LivingWordPH: Recent Episodes

Living Word Christian Churches

We are a family of churches founded and built on the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a lofty desire to impact nations through the faithful preaching of the whole counsel of Scripture in the power of the Holy Spirit. Undergirding all our activities and ministries is a passion for the glory of God and the extension of His kingdom.

~ Pastor Carmelo “Mel” B. Caparros II - Senior Pastor ~

INTRODUCTION

A lot of people wear “masks” to create a POSITIVE IMPRESSION on people. Beneath this mask is a CRAVING to be ACCEPTED, APPLAUDED and to be placed on the the HIGH PEDESTAL of ADMIRATION.

The worst of masks however is the MASK OF RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY which cloaks evil intentions and motives and STEALS the GLORY due to GOD ALONE. This is what Jesus was attacking in this passage.

3 illustrations of religious hypocrisy are given using 3 Jewish acts of devotion which were highly esteemed by the Jews, namely: ALMSGIVING, PRAYER and FASTING. These were prominent PRACTICAL REQUIREMENTS for personal piety in mainstream Judaism which became instruments of SELF-GLORIFICATION which Jesus abhors.

BODY SERMON

Today, we will be looking at the hypocrisy in giving and there are three noticeable points here:

I. Warning for Wrong Motive v. 1a

II. Consequence of Wrong Motive v. 1b

III. Prescription for Right Motive vv. 2 - 4

a. Don’t announce it in Public - v. 2 b. Don’t announce it to Yourself - v. 3 c. God will announce it - v. 4

CONCLUSION

God knows the difference between what is FAKE and what is GENUINE.

We might be able to FOOL MEN, but we can never FOOL God. This is why we need to strive to be pure in HEART and in DEED

INTRODUCTION

When Jesus came into this world, He saw a RELIGIOUS SYSTEM that had been CORRUPTED. It was a religion of EXTERNALS and TRADITIONS that were UNBIBLICAL. Jesus came to EXPOSE the HYPOCRISY and the FALLACIOUS INTERPRETATIONS of Scripture of the Pharisees.

He boldly clashed with them head on so that people might see the truth and be set free not only from the bonds of sin but also that of FALSE RELIGION.

BODY SERMON

There are two points to our study which begin with the letter “F” and the subpoints to point #2 begins with letter “C” for memory aids:

I.FLAWED INTERPRETATION of the PHARISEES (v. 43)

II.FLAWLESS INTERPRETATION and APPLICATION of JESUS (vv. 44 - 48)

A) Clarification on the Law of Love (v. 44) B) Confirmation of True Sonship (v. 45) C) Contradistinction from Unbelievers (vv. 46 - 47) D) Command for Believers (v. 48)

CONCLUSION

Anyone can go the first mile, but it is the Christian who goes the second. He is always doing more than anybody else; he does what others cannot do.

The natural man gives a grudging obedience, the Christian man delights in obedience.

To return evil for good is to be like the devil. To return evil for evil is to be like an animal. To return good for good is to be like humans. To return good for evil is to be like God. Christians,

we just have to be a BIG STEP AHEAD of the REST; HEAD and SHOULDERS above the ordinary man.

INTRODUCTION

In our last Sunday sermon, I gave an outline which is as follows:

I.The Requirement of the Law for Injury v. 38 II.The Righteousness of the Oppressed vv. 39 - 42

In last week’s study, I gave you general principles as well as a general exposition of those verses. However, one of the things that you may be bothered with is how do we APPLY what Jesus taught in these verses, specifically vv. 39 - 42. My goal is to show you how these verses apply in REAL LIFE situations.

BODY SERMON

v. 39 “But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil”

The word “resist” comes from the Greek word “ἀνθίστημι” (anthistemi - with long e) means to set against or oppose. What it is FORBIDDING is personal retaliation.

“but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

The phrase “whoever slaps” in the Greek refers to a SHARP SLAP

Is this to be applied literally?

CONCLUSION

The bottom-line in this passage is that as believers, we are supposed to live our lives way beyond what normal human righteousness gives.

After all, we are beings living according to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit and as such our righteousness should far exceed the righteousness of the ordinary man.

INTRODUCTION The world has a standard of righteousness but it is a standard that continually moves its boundaries so that what is UNRIGHTEOUSNESS TODAY could actually become RIGHTEOUSNESS TOMORROW or what is WRONG TODAY can become RIGHT TOMORROW.

While the world continually FLIP FLOPS on their STANDARD, the standard of the RIGHTEOUSNESS of a Christian is not only STABLE, it FAR EXCEEDS the STANDARDS and EXPECTATIONS of the WORLD. It is NOT ONLY a STANDARD that is FAIR and JUST, but it is a STANDARD of RIGHTEOUSNESS that is willing to SACRIFICE ONE’S RIGHTS for the sake of GOD’S HIGHER PURPOSES. BODY SERMON These thoughts could be GLEANED from our passage which could be broken into TWO NEAT PARTS:

I. The Requirement of the Law for Injury v. 38

II.The Righteousness of the Oppressed vv. 39 - 42 CONCLUSION The point of these passages is to UNDERCUT PERSONAL SELFISHNESS. He goes to the extreme and uses hyperbole to show what HEARTS we should have. We should perform DEEDS of SELF-DENIAL that show the law of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

This indeed is a FAR EXCEEDING RIGHTEOUSNESS that will draw attention to the NEW LIFE we have in Christ and bring GLORY to our Lord and Savior.

INTRODUCTION TRUTH and HONESTY are not general character traits with which we can describe the Filipino in the 21st century. This is generally speaking of course.

Our society has been built on a NETWORK of FABRICATIONS. It is difficult to have dealings which will not involve some form of LYING or DISHONESTY.

Let me cite a few examples:

We bribe for the purpose of HIDING TRUTH and we use a euphemism for such an action calling it, “pang kape” or “regalo” or “pahalipay”.
We resort to the “lagay” or the “subornohay” system because we always want SHORT CUTS” and desire to be EXEMPTED from established rules.
We resort to the “palakasan” system because for us, being TRUTHFUL will hurt you; DISHONESTY however is rewarded.
If you want to do business, you have to have “grease money” which others call a representation allowance.”

This system of DISHONESTY has pervaded Philippine society, politics and the economy such that it is almost impossible to disentangle yourself from CORRUPT SYSTEMS.

Politicians have CREDIBILITY PROBLEMS and that is why NOBODY believes ANYBODY today.

We have SHADED TRUTH and EXAGGERATED it. We have made PROMISES we have NOT KEPT. Together with all this lying, we add, “CROSS MY HEART, SWEAR to God, mamatay man ko; God is witness.” BODY SERMON Jesus teaches us the way of INTEGRITY and HONESTY by INSTRUCTION on fulfilling of vows.

We have three lessons on how to have INTEGRITY, based on the interpretation of Old Testament vows, which can be summed up into 3 A’s:

TEXT: Matthew 5: 33 - 37

I. Abstain from Misinterpreting the Old Testament Vows - v.33

Jesus is quoting once again from the Old Testament and summarizes several Old Testament passages: Lev 19:12, Num 30:2, Deu 23:21

II.Apply Vows Properly - vv. 34 - 36

Jesus did not want OATH-TAKING which were: LESS BINDING, meaning, you don’t have to fulfill it & hypocritical oaths which were mostly LIES.

III.Advocate Plain Truth - v. 37

Jesus commends simple truthfulness in thought, word and in deed. Our statements must be dependable. MEAN what you SAY and SAY what you MEAN.

CONCLUSION Is there HOPE for the Philippines? The hope is found in the GOSPEL.

Hitler based his whole policy on lying and said it was the way to succeed in the world. “If you want your nation to be great, you lie about it. And the more you lie, the more likely you are to succeed.” History has proven him wrong.

In the beginning, the pre-Hispanic Filipino was honest. This is attested by the fact that during the pre-Spanish days, Chinese traders would land their goods on Philippine shore and simply leave..

A year later they would come back to the same spot to get a variety of native produce in payment for the stuff they had consigned. The payment matched the consignment, value for value.

How can we go back to those times? The ANSWER: The GOSPEL!

BODY SERMON TEXT: Psalm 33

I. CALL TO WORSHIP a. The approved worshippers b. The use of instruments c. Worship with a new song and a new melody

d. Reasons for worship

God's word and His promises are true. God's word is dependable

God faithful works on our behalf. God's are dependable.

God is righteous - There is never a time that God does not love righteousness.

God is just - There is never a time that God does not love justice

God is full of lovingkindness

God created the heavens and everything in the galaxy ex-nihilo

God created the boundaries of water that we may not be inundated by it

II. CALL TO REVENRENTIAL FEAR AND AWE

a. All of mankind b. Reasons

Creation vv.9 God's Sovereignty over the nations

God's Sovereign Grace on His nation

God's Omniscience

God is the source of All victory

III. CALL HEEDED

a. Full Trust v.21 b Expressions of the Psalmist's trust v.22

The rejoicing heart The praying heart

INTRODUCTION There are certain teachings that we need to pay extra special attention because of their great importance or relevance to our lives.

