sacrifices to God, let them be excellent. Don’t take God for granted. Don’t lie to Him. Don’t start something and not continue. Don’t just attend church sporadically or give occasionally. If you give to God, let it be a more excellent sacrifice; otherwise, it will be like Cain’s sacrifice, which was not accepted.
Let us give God something He is pleased with, something that will earn us a testimony, favor, and impact. I trust that when we gather in 36 years to celebrate, I will be a healthy 96-year-old, delivering messages with clarity and energy. Some of you will be in your primes, just setting forth into the world.
I pray that the sacrifices you make today will be more excellent than those of others, that God will take pleasure in your walk with Him, and we will all gather again to share testimonies of God’s goodness. Let us rise with a voice of triumph and Thanksgiving, celebrating the goodness of the Lord and honoring Him for all He has accomplished. Let us also make the right sacrifices so that in another 36 years, we can once again say, «Look what the Lord has done!»
We sacrifice for Him, and look what He gives back—testimony, favor, and impact. God bless you, and may the Lord keep you both now and forevermore. Amen.