INSIGHTS FROM ADEBOYE’S NEW YEAR SERMON — Mike Awoyinfa Column

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Can the powerful words of a renowned preacher provide valuable insights for a newspaper column? I believe so. Today, I delve into the first sermon of 2025 by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. His message focuses on the importance of constant gratitude for God’s enduring love and grace—‘His mercies renewed daily,’ as Scripture reminds us. In a nation deeply rooted in faith, understanding the perspectives of prominent religious leaders offer valuable insights into the social and emotional currents shaping our society. Join me as we explore how this powerful message can inspire and uplift us all. May you be blessed as you read the message fresh from the throne of grace.
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IF we are to talk about all the things we should give thanks for, we won’t leave here today. I want to be as brief as possible because we really don’t need to be preached to on a day like this before we thank God. Some of us might need to be reminded that we should thank God because we are alive. If you know everything that the enemy did last year to make sure that you won’t see this year, it will amaze you. If you know how many battles God fought for you without you knowing about it all, it will amaze you. Apart from that, one major reason why we should praise God that we are alive today is because the Bible in Ecclesiastes 9 verse 4 makes it clear that as long as there is life, there is hope. It said: “A living dog is better than a dead lion.”
It doesn’t matter the situation you may be in now, one thing is clear: because you are still breathing, there is hope for you. There is no way they can bury you when you are still breathing. And if they can’t bury you, you can still give them a surprise. That is why the Bible says: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
There are so many things we take for granted. And one of the most essential things we take for granted is breathing. The ability to breathe in and breathe out easily. And if you want to know the importance of the ability to breathe, I want you to remember what happened during the Corona virus epidemic. The reason that disease was so fearsome was that it attacks the ability to breathe. That’s why anyone who had that attack begin to quickly look for oxygen mask, oxygen bottles, so that the very little that he is able to take in might keep him alive. But we survived that. For one reason or the other, God did not allow that to attack you. For the ability to breathe, I think you should shout Hallelujah. If you believe that simply because you are still breathing, your tomorrow is going to be alright, let me hear you shout Hallelujah.
THEY GO NAKED ON TELEVISION
You may not have many clothes. Maybe you were not even able to buy a new one for Christmas. But by the grace of God, you are not naked. And not naked means you are not crazy. Because there are people who have a lot of clothes who are crazy. Nebuchadnezzar was a king. He had all manners of clothes in his house. But when something went wrong upstairs, he was walking about naked among animals. And just in case you don’t know that there is a link between nakedness and mental disorder, all you have to do is to look around you. You don’t even have to go to Nebuchadnezzar. There are lots of people around, they have a lot of clothes, but everything that they clothes are supposed to cover, they expose. Am I lying or speaking the truth? I mean they go naked. Practically naked. On television. And they are rejoicing. Everything that the clothes are supposed to cover, they expose. They look at you, differently dressed. You may not have many clothes. But you are not mad.
You may say: “I don’t have many friends.” But you have Jesus. It is only in the time of need that you know if you have even one friend. Proverbs 18 versus 24 says: “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” And if you are looking for a true friend, it’s the one who made a promise in Hebrews Chapter 13 verse 5 which says: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
There is a saying that if fire burns you and burns your child, you will take care of your own first. Those of you who travel abroad, you remember when they begin to make announcement in preparation for departure, saying that if something should go wrong in the plane, certain things would drop from above, you grab one, make sure you fit it with your mouth and breathe normally. And then they add: those of you with children, do your own first before you take care of the child. I know they mean well, I always wonder the way children would feel. Because they are simply saying that if it is a matter of life and death, even a mother would forget the child. But Jesus Christ says: “I will never leave you and I will never forsake you.” You have no friends, but you have Jesus. I think someone should shout Hallelujah.
Finally, if you don’t want to thank God for anything at all, thank Him for His mercy. The Bible says in the Book of Lamentations Chapter 3 from verse 22 to 23 that “It is of the mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are renewed every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
Do you know you are not alive today because of your ability or because of your strength or because of your wisdom or because you can pray? Do you know that you are secure today, not because you know how to drive? Sometime ago, it was in the newspapers, that in Ibadan some people were sleeping in their houses, and there was this trailer. It was going from Ibadan to Ilorin. And there is a turn on the road. And the driver lost control. And the trailer run straight into a house. The people were sleeping. They were on their beds. They didn’t travel. But they died on their bed. It’s not everybody who went to bed who woke up. It’s not everybody who didn’t travel who could have an accident. If you have been reading the newspapers, you would have read the tragic story (in New Orleans) that shook people all over the world. Somebody just got crazy and drove his vehicle into the market, killing several people. But here you are. The people who wanted to kill you, God said: “No, this one is under the cover of my mercies.” Those who said you will sleep and not wake up, God said: “No, this fellow is under the cover of my mercies.” It is of His mercies that we are not consumed. It is of His mercies that I can see you this morning. It is of His mercies that I will see you next year. Would somebody help me shout Hallelujah?