This happens to be one of those teachings and the main is reason is that this deals with the matter we all DON’T WANT to TALK ABOUT and that is DEATH. But the Psalmist deals with the subject matter HEAD ON and gives us very beautiful spiritual nuggets. BODY SERMON TEXT: Psalm 49

Here’s our sermon flow:

I. CALL TO ALL MEN vv. 1 - 2

II. PEDAGOGY OF TEACHING vv. 3 - 4

III. SPECIFIC CONTENTS OF TEACHING vv. 5 - 20

DO NOT FEAR THE RICH AND POWERFUL vv. 5 - 6
NO MAN CAN PAY GOD THAT HE MAY LIVE LONG OR ETERNALLY vv. 7 - 9
THE CERTAINTY OF DEATH AND LOSS OF EVERYTHING MATERIAL v. 10
DENIAL VS. REALITY vv. 11 - 14
THE PORTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS vv. 14b - 15
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: DO NOT FEAR THE RICH AND POWERFUL FOR DEATH IS THEIR PORTION vv. 16 - 20 CONCLUSION As we have learned from this Psalm, DEATH has TWO FACES.

One face is UGLY and HORRIFIC and this is the face of death that people who don’t have a personal relationship with Christ.

On the other hand, those who have made Jesus the Lord and Savior of their lives see the BEAUTIFUL and GLORIOUS FACE of DEATH.

The choice is ours to make which face we would like to meet at the end of our lives.

INTRODUCTION

In our previous sermon, we dealt with at length, Asaph’s conundrum with the wicked’s prosperity. Somehow his spiritual eyes were dimmed by the seeming irreconcilable realities he saw and the way He understood God. But that is about to change in the second part of this Psalm which we will be tackling today.

What is so beautiful in this Psalm is the radical shift. In (vs 2–14) Asaph is saying, “Woe is me!” but in (vs 21–26), he now says “Wow is me!”What changed? That is what we are about to find out in Part Two of this sermon series. Let’s review our 3 main points.

BODY SERMON

TEXT: Psalm 73

I.THE UNCHANGEABLE TRUTH OF GOD’S COVENANT RELATIONSHIP (v. 1)

II.ASAPH’S ENIGMA OF THE WICKED’S PROSPERITY (vv. 2 - 16)

1.Asaph’s Personal Struggle (We stopped here) 2.Asaph’s Specific Failures: vv. 13 - 16 (We continue here)

III.Asaph’s Realizations: vv. 17 - 28

CONCLUSION

A very powerful lesson is learned here and that is in the conundrums and enigmas of life, we must not lose our faith. Instead, we are to bring ourselves into the “sanctuary of God” and there we will find wisdom and strength.

When that happens, instead of saying “woe is me”, we will be saying “wow is me” because we will see God’s goodness in our lives.

INTRODUCTION Last Sunday, we saw God’s ETERNALITY in contrast to MAN’S TEMPORALITY. The sad part with man is that oftentimes he does not have a PROPER PERSPECTIVE of the BREVITY of his life and as such teeters on the brink of ETERNAL DISASTER. James was SPOT ON when he said in James:

James 4: 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. We are now ready to WRAP this sermon with our 3rd and FINAL POINT. BODY SERMON 3. Man’s Proper Response and Man’s Petitions for His Short Existence - vv. 12 - 17

DEATH and MISERY came upon us as a RESULT of the SIN of ADAM, whose SIN NATURE we have INHERITED so that our lives at its best is characterized as SHORT and beset with AFFLICTIONS. CONCLUSION Let me close with a PARABLE on Luke 12 : 16-21 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’

“So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God".

INTRODUCTION I took an interest in this Psalm for TWO REASONS: 1) Most of the Psalms are attributed to David or to Asaph or the Sons of Koran. This Psalm is the only Psalm attributed to Moses in the Book of Psalms. His other Psalms are found in Deuteronomy 32 and 33.

This is the OLDEST Psalm. Moses is the Bible’s very first author who wrote the 1st 5 books of the Bible, otherwise known as the Pentateuch. The title also says, “man of God” which is used over 70 times to refer to God’s spokesman. That title in itself tells us that this is worth reading and studying.

2) This Psalm carries with it a CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE that should grab everybody’s attention. At no other time in this GENERATION’S LIFETIME have we experienced as much the FRAGILITY and the BREVITY of our lives than in this PANDEMIC CRISIS. As such, I believe that this Psalm carries with it a STRONG and COMPELLING MESSAGE which needs to be heard all over the world.

BODY SERMON TEXT: Psalm 90

ETERNALITY OF GOD vv. 1 - 2
TEMPORALITY OF MAN vv. 3 - 11
Man’s Proper Response and Man’s Petitions for His Short Existence - vv. 12 - 17

CONCLUSION When you contrast the ETERNALITY of God and the TEMPORALITY of Man, the ABSOLUTE HOLINESS of God and the SINFULNESS of MAN, you cannot help but conclude that MAN’S POSTURE before God should be that of HUMILITY, SUBMISSION and SURRENDER. Let those TRUTHS resonate in our hearts and minds.

INTRODUCTION

If I ask you “What are the attributes of God?” I think that most of us would rattle off with these answers: “OMNIPOTENT”, “OMNISCIENT”, and “OMNIPRESENT”. Those would be the standard answers.

One attribute of God that is often missed is this: “God is BEAUTIFUL!”. This is a very important attribute because BEAUTY ATTRACTS! If we see that God is beautiful, we will be ATTRACTED to Him.

Unfortunately, only a REMNANT see and APPRECIATE His beauty. This was something that the Psalmist saw and it RADICALLY CHANGED his life.

BODY SERMON:

The Beauty of God (vv. 1 - 3) (A)Reflecting (v.1) (B)Thirsting (v. 2) (C)Resting (v.3)
The Blessing of God (vv. 4 - 7) (A)Worshiping Grace (v. 4) (B)Empowering Grace (v.5) (C)Transforming Grace (v. 6) (D)Persevering Grace (v. 7)

3.The Dependence on God (vv. 8 - 9) (A)The Petition

The Unrivaled Devotion to God (vv. 10 - 12) (A)The What (v.10) (B)The Why (vv. 11 - 12)

CONCLUSION

What drew me to Christ was His beauty. The beauty of His love, grace, kindness, glory and peace was what attracted me to Him. I continue to pursue Him for only He is able to satisfy my soul.

INTRODUCTION

Nations have been greatly humbled by the CORONA VIRUS, making us realize that we cannot DENY, REJECT and REBEL against God’s RULE in our lives. The best place a nation can be in is in the HANDS of God.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” Psalm 33:12

BODY SERMON

Nations that rebel against God have put themselves on the side of CRUSHING DEFEAT and JUDGMENT.

On the other hand, if God’s RULERSHIP through His Son Jesus Christ is EMBRACED, GREAT BLESSINGS are expected.

Here are the 4 POINTS to this Psalm:

I. The Rebellion of Nations and Kings vv. 1 - 3 1. The Rebellion of Nations and their Evil Plans v. 1 2. The Rebellion of Kings and their Worthless Declaration (of Independence) v. 2 - 3

II. The Response of God the Father vv. 4 - 6 1. His Mindset - v. 4 2. His Powerful Declaration - vv. 5 - 6

III.The Response of God the Son - vv. 7 - 9 1. The Son’s proclamation of the Father’s Mission for Him - v. 7 2. The Reward of the Father v. 8 3. The Judgment of Nations and Kings by the Son v. 9

IV.The CALL of the Father to repentance - vv. 10 - 12 1. Discern and Heed v. 10 2. Worship and Exult in the Lord v. 11 3. Worship the Son who is the Judge v. 12 4. The Blessedness of Repentance and Submission to Christ- v. 12

We were able to finish our first two points and now we are ready to go to our FINAL TWO POINTS.

CONCLUSION

QUESTION: Which side do you belong? The WINNING TEAM or the LOSING ONE.

Our response to Jesus Christ determines whose team we will belong.

INTRODUCTION:

REVIEW OF THE OCCASION: A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. To cover up for his sin, David had Bathsheba’s husband Uriah murdered by withdrawing troops from him so that their enemies could kill him.

This Psalm is considered as the GREATEST PENITENTIAL Psalm.

From here, we will learn how to OBTAIN GRACE when we fall (Part 1). Here’s the OUTLINE:

A) David’s APPEAL for God’s forgiveness vv. 1 - 2

B) David’s treachery against God - vv. 3 - 6 1) David’s guilt - v. 3 2) David’s confession and agreement with God - v. 4 3) Root of David’s sins and God’s desired FRUIT vv. 5 - 6

I already exposited on the first two major points and so today, we will wrap up the final two points.

BODY SERMON

C) David’s Confidence in God’s Grace and Second appeal for FORGIVENESS and FULL RESTORATION (vv. 7 - 15) 1) CONFIDENCE in GRACE - v. 7 2) APPEAL for FULL RESTORATION - vv. 8 - 15

D) God’s delight - vv. 16 - 19

CONCLUSION: I would like to close with a verse of scripture: Ac 3:19“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

INTRODUCTION

There are many FERTILE GROUNDS where TEMPTATION can be too strong to RESIST. Those fertile grounds could be - LONELINESS, being BURNT OUT, FRUSTRATION, UNANSWERED PRAYER.

These are the FERTILE GROUNDS produced by this COVID-19 Crisis. In the case of David, it was PROSPERITY, SUCCESS and IDLENESS that became FERTILE GROUND for him to sin against God.

Regardless of what FERTILE GROUND caused sin to blossom and destroy us, we all have to OWN up to our sins and come before the Lord in repentance that we may receive His GRACE.

BODY SERMON

TEXT: Psalm 51

Here’s the OUTLINE: A) David’s APPEAL for God’s forgiveness vv. 1 - 2

B) David’s treachery against God - vv. 3 - 6 1) David’s guilt - v. 3 2) David’s confession and agreement with God - v. 4 3) Root of David’s sins and God’s desired FRUIT vv. 5 - 6

C) David’s Confidence in God’s Grace and Second appeal for FORGIVENESS and FULL RESTORATION (vv. 7 - 15) 1) CONFIDENCE in GRACE - v. 7 2) APPEAL for FULL RESTORATION - vv. 8 - 15 D) God’s delight - vv. 16 - 19

CONCLUSION

Are there sins we have cultivated during this pandemic crisis? It is time for us to act like David who sought God’s grace in His failure.

INTRODUCTION

Where do we find GENUINE HOPE? Now, the biblical concept of hope is different from the world’s understanding of it. Many use the word “hope” to simply mean “a wish.” We use it often to speak of something we want to happen but we are uncertain it will take place. When we say, “I hope things get better,” we mean “I wish things would get better.” Your wishing for something to take place, but you’re not really sure if it will happen.

Is that what the psalmist is trying to say? No. Biblical hope is not about wishful thinking. Biblical hope is not only a patient waiting upon the Lord, but also a confident expectation. We can only find it in God! That is what this Psalmist is teaching us. Hope in this Psalm is seen on THREE OCCASIONS:

BODY SERMON

TEXT: Psalm 42

I. Hope in God Though He Seems Distant (vv. 1-6a)

II. Hope in God Though He Seems Harsh (vv. 6b-8)

III. Hope in God Though He Seems Indifferent (vv. 9-11)

CONCLUSION

So where do you find GENUINE HOPE? In God and in God alone!

INTRODUCTION

According to the Department of Health in the Philippines, the “average age a first depressive episode occurs is in the mid-20s.”1‑Depression among the youth and young adults have led to higher suicide rates among their age group. World Health Organization reported that “eight in every 100,000 Filipinos commit suicide. Of this figure, six are males, while two are females, aged 15 to 29 years old.”

During these times, what do you cling on to? Where do you find GENUINE HOPE? You and I are interested only in GENUINE HOPE. We don’t want a hope that has a mere PLACEBO EFFECT, something that is merely PSYCHOLOGICAL, but has NO REAL BEARING in our lives.

So, where do we find GENUINE HOPE? We can only find it in God! That is what this Psalmist is teaching us. Hope in this Psalm is seen on THREE OCCASIONS:

BODY SERMON

Text: Psalms 42

I. Hope in God Though He Seems Distant (vv. 1-6a)

II. Hope in God Though He Seems Harsh (vv. 6b-8)

III. Hope in God Though He Seems Indifferent (vv. 9-11

CONCLUSION

Only God “Elohim” is the only source of GENUINE HOPE. Hope is also in the imperative mood. So the psalmist was commanding himself to patiently wait for God.

INTRODUCTION

In these days, our PATIENCE is being TESTED. We all want to go back to the OLD NORMAL, but it is continually VIOLENTLY being PUSHED OUT by this UGLY NEW NORMAL!

Many have become DEPRESSED; many have lost their HEALTH; many have lost their RESOURCES.

TEXT: Psalm 62

BODY SERMON

QUESTION: What do we do? ANSWER: Psalm 62 gives us SOUND WISDOM.

There are SIX LESSONS to learn from this Psalm and they are as follows:

I. WAITING ONLY ON OUR MIGHTY GOD vv. 1 - 2 / vv. 5 - 6 What does “My soul waits in silence” mean? This is a kind of waiting that is both PATIENT and UNCOMPLAINING. This is a CHALLENGE for all of us.

II.REASON FOR WAITING vv. 3 - 4 David was becoming IMPATIENT about his situation and SO ARE WE. We are also asking “How long?”

III.RELIANCE OF WAITING vv. 6 - 7 ABSOLUTE RELIANCE on the Lord.

IV.MANNER OF WAITING v. 8 V. WRONG WAITING vv. 9 - 10 Waiting is not PASSIVE. It is PROACTIVE WAITING

V. WRONG WAITING vv. 9 - 10 The thought here is NOT to TRUST MEN regardless of STATUS, for they are absolutely UNRELIABLE.

VI.RATIONALE for WAITING on the Lord vv. 11 - 12 (A) He is a God of POWER v. 11 11 Once God has spoken; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God; This expression is used to give emphasis that power belongs to God alone.

(B) He is a God of LOVING-KINDNESS v. 12

(C) He is a God of JUSTICE v. 12

CONCLUSION

There are many CHALLENGES, BUT YET God! There is the COVID-19, BUT YET God! There is a DOWNTURN in the economy, BUT YET God! There is the problem of SIN and HELL, BUT YET God!

INTRODUCTION

During this pandemic crisis, there is ONLY ONE QUESTION that people are asking and there is ONLY ONE ANSWER to that question.

BODY SERMON

TEXT: Psalm 121

I. The Question everybody is asking - v. 1

II. The Only Answer - v. 2

III.The How of the answer - vv. 3 - 8 1. He will not allow your foot to slip v. 3 2. He will keep you vv. 3, 4, 7 3. He will be your shade vv. 5 - 6 4. He will protect and guard you vv. 7 - 8

CONCLUSION

To the ONE QUESTION we have, we only have ONE ANSWER and He is MORE THAN ENOUGH!

INTRODUCTION

I have always said that CRISIS reveals WHO you are and in this PANDEMIC CRISIS, we would know who are those who have a GENUINE RELATIONSHIP with God and those who merely thought they had one.

Psalm 16 gives us an idea of HOW GENUINE FAITH LOOKS LIKE. As we navigate through this Psalm, we will also see HOW our LIVES get blessed by this relationship with the Lord. So, here are the TWO POINTS of this sermon:

BODY SERMON

I. HOW GENUINE FAITH LOOKS LIKE (vv. 1 - 5)

Faith trusts in trials v. 1
Faith has singular devotion v. 2
Faith delights in god’s people v. 3
Faith has no other gods - vv. 4 - 5

II. HOW GENUINE FAITH IS REWARDED (vv. 6 - 11)

REWARD OF HERITAGE v. 6
REWARD OF COUNSEL AND INSTRUCTION - v. 7
REWARD OF STABILITY AND SECURITY -vv. 8 - 9
REWARD OF RESURRECTION - v. 10
REWARD OF A FULL LIFE AND FULL JOY - v. 11

CONCLUSION

Indeed, those who have a GENUINE RELATIONSHIP with Christ have a BLESSED LIFE? Do you have a GENUINE RELATIONSHIP with Christ?

INTRODUCTION

In this Psalm, David was brought into a sense of his MORTALITY as a result of a NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE brought about by a LIFE THREATENING ILLNESS. This experience caused him to have CERTAIN REALIZATIONS and he came out a BETTER PERSON and WORSHIPPER.

In this pandemic crisis, while we may not be sick, we may be having a great sense of our mortality and the fragility of life. Hopefully, as in the case of David, we too would have our own REALIZATIONS. There are FOUR MAJOR POINTS to David’s Psalm and they are as follows:

BODY SERMON

I. DAVID’S PRAISE for DELIVERANCE - vv. 1 - 3

II.DAVID’S CALL to PRAISE and THANKSGIVING for GOD’S FAITHFULNESS - vv. 4 - 5

III.DAVID’S TESTIMONY - vv. 6 - 10

A)David’s Pride because of God’s Favor vv. 6 - 7a B)David’s Discipline - v. 7b C)David’s Confession and Prayer - vv. 8 - 10

IV.DAVID’S RESTORATION and PRAISE - vv. 11 - 12

CONCLUSION

With our MORTALITY STARING us in the face of this deadly virus, what are your realizations? Was there a realization of your PRIDE and SELF CONFIDENCE? Is God disciplining you to bring you to repentance? Is God calling you to Himself that you might become a child of God?

Only you know what God’s message is for you!

INTRODUCTION

One of the interesting things we experienced in Israel is our trip to Nazareth Village where we were treated to a REENACTMENT of 1ST Century life or life during the time of Jesus Christ. We have known Jesus as a carpenter and in modern day times, a carpenter is only somebody who does WOOD WORK.

We found out that in the 1st century, a carpenter was not just somebody who did wood work, but a BUILDER - somebody involved in everything that pertains to CONSTRUCTION. In other words, Jesus was a JACK of ALL TRADES BUT a MASTER BUILDER Himself.

One thing we are sure of is that Jesus never did SHODDY WORK. His work was EXCELLENT, BEAUTIFUL and PERFECT. What a BLESSING that was for Jesus’ CUSTOMERS during that time.

Today, Jesus is the BUILDER of PEOPLE’S LIVES and my preaching today is about letting Jesus BUILD your life. There are two APPLICATIONAL POINTS I’d like to share to you and they are as follows:

BODY SERMON

(Psalm 127)

I. MAKE GOD THE BUILDER OF YOUR LIFE (vv. 1 - 2) (a) Family life (v.1) (b) City life (v. 1) (c) Work life (v. 2)

II.ENJOY THE “BUILDING” OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE (vv. 3 - 5) (A) Children as gifts (v. 3) (B) Children as weapons (vv. 4 - 5) (C) Children as DEFENDERS (v. 5)

CONCLUSION

Who is building your house? Is it you or is it Jesus? It is best to have Jesus to be the BUILDER of our lives!

INTRODUCTION

This psalm was popularized by Martin Luther's rendition in "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." This happened to be Martin’s favorite Psalm in the face of a PERSECUTION that threatened his very life.

This psalm is a TRIUMPHAL song that celebrates the EVER PRESENT GOD WHO HELPS us NOW! The word “alamoth” is a Hebrew word that is associated with “women” and may indicate that this song is to be sung by “women at a very high range”, probably “soprano”.

What I remember here would be the songs of Sandi Patti and the ascending notes sung with the ASCENDING ATTRIBUTES of a mighty God! We have seen our God who was PRESENT yesterday and we know He will be PRESENT tomorrow, but more importantly RIGHT NOW, He is PRESENT TODAY in this COVID-19 crisis.

If you asked me, “What are the TWO SCARIEST things that can happen to our world today?” my answer would be: “CALAMITIES and WAR.”

BODY SERMON

I. God’s PRESENT HELP in CALAMITIES (vv. 1-3) The first metaphor is that God is a "refuge" where one finds rest and asylum. Israel had CITIES of REFUGE where somebody who kills someone ACCIDENTALLY can run to and be SAFE from the AVENGER. God is our place of SAFETY.

II. God’s PRESENT HELP in WAR(vv. 4-11) Here we find another METAPHOR - the “RIVER”. Incidentally, there is no river in Jerusalem, only the spring of Gihon. The imagery of a RIVER here is a STARK CONTRAST to the RAGING WATERS in the previous verses.

CONCLUSION WARS and CALAMITIES produce very UNSTABLE and INSECURE ENVIRONMENTS, but it is such a great COMFORT to know that our God is an EVER PRESENT HELP in time of TROUBLE.

INTRODUCTION

Psalm 7 is a Psalm of LAMENT. A lament is a passionate expression of GRIEF or MOURNING. It is a CRYING out to God in TOTAL HONESTY. It might even include some RESPECTFUL COMPLAINING to God because of one’s DIFFICULT circumstance. It is possible that at this time, because of what COVID-19 has done in rampaging practically every aspect of our lives that we would like to POUR OUT a LAMENT before God.

For as long as we do it in REVERENCE, laments are WELCOME in the presence of God. If you have BOTTLED up emotions, I would even recommend that you LAMENT before God. We know that God will HEAR those CRIES and will eventually come to our RESCUE.

BODY SERMON

There are TWO THINGS I see in this passage:

I. DAVID’S HEART CRY

A. APPEAL for DELIVERANCE

B. ACCOUNTABILITY BEFORE GOD

C. ASKING FOR JUDGMENT AND DELIVERANCE

II.DAVID’S RECOGNITION of GOD’S IMMUTABILITY

CONCLUSION

As you feel the WEIGHT of OPPRESSION brought about by COVID-19, pour out your LAMENTS before God. But before you do, make sure that you are RIGHTEOUS before God. You need POSITIONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS and POSSESSIONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS. As you cry out to Him, expect Him to answer your prayers.

These days are days of INSTABILITY and INSECURITY, not only for our generation, but most especially for the NEXT GENERATION. The question I would like to propound to you is: “Where do we PLANT our FEET to bring SPIRITUAL STABILITY for us during these times? Let me begin with an ILLUSTRATION. I remember the time I was learning to ride a bicycle. My father bought me a bicycle with stabilizers. Now what are stabilizers? Stabilizers are two small wheels attached to each side of the back wheel of a bicycle to prevent it from falling over when a child is learning to ride it.

In today’s challenging times, we need STABILIZERS and Psalm 78 gives us those stabilizers. There are THREE TAKEAWAYS I see in Psalm 78 and they are as FOLLOWS:

TEACH the WORD to the NEXT GENERATION (A)RATIONALE for INSTRUCTION
LEARN FROM HISTORY - NEVER FORGET! (A)The FIRST REVIEW of Israelite history moves from Egypt to the wilderness where God miraculously provides for them. (Verses 12 - 39) (B)A SECOND REVIEW of Israel’s history of deliverance from Egypt and also in the wilderness (Verses 40 - 55). It also includes their CONQUEST and SETTLEMENT in the LAND of CANAAN.
RELY on GOD’S COVENANT FAITHFULNESS

CONCLUSION Hence, 1) the teaching of God’s truth, 2)learning lessons from history and 3) relying on God’s faithfulness are the greatest stabilizing factors to spiritually build generations to come.

I know that there are a lot of believers who are having DIFFICULTY fighting for JOY at this time. We have been stripped of so many things and we are now beginning to ADJUST to a NEW NORMAL. That new normal is a situation of SOCIAL DISTANCING, WORK at HOME and also CHURCH at HOME.

The question is: How do I find JOY amidst COVID-19? I believe that Psalm 63 supplies us with a STEADY SUPPLY of ANSWERS.

TEXT: Psalm 63 Background: This is a WISDOM Psalm which is very much similar to the Book of Proverbs. A necessary CAVEAT or LIMITATION here is that we are NOT to SEE these verses as PROMISES, but as GENERAL PRINCIPLES which if applied MIGHT PRODUCE FAVORABLE RESULTS.

I. WORSHIP OF THE LORD vv. 1 – 3

II.GOD’S DELIVERANCE from FEAR vv. 4 – 6

III.THE FEAR that leads TO DELIVERANCE vv. 7 – 22 1. The COMMAND to SEEK God – v. 8 2. The COMMAND to FEAR the Lord – vv. 9 -10 3. The COMMAND to LISTEN to God’s TEACHING – VV. 11 – 12 4. The COMMAND to RESTRAIN the TONGUE from EVIL SPEECH v. 13 5. The COMMAND to DEPART from EVIL and DO GOOD – v. 14

IV.THE BLESSING of FEAR and the CURSE of NO FEAR 1. God’s ABIDING PRESENCE and ANSWERED PRAYER – v. 15 2. God’s DESTRUCTION of EVIL DOERS – v. 16 3. God’s DELIVERANCE from ALL TROUBLES – v. 17 4. God’s NEARNESS and SALVATION – v. 18 5. God’s PRESERVATION vv. 19 – 20 6. God’s PUNISHMENT v. 21 7. God’s JUSTIFICATION v. 22

It is by having the FEAR of the LORD – A genuine RELATIONSHIP with the Lord which brings about REVERENTIAL FEAR.

The prevailing emotion right now is that of FEAR and the big question right now is “How do I overcome my fear?” My answer is that “you overcome FRIGHT with FEAR.

“What?” Chill! Here’s my explanation. You overcome WORLDLY FEAR with the FEAR of the Lord! This would be the main theme of our study today. There are 4 CLEAR DIVISIONS that I see in Psalm 34 and they are as follows:

TEXT: Psalm 34 BODY SERMON I. WORSHIP OF THE LORD vv. 1 – 3

II.GOD’S DELIVERANCE from FEAR vv. 4 – 6

III.THE FEAR that leads TO DELIVERANCE vv. 7 – 22 1. The COMMAND to SEEK God – v. 8 2. The COMMAND to FEAR the Lord – vv. 9 -10 3. The COMMAND to LISTEN to God’s TEACHING – VV. 11 – 12 4. The COMMAND to RESTRAIN the TONGUE from EVIL SPEECH v. 13 5. The COMMAND to DEPART from EVIL and DO GOOD – v. 14

IV.THE BLESSING of FEAR and the CURSE of NO FEAR 1. God’s ABIDING PRESENCE and ANSWERED PRAYER – v. 15 2. God’s DESTRUCTION of EVIL DOERS – v. 16 3. God’s DELIVERANCE from ALL TROUBLES – v. 17 4. God’s NEARNESS and SALVATION – v. 18 5. God’s PRESERVATION vv. 19 – 20 6. God’s PUNISHMENT v. 21 7. God’s JUSTIFICATION v. 22

It is by having the FEAR of the LORD – A genuine RELATIONSHIP with the Lord which brings about REVERENTIAL FEAR

INTRODUCTION

With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, there are possibly TWO NEGATIVE EMOTIONS running through our veins: ANXIETY and ANGER. This was something that the Psalmist struggled with but eventually overcame. We gleaned TWO LESSONS from Psalm 37

I. ANXIETY AND ANGER POINTS

ANXIETY & ANGER POINT ONE: One anxiety point that the Israelites had has to do with the age-old question “Why do the WICKED prosper while the godly painfully struggle through life?”
ANXIETY & ANGER POINT TWO: The Lord gave his people a promised land but their tenure of and advancement in it was repeatedly under threat, nationally from outside adversaries, and individually from corrupt and oppressive exploiters.
ANXIETY & ANGER POINT THREE: Against this backdrop, God seemed like an IDLE SPECTATOR and you can sense a temptation on the part of the Israelites to be angry with God.
ANXIETY & ANGER POINT FOUR: Unable to see things from God’s perspective, the Israelites during the Psalmist’s time seem to wrongly observe that all of human experience seems to be grossly unfair.
ANXIETY & ANGER POINT FIVE: Another source of anxiety would be the future of one’s children.

II.SOLUTION TO OUR ANXIETY AND ANGER POINTS THINGS WE OUGHT TO CHANGE (First of all, if there is any change that is to take place, it should FIRST START WITH US, not with others, not with institutions):

SOLUTION: INTERNAL. Let us CHANGE OUR ATTITUDE. Let us move away from our ANXIETIES by not COMPARING our situation with others most especially the WICKED. The opposite of anxiety is CALMNESS.
SOLUTION: Let us change OUR PERSPECTIVE. When we are in a state of PANIC, our perspective becomes SKEWED. Let us view things with the END in SIGHT.
SOLUTION: Let us change our MINDSET, from that of PANIC to that of FAITH.
SOLUTION: Let us change our FOCUS. Instead of focusing on circumstances and our own earthly concerns, let us FOCUS on God and He would take good care of us. This “delight” in the Lord is a positive reaction that we should develop instead of having “jealousy”.

III.THINGS WE OUGHT TO DO (POSITIVE RESPONSE)

IV.THE THINGS WE OUGHT NOT TO DO (NEGATIVE RESPONSE)

CONCLUSION

In the midst of this great tribulation we are facing, there are certain things WE OUGHT TO DO and OUGHT not to do. As we do these things, we know that God will make all things beautiful in His time.

With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, there are possibly TWO NEGATIVE EMOTIONS running through our veins: ANXIETY and ANGER. This was something that the Psalmist struggled with but eventually overcame. We can glean LESSONS from Psalm 37.

This is a WISDOM PSALM by David which DOESN’T ADDRESS God. This is David’s ADDRESS to MAN. Therefore, this is a Psalm we can draw WISDOM from. Our study today is divided into two parts:

TEXT: PSALM 37

I. ANXIETY AND ANGER POINTS

II. SOLUTION TO OUR ANXIETY AND ANGER POINTS

The LONG-TERM SOLUTION for us INDIVIDUALLY is for FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES to take place in our lives. We need to change our ATTITUDE, PERSPECTIVE, MINDSET and finally FOCUS.

Psalm 23 1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

One of the things that we want to be assured of in these FRIGHTENING times is the LOVE of God. Does God love us? If He loves us, what are the things we can EXPECT from Him? There are FOUR EXPRESSIONS of the LOVE of the SHEPHERD that I see here and they are as follows:

I. THE CARE OF THE SHEPHERD vv. 1 - 3 II.THE PROTECTION OF THE SHEPHERD v. 4 III.THE VINDICATION BY THE SHEPHERD v. 5 IV.THE STEADFASTNESS OF THE SHEPHERD v. 6

I. THE CARE OF THE SHEPHERD vv. 1 - 3 Ps 23: 1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. The Hebrew word for shepherd is “ROHI”. One of God’s names is “YahwehRohi” which speaks of God’s care for His people. Not only that, this verse teaches us that the Lord is OUR PERSONAL SHEPHERD as highlighted by the possessive determiner “my”.

(A)HIS PHYSICAL CARE The first expression of the care of the shepherd is His PROVISION. He will provide for His children. QUESTION: How does a shepherd do that for His sheep? 1. He gives them FOOD as signified in “He makes me lie down in green pastures”. 2. He gives them DRINK as signified in “He leads me beside quiet waters.” Psalm 37:25 I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.

1 Ki 17: 1Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3“Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4“It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 5So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 8Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

Mt 6: 25“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

(B)HIS SPIRITUAL CARE 3He restores my soul; When I stumble and fall, He brings me back to intimacy with Himself after I confess my sins, so that I might be refreshed once again. He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. He leads me to DO WHAT is RIGHT and He will do this for the SAKE of His name. It would be good to remember that we need to do what is right for the sake of God’s name.

II.THE PROTECTION OF THE SHEPHERD v. 4 4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. “SHADOW of DEATH” here speaks of the “DARKEST VALLEY” - phraseology that spoke of dangerously threatening circumstance - and right now because of the Corona virus, it certainly feels that way.

But even when we go through VALLEYS that threaten us, the presence of our SHEPHERD will keep us SAFE, unless it is OUR TIME! We are “INVINCIBLE” until God says your mission is over! If ever God takes us home during this CORONA VIRUS crisis, it means our MISSION on EARTH is done and there’s nothing we can do about it. But rest assured that we have a place in heaven.

Jn 14: 1“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

Because of this assurance, we should “fear no evil.” The “ROD” was an oak club about two feet long. The ROD of the SHEPHERD is supposed to WARD off and STRIKE beasts that attempt to devour the sheep. The “STAFF” is intended to grab the sheep by the neck, to REMOVE him from harm’s way. The GOOD SHEPHERD is willing to lay down His life for the sheep and Christ did that to protect us from the VIRUS of SIN and DEATH. Jn 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

III.THE VINDICATION BY THE SHEPHERD v. 5 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. God will BLESS you and will make sure that your ENEMIES see your blessings.

Pouring of oil in Israel was a gracious host’s WAY of WELCOMING somebody in His home. God’s OUTPOURING of BLESSING and FAVOR will be overflowing. The blessing is not only up to the brim, but runs OVER the BRIM.

IV.THE STEADFASTNESS OF THE SHEPHERD v. 6 6Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. So, we have seen the CARE, the PROTECTION and the VINDICATION by the Shepherd.

QUESTION: How long will be experience all these benefits? 1. All throughout our EARTHLY EXISTENCE - “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life” 2. All throughout ETERNITY.

What a great comfort to know that as we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, OUT SHEPHERD WALKS with us.

At this time of the COVID-19 virus, I have decided to temporarily break off from my series on the Sermon on the Mount. When we decided to cancel the services for the safety of our members and to be part of the solution to the COVID-19 outbreak, there were some critics who saw this as a LACK of FAITH. There was definitely NO LACK of FAITH in that decision and most definitely there was NO LACK of WISDOM there. Mass gatherings have the dangerous potential of spreading the virus by the hundreds and by the thousands in a matter of days.

Sadly, some Christians are WANTING to TEST God by presumptuously defying clear government and medical guidelines to mitigate the quick spread of this virus. Today, I want to address this issue by sharing to you my thoughts on this:

CREDIBLE TESTIMONIES of HEALING backed up by MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION
SHOULD WE EXPECT SUPERNATURAL HEALING ALL THE TIME?
WHAT JAMES SAYS ABOUT HEALING?
IS GOD OPPOSED TO MEDICINE?

My main goal in this sermon is to prevent presumptuous actions. Doing so might present serious problems for us as individuals and our community as well. Example: Two Korean girls who drowned Let us act in both FAITH and WISDOM. Let this also be a time of SELF REFLECTION. Is it healing that God wants at this time or is it REPENTANCE?

Here are 8 things we’d all do well to learn, or relearn, from this coronavirus scare.

Our Fragility
Our Equality In the eyes of the world, we’re all different; in the eyes of the virus, we’re just the same.
Our Loss of Control
The Pain We Share in Being Excluded
The Difference between Fear and Faith Perhaps this crisis is challenging us to react in a different way—with faith and not fear. Faith not in the stars, or in some unknown deity. Rather, faith in Jesus Christ, the good shepherd who is also the resurrection and the life.
Our Need of God and Our Need to Pray
The Vanity of So Much of Our Lives Perhaps this crisis is showing us what to concern our lives with. Perhaps it’s teaching us what’s really important in our lives and what is vanity.
Our Hope Our species, according to Jesus, lives in the the grip of a pandemic outbreak called sin. What is your hope in the face of that virus

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/things-coronavirus-teach-us/

INTRODUCTION

BBC Report dated February 20: “In an effort to deal with the sex scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope has convened an extraordinary summit of bishops in Rome. This follows his recent, unprompted, admission that priests had exploited nuns as "sex slaves" at a convent in France.

Pope Francis decided to call this global conference after discussions with the so called C9. This is the group of nine cardinal advisers who were appointed soon after Francis was elected.

This news article gives us an idea why Jesus EQUATES LUST to ADULTERY. The act of adultery begins in the SINFUL HUMAN HEART. Adultery NEVER HAPPENS in a VACUUM; it is always the by-product of a DIRTY THOUGHT LIFE.

In this sermon, Jesus declares to us His RADICAL SOLUTION to LUST in TWO POINTS:

I. THE SINFUL EYE 1. SOLUTION: GOUGE it OUT 2. REASON: BETTER to LOSE THE EYE than for the BODY to go to hell.

II. THE SINFUL HAND 1. SOLUTION: CUT it off 2. REASON: BETTER to LOSE THE HAND than for the BODY to go to hell.

When it comes to SIN, we need to be RUTHLESS with our hearts. Let us allow the GOSPEL to perform this RADICAL SURGERY in our hearts that we might become the KIND of PERSON God intends us to be.

INTRODUCTION

I read a NEWS ITEM which stated that the Philippines has exported 600,000 photos of naked children all over the world. Pedophiles have FEASTED their eyes on this innocent children who are oftentimes VICTIMS of their own parents. LUST is a major problem and sin in the world and the ones who struggle with this are getting younger and younger.

While LUST is a major problem and sin in the world, people often belittle this sin, rationalizing that they are not really hurting anybody. Thus, they do not consider lust as sin. I hope to change your mind with this sermon.

BODY SERMON

Here are the TWO POINTS to our study today:

I. Letter of the Law - v. 27 (a)Prohibition to Adultery

II.Spirit of the Law - v. 28 * (a)Prohibition to Lust * (b)Lust = Adultery

CONCLUSION

In this sermon, we have established God’s transcendent standard of holiness. We oftentimes just concern ourselves with the LETTER of the LAW, not knowing that the SPIRIT of the LAW must likewise be adhered to.

A lot of people have difficulty in dealing with anger and they try to skirt away from the accusations of their conscience that they are sinning against God. You may be able to delude your conscience and make it submit to your excuses, but you could NEVER be EXCUSED from God’s JUDGMENT. As such, we must deal with it, because we might find ourselves in the receiving end of God’s wrath.

I would like to talk to you about the 2 I’s of anger:

I. The Incongruence of Anger and Worship v. 23 - 25 a

A. Broken Relationship because of your Offence v. 23 B. Reconciliation before Worship 24 - 25a

II.The Immutable Judgment vv. 25 - 26

If you truly desire to WORSHIP, you must RELEASE yourself from any form of ANGER and BITTERNESS.

We human beings have categorized sins into the GREATER and the LESSER. We often think that God is greatly displeased with the greater sins and therefore incurs His wrath, whereas the lesser sins are permissible to God and easily condoned by Him. That PERCEPTION is DANGEROUSLY WRONG! Absolutely NO SIN is permissible in God’s sight. The SMALLEST SIN and the SLIGHTEST DISOBEDIENCE is enough to bring us to HELL. ALL SIN is abhorrent to God no matter how small we might think it to be.

The STANDARD of God is so high, it is humanly unattainable. Have a look at this verse:

1 Jn 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

In effect this means, ANGER = MURDER. This is why we NEED the GOSPEL. Apart from the gospel, we have NO HOPE of REDEMPTION and a GENUINELY CHANGED LIFE.

We need to realize that we are dealing with an ABSOLUTELY HOLY and PERFECT GOD who doesn’t even have a SPECK of EVIL in His being. This shows the MAJESTIC DISTANCE between us and God and this is why we need His GRACE for our SALVATION and His GRACE to empower us to live a RIGHTEOUS LIFE.

In today’s sermon, we will see the DISPARITY between the Pharisees and Jesus’ understanding of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Here are the TWO THINGS we will be discussing today:

I. The INADEQUATE TEACHING of the SCRIBES and PHARISEES - v.21 II. The FULL MEANING of Jesus’ teaching on ANGER - v. 22

When it comes to righteousness, God is NOT IMPRESSED by what is seen on the OUTSIDE, but rather what He sees on the INSIDE!

This sermon answers the question: “Who is worthy to enter God’s kingdom and go to heaven?” I know a lot of people in the world do not consider this question RELEVANT as of the PRESENT, but whether we like it or not, IT IS GOING to be RELEVANT!

Every year we celebrate our birthday, we are a YEAR CLOSER to our DEATH DAY and whether we like it or not, WE WILL HAVE to answer this question one day. If we do not even attempt to answer this question, we will regret it FOR THE REST of ETERNITY.

I would like to share two things to you today as it relates to the passage on hand:

I. The RIGHTEOUSNESS that is INADEQUATE 1. The inadequacy of the Pharisees’ righteousness (Gold standard of the Jews) 2. The inadequacy of all other righteousness (less or equal to the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees)

II. The RIGHTEOUSNESS that is ADEQUATE

Praise God that God’s STAMP of APPROVAL marks Jesus Christ and praise God that He IMPUTES it upon those who place their TRUST in CHRIST!

Romans 10:11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

What is the WORD of God to people? During my first trip to Israel in the 90’s, our Jewish tourist guide said that it was an ANCIENT BOOK which has NO BEARING for us people in modern times. Some people say that the Bible is the MERE CREATION or WRITINGS of MEN. Others say that IT CONTAINS the WORD of God, but NOT ALL of it is! So what is it really?

Only God can answer what the WORD of God really is and so Christ’s statements regarding the word is what we can believe on.

There are THREE POINTS to our passage today:

I. CHRIST’S REVERENCE AND ADHERENCE TO THE WORD v. 17 A. WRONG PERCEPTION B. CORRECT CONCLUSION

II. ETERNALITY OF THE WORD v. 18 A. TEMPORALITY OF HEAVEN AND EARTH B. PERMANENCE and FULFILLMENT of the WORD

III.CONTRASTING RESPONSES TO THE WORD v. 19 A. SELECTIVE OBEDIENCE AND INSTRUCTION B. INCLUSIVE OBEDIENCE AND INSTRUCTION

Jesus has already spelled out to us what the WORD OF GOD is and so we need to REVERE the WORD of God for what it is. I would like to close with Ezra 7:10 as the proper response to a high view of God’s word.

10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Picture a child who is never secure whether or not he is a member of the family. If today, he is obedient, he feels he is a member and thinks that his father loves him. If he is disobedient, he feels he is not a member and thinks that his father does not love him. And this goes on throughout his life.

What do you think will be the emotional and mental state of that child? Of course, he will be unstable and insecure! His idea of his father’s love is based on his performance. The reality is this: when you are born into a family, you remain a member of that family even with your imperfections! When you misbehave, you are badly representing your family and your father will discipline you!

So it is when you are born into God’s family! You see, if you have the Spirit of God indwelling in you, you are a part of God’s family and you can enjoy all the peace and security that He wants all of His children to have.

Text: 1 John 5:13

I. GOD’S JUDICIAL REQUIREMENT IS FULFILLED IN CHRIST

II. GOD’S FAMILIAL REQUIREMENT IS FULFILLED IN CHRIST

Here are the amazing assurances for the believer’s security of his eternal destiny: 1. God has acquitted you from condemnation 2. God has given you a new life 3. God loves you permanently 4. God has predestined you to become like Christ 5. God has made you perfect 6. God will persevere to complete His good work in you 7. God keeps you secure 8. God assures you that you are a child of God

What is a Christian Believer? He is a person who trusts in Jesus Christ totally for salvation. He understands and accepts that he cannot obtain right standing before God on the merits of his own righteousness or good works but is totally dependent on the finished work of Jesus Christ through his death and resurrection.

A true believer is one who is born of God. He is a citizen of heaven. He follows the Lord Jesus Christ and his life is changed forever. He will never be lost again! His eternal destiny is assured. Are you this person?

INTRODUCTION In our previous sermons, we learned that we are the SALT of the EARTH, a permeating and positive inﬂuence to this world. In this sermon, we learn that we are also the LIGHT of the WORLD shining in the midst of the world’s darkness. BODY SERMON TEXT: Matthew 5: 14 - 15

I. Who we are?

(a)Scriptural definition

(b)Importance

II.Where we should and should not be? III.How we should function? CONCLUSION

Philippians 2:

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

INTRODUCTION A few decades ago, what we Filipino’s termed as “People Power” changed the tide of Philippine history. Democracy was re-installed from an authoritarian rule under Martial law. Nevertheless, Philippine society hasn’t changed much; in fact, according to most sectors it has grown worse. It failed because REAL POWER to CHANGE comes from God as He uses HUMAN INSTRUMENTS infused with His power.

Such is who we are if fulﬁl our CALLING to be a MIGHTY SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE in society. This is GENUINE PEOPLE POWER. Jesus draws an ILLUSTRATION from the ancient world which typiﬁes our IDENTITY and ESSENCE. The question however is: “Have we fulfilled our POTENTIAL? BODY SERMON TEXT: Matthew 5: 13

I. OUR IDENTITY and ESSENCE as SALT

BACKGROUND
WHAT SALT DOES
IMPACT OF SALT
LOCATION OF SALT

II.THE LOSS of SALT’S ESSENCE

HOW DO WE LOSE OUR SALTINESS?

III.THE RESULT of the LOSS of SALT’S ESSENCE CONCLUSION If we want to EXPERIENCE TRUE PEOPLE’S POWER that inﬂuences people’s lives, we must FUNCTION as SALT should, living a CONSISTENT GODLY LIFESTYLE! That will surely IMPACT our SOCIETY! Christian, you are the HOPE of this NATION!

As we approach 2020, I believe that this coming year holds promise not only for God’s church but also for us as believers in Christ.

The blessing of God however demands TWO THINGS:

FAITH TO BELIEVE GOD’S PERFECT WILL
PAYING THE COST The question is are you willing to believe God for the IMPOSSIBLE but that which is the WILL of God? Second, are you willing to PAY the COST before receiving the blessing of God? These are questions we need to be able to answer before even anticipating God’s blessing in 2020.

TEXT: Joshua 5: 2 - 9

THE RADICALLY UNTHINKABLE: vv. 2 - 3
THE RATIONALE: vv. 4 - 5
THE REVIEW of their TRAGIC HISTORY: v. 6
THE REQUIREMENT: vv. 7 - 9
THE REWARD: FROM JOSHUA 6 ONWARDS

Whatever God has promised to us as a CHURCH or as INDIVIDUALS, we will be able to LAY CLAIM TO VICTORY! But CIRCUMCISION FIRST, BEFORE CONQUEST! The crown of THORNS before the WINNER’S CROWN. The CRUCIFIXION before the RESURRECTION! PAIN before the GAIN.

How among you know the story of Saint Nicholas? Do you know Saint Nicholas or Bishop Nicholas?

He is best known as Santa Claus. This legend about Santa Claus was based on Saint Nicholas

How did this St. Nicholas turn into the North Pole-dwelling bringer of Christmas gifts? The original saint was a Greek born in the late third century, around 280 A.D. He became bishop of Myra, a small Roman town in modern Turkey. Nicholas was neither fat nor jolly but developed a reputation as a fiery, wiry, and defiant defender of church doctrine during the Great Persecution in 303, when Bibles were burned and priests made to renounce Christianity or face execution.

Text: John 2

A. He turns water into wine in chapter 2. B. He heals a dying man in chapter 4. C. He cures a paralyzed man in chapter 5. D. He multiplied food for thousands of people in chapter 6. E. He walks on water at the end of chapter 6. F. He gives sight to the blind in chapter 9. G. He raises a man dead for days in chapter 11.

THE “MIRACLE OF TURNING WATER INTO WINE” REVEALED WHO JESUS IS. IT REVEALED HIS GLORY AS SAVIOR AND GOD AND HIS FUTURE GLORY AS KING AND PERFECT BRIDEGROOM!

Because the story reminds us of another wedding celebration that John the Beloved wrote about. The first miracle started at a wedding and it points us to a future wedding. There will be a heavenly wedding that will take place in the future and you and I will be present in that wedding. During this time, there will be great feast, the greatest of all, the celebration will not just be one week’s time but for eternity.

Listen to the words of Revelations 19:7-8, “Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready: it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”

We, the Church is the Bride of the Perfect Bridegroom our LORD Jesus Christ. We have a Bridegroom who not only is Capable in providing for our needs today but also able to secure our Salvation.

When our Savior and King returns to earth, it will be a time of great abundance and peace. The Millennial reign of Christ is a time of prosperity and joy. We are looking forward for that time.

Why are the righteous persecuted? It is because WE ARE WALKING in ONE DIRECTION and the WORLD is walking OPPOSITE the DIRECTION we are walking. It’s IMPOSSIBLE not to COLLIDE!

We ﬁnished part one of our study, so we are now ready to conclude this series with part two. But let’s just review our outline:

II. THE BLESSEDNESS of PERSECUTION for Christ’s sake (vv. 11 - 12) (A) 3 expressions of hatred towards Christianity (v. 11) 1. insult 2. persecution 3. false accusations

(B) 2 responses to persecution (v. 12) 1. rejoice 2. be glad

(C) Rationale for response 1. Great reward in heaven 2. Great company

This is the CLIMAX of the beatitudes and rightly so. This beatitude is the thermometer of other beatitudes. It measures how we’ve grown in Christian character.

We often meet ROADBLOCKS along the path of our Christian journey. These roadblocks slow us down, turn us back, and even stop us in our pursuit of SERVING God. Such is true of PERSECUTION. “Persecution” comes from the Greek word “dioko” which means “driving or chasing away, a withstanding or keeping one from his goal.”

This speaks of HARASSMENT. Our response however should be that of REJOICING. We are VICTORS and not VICTIMS. There are TWO THINGS I see in this passage. Here’s a little outline of our study this morning:

I. THE BLESSEDNESS of PERSECUTION for the SAKE of righteousness (v. 10) (a) persecution because of righteousness 1. DEFINITION of RIGHTEOUSNESS 2. RESULT of RIGHTEOUSNESS: PERSECUTION 3. WRONG REASONS for persecution: (b) reward: millennial kingdom

II. THE BLESSEDNESS of PERSECUTION for Christ’s sake (vv. 11 - 12) (A) 3 expressions of hatred towards Christianity (v. 11) 1. insult 2. persecution 3. false accusations (B) 2 responses to persecution (v. 12) 1. rejoice 2. be glad (C) Rationale for response 1. Great reward in heaven 2. Great company

The fact that we are sons of the kingdom should motivate us to live like the King of that kingdom.

Example: On March 11, 1830, a British girl was doing her lessons with her tutor and the lesson that day had to do with the royal family. As she studied the genealogical chart in the book, she became aware of the astounding fact that she was NEXT in LINE for the THRONE! At first, she wept, and then she looked at the tutor and said, “I will be good!” The fact that little Victoria would one day be Queen motivated her to live on a higher level

INTRODUCTION

Revival is the REKINDLING of an “OLD FIRE amongst Christians” which may have been lost because of sin or coldness of heart.

Every minister’s dream is a REVIVAL, because when revival happens, CHURCHES & NATIONS change.

England was on the verge of a CIVIL REVOLUTION, when God intervened with a revival, using two firebrands in the person of George Whitfield and John Wesley:

a. Bars and night clubs were closed. b. The central discussion of people in the streets was the Lord Jesus Christ c. Crimes hit an all time low. d. Thousands upon thousands of people were being harvested for salvation.

BODY SERMON

I. MAIN REASON WHY THERE IS NO REVIVAL (Ezra 9: 1 - 2) II. TEN CONDITIONS NEEDED for REVIVAL to take place:

CONCLUSION

When we humble ourselves before God and fulﬁll these 10 conditions, God might just graciously grant us a revival.

Isaiah 57: 14 And it will be said, “aBuild up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.” 15 For thus says the ahigh and exalted One Who 1blives forever, whose name is Holy, “I cdwell on a high and holy place, And also with the dcontrite and lowly of spirit In order to erevive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite

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We have a lofty desire to impact nations through the faithful preaching of the whole counsel of Scripture in the power of the Holy Spirit.

To know more about our ministry - visit our website:

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INTRODUCTION

In this day and age, love is fluid. Love is subject. Love is whatever you want it to be. That’s why you hear about campaigns and slogans like “Love Wins,” “Love Has No Labels,” “Love is Love.” If love can mean whatever you want it to be, then love becomes meaningless. Real love is not subjective. Real love is not shallow. Real love is not short-lived.

We need a definition of love that is objective, weighty, and everlasting. We need God’s definition of love for God is love. We don’t need a fluid and flimsy love that offers no foundation in life. We need a solid and strong love. We need God’s love. And don’t go asking people what they think about God’s love. We go straight to the source. We go straight to God. We go to His Word and see what kind of love God has for us.

TEXT: Psalm 136:1-26

After reading the psalm, the message is clear: Thank God for His steadfast love. “Steadfast love” appears in every verse. And so it appears twenty-six times in this Psalm. Therefore, it’s a key word for us to understand if we want to really appreciate Psalm 136.

“Steadfast love” comes from the Hebrew word hesed. It’s a word I want to introduce to you. And my goal is not just to teach you a new word. My goal is help you understand what hesed means and it’s significance so that when we know what hesed means and why it’s important, our hearts will be filled with thanksgiving and praise to God.

BODY SERMON

I. God’s Hesed Love Displayed Universally (vv. 1-3; 26)

II. God’s Hesed Love Displayed Historically (vv. 4-22)

III. God’s Hesed Love Displayed Presently (vv. 23-25)

Application: - And how should we respond to God’s hesed towards us? Shouldn’t we respond like Isaiah? Or since we belong to the New Covenant, shouldn’t we respond in greater thanksgiving and praise because of Jesus Christ? Shouldn’t we thank God every morning, every afternoon and every evening for His hesed love?

After understanding hesed and how grace is its closest equivalent to the New Testament, kindly turn to Ephesians 1:3-10 and I hope that reading the text would burst our hearts in thanksgiving and praise to our God. Would you please stand and as we read Ephesians 1:3-10:

INTRODUCTION

The Bible calls us to become BRIDGE-BUILDERS who can bridge the GAP in broken relationships. God calls such people as PEACEMAKERS. Here’s a REVIEW of our simple outline of the sermon:

I. HAPPINESS of the PEACEMAKERS

(a)The prerequisite in becoming a peacemaker

(b)Steps to peacemaking II.REWARD of the PEACEMAKERS

BODY SERMON

(b) Steps to peacemaking

We must strive to bring men to be at PEACE with God. There are two ways to do that: a. Intercession 1 Ti 2:1First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.
We must strive to bring men to be at PEACE with EACH OTHER.

ATTITUDES RELEVANT to PEACE:

a. Child-like simplicity - Haven’t you noticed how easy it is for kids to patch things up among themselves?

b. Motive: Reconciliation and restoration through genuine repentance

c. A willingness to give in - sometimes to the point of sacrificing your own rights.

d.Must not have a DIVIDE and CONQUER mentality.

e. Look for points of agreement and not disagreement.

f. Must learn to control one’s tongue and anger

g. Must be willing to take the initiative.

h. Thoughts must be filled with thoughts of peace and not anger or violence.

II.REWARD of the PEACEMAKERS

CONCLUSION

In almost every age of history, the greatest heroes have been the greatest warriors. We rationalize and say that war is a necessity and anyway perfect peace is found only in heaven. With this mindset, we can live embattled lives of bitterness and hatred, just like “Rambo” in “Last Blood” who sought revenge for his wounded heart.

In the midst of this chaos, I am reminded of a beautiful picture of a custom of the Jews.

When two Jews met each other or part from one another, they say “SHALOM! PEACE!”. The men of war throw stones, but the peacemaker builds a bridge out of those stones. May you be a peacemaker.

INTRODUCTION

Several years ago because of the explosion of Mt. Pinatubo, lahar became a serious threat in the survival of some Northern Luzon provinces. During that time, the Philippine Daily Inquirer showed a picture of a DAMAGED BRIDGE in Zambales as a result of a lahar-filled river. It had become IMPASSABLE; lines of communication had been cut. Vehicles had to reroute looking for ways to cross the other part of Zambales. Many had to take a very long route. Isn’t this true of many relationships?

(a)Some relationships have become IMPASSABLE - “Don’t cross over to my territory.” (b) Communication lines have been CUT (c) Some people have to take the long route by asking for intermediaries to bring across our messages.

In situations like these, we need to become BRIDGE-BUILDERS who can bridge the GAP in relationships. Such people are called PEACE-MAKERS. Here’s a simple outline of our sermon:

I. HAPPINESS of the PEACEMAKERS (a)The prerequisite in becoming a peacemaker (b)Steps to peacemaking

II.REWARD of the PEACEMAKERS

BODY SERMON

I. HAPPINESS of the PEACEMAKERS (a)The prerequisite in becoming a peacemaker

CONCLUSION Therefore we can say that peacemakers are NOT SOCIAL REFORMERS, but people transformed by God’s power, thereby becoming AMBASSADORS of Christ. Once this foundation has been clearly established, then we can be the peacemaker that God wants us to be.

INTRODUCTION:

GOD SPEAKS through it
GOD SAVES through it
GOD SANCTIFIES through it Text: 2 Timothy 3

Conclusion:

“I love the Bible the way I love my eyes—not because my eyes are lovely, but because without them I can[not] see what [is] lovely.

Without the Bible I could not see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” Without the Bible I could not know “the unsearchable riches of Christ. Without the Bible I would not know that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior. I love the Bible because it gives the wisdom that leads to salvation, and shows me that this salvation is nothing less than seeing and savoring the glory of Christ forever, and then [the Bible] provides for me inexhaustible ways of seeing and knowing and enjoying Christ.”

John Piper

INTRODUCTION

John MacArthur states that there are THREE KINDS of RELIGION:

HEAD RELIGION which trusts in RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE. (Matthew 23: 1 - 3) 1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.
HAND RELIGION which trusts in GOOD DEEDS (Romans 10: 3 - 4) 3For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
HEART RELIGION which is the ONLY TRUE RELIGION based on PURITY of the INNER MAN. It is HEART RELIGION that we will study this day so that we can have a HEART CHECK-UP lest we have a SPIRITUAL HEART ATTACK. I pray to God that we might submit ourselves to the DEAN of HEART SPECIALISTS, Jesus Christ. TEXT: Matthew 5: 8

BODY SERMON:

I. THE HAPPINESS OF THE PURE IN HEART A. DEFINITION AND IMPORTANCE OF THE HEART B. DEFINITION OF PURITY OF HEART C. CHARACTERISTICS OF A PURE HEART

II.THE REWARD OF THE PURE IN HEART CONCLUSION:

I certainly hope that this sermon has not caused you a HEART ATTACK. If you feel a bit of a HEART ACHE, know that God’s heart hurts even more with an impure heart. Let us pray the prayer of the Psalmist: “Change my heart O God.”

INTRODUCTION

There were two black brothers who were slaves and they were treated by their master with contempt. They were given very ROUGH WORKING CLOTHES. The younger brother because of his sensitive skin would develop rashes and even wounds. The older brother upon noticing this on his brother would wear the working clothes until they became OLD, WORN-OUT and of course SOFT. When the clothes became soft already by constant wearing, the older brother would give the clothes to his younger brother who would no longer develop rashes or skin lesions.

That’s how I see mercy: When somebody is in a miserable condition, MERCY comes to the rescue just like a big brother. Today, we will be expounding on the subject matter of mercy and there are two clear points to this verse:

I. THE HAPPINESS OF THE MERCIFUL

(a) THE TEMPERAMENT THEN AND NOW

(b) THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MERCY AND OTHER BEATITUDES

(c) DEFINITION and DESCRIPTION What it is? What it is not?

(d) THE PERFECT PICTURE OF MERCY - CHRIST

(e) MERCY’S MEASURING STICK

II. THE REWARD OF THE MERCIFUL BODY SERMON

I. THE HAPPINESS OF THE MERCIFUL

(a) THE TEMPERAMENT THEN AND NOW

(b) THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MERCY AND OTHER BEATITUDES

(c) DEFINITION and DESCRIPTION:

(c) DEFINITION and DESCRIPTION:

(e) MERCY’S MEASURING STICK

II. THE REWARD OF THE MERCIFUL

CONCLUSION

Pr 11:17 The merciful man does himself good, But the cruel man does himself harm.

May you be a big brother to somebody in misery.

INTRODUCTION

A lot of people have an “APPETITE” for CERTAIN THINGS, thinking it would bring happiness. When happiness is sought as an END in itself, it becomes ELUSIVE.

Example:

I recall the news several years back when the famous actress Elizabeth Taylor married for the 8th time which is really a testimony of MARITAL LONELINESS.

QUESTION: Why is happiness elusive for those who seek it?

ANSWER: Because nowhere is it stated in the Bible that we should SEEK HAPPINESS! Rather, we ﬁnd that the scriptures state:

Mt 6: 33“But seek ﬁrst His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The Beatitudes puts it this way, “Happy is the man who HUNGERS and THIRSTS for RIGHTEOUSNESS.” It is when you have a “HEAVENLY APPETITE” and eat your “HEAVENLY DIET” of righteousness that you become HAPPY.

Happiness therefore is a RESULT of seeking RIGHTEOUSNESS! Without righteousness, there can be NO HAPPINESS! BODY SERMON

I. THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE WHO HAVE A HEAVENLY DIET

a.Characteristics of hunger and thirst

It represents the NECESSITIES of PHYSICAL LIFE.
Creates a desire to be satisfied.
Becomes a driving pursuit
Becomes a passionate force.
Single hearted
Seeking God’s will

II.THE REWARD of being HUNGRY AND THIRSTY CONCLUSION

D.M. Lloyd Jones said: “All the trouble in the world today is due to the fact that man is not right with God, for it is because he is not right with God that he has gone wrong everywhere else.”

Righteousness will make you HAPPY NOW and GOD will make you EVEN HAPPIER in the next life.

INTRODUCTION

Gentle conquest?!? Sounds absurd doesn’t it? The world says, “it is the TOUGH who conquer the world.” The world’s philosophy is “FORCE WINS!” Isn’t that how Hollywood builds its stories on? Hollywood merely gives what people clamor for!

The world idolizes Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vin Diesel and Daniel Craig. Now that may just be fine in the world of make believe, but it’s not the virtuous way in the real world. It’s not only cool to be tough, but it’s the only way to survive in a dog-eat-dog world. The first to cause fear is the one that wins the battle. Being tough is not just about street fights, it’s what you should be in school, in the office and in the neighborhood.

If you don’t act tough, you risk being bullied! Against that stream of thinking, Jesus says, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” Jesus teaches us the art of GENTLE CONQUEST. BODY SERMON

I. HAPPINESS of the GENTLE

II. REWARD of the GENTLE CONCLUSION

It is the gentle who will ultimately CONQUER! Gentle CONQUEST!

INTRODUCTION

What are the tasks that God has set before you?

Are you trying to reach out and plant seeds of the gospel to your parents, to your brothers and sisters, to your relatives, to your friends, to your classmates or coworkers, to your employees, to your neighbors?

Are you pursuing excellence in your work, not ultimately because you want to get a raise but to please and glorify God? Are you trying to steward your money and your resources to make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can? Are you trying to live a holy life in school or in the company or the government institution that you’re working in?

Are you trying to set up a bible study or a discipleship group at your home and in church or your school or workplace? Are you trying to study, teach, mentore, counsel and train believers for spiritually maturity and spiritual multiplication? Are you trying to serve the Lord and use the spiritual gifts that God has entrusted to you? Are making yourself faithful, available and teachable in the music ministry, or tech ministry, or ushering ministry, or prison ministry, or the ACES basketball ministry, or the TV ministry, or the children’s, youth, young adults, men’s, women’s, couples’ ministry?

Are you trying to raise up your children in the fear of the Lord, modeling how to love God with your all and teaching your children to know and love God as well? Are you trying to love your wife as Christ loved the church? Are you trying to submit to your husband as the church submits to Christ? Or are you trying to obey your parents as to the Lord?

Maybe you are indeed trying your best to do the tasks that God has given you. But you hit a wall. You’re giving your best effort. You’re doing what you can with all the knowledge and might and power that you have. You are trying your best but nothing seems to be happening. You’re stuck and discouraged. You don’t know what to do and you’re thinking about quitting. God’s message for you today is, “Not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God.”

You are trying, but not relying on the Spirit of God. God’s work must be done in the power and might of His Spirit. Man’s power and might pale in comparison to God’s power and might through the Holy Spirit. You and I need God’s Spirit to do God’s Work.

INTRODUCTION

Mourning is a NECESSARY part of the Christian life but it will end in God’s loving consolation in the millennium and heaven. Even for the present, it is something that we can expect in abundance.

I. HAPPINESS of MOURNERS

a.Description of mourning

b.What it is not

c. What it is

d.Reason for mourning

e.Genuine mourning

f. Self-examination questions

g.Result of mourning

II.REWARD of the MOURNERS BODY SERMON

REVIEW OF DEFINITION

DEFINITION: The expression of sorrow as a result of persecution for one’s faith or sorrow for national and individual sins and its negative consequences. The Greek word used here is πενθέω (pentheo) which speaks of the STRONGEST, most SEVERE, DEEPEST, most HEART-FELT GRIEF and was generally reserved for grieving over the death of a loved one. It is in the present participle; indicates CONTINUOUS ACTION.

e. Genuine mourning

QUESTION: How do we know if a man is truly mourning?

D.M. Lloyd Jones states: The man who truly mourns because of his sinful state and condition is a man who is going to repent; he is indeed actually repenting already.”

f. Self-examination questions

II.REWARD of the MOURNERS CONCLUSION

The emphatic pronoun “autos” indicates that only those who mourn over sin will be comforted. It is reserved EXCLUSIVELY for TRUE BELIEVERS. It is far better to weep now, than later, because heaven will be a PLACE of NO TEARS but HELL will be a place of nothing but TEARS. Hell is a place where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” FOREVER.

Let us heed Christ’s words in Luke 6:25:

Lk 6: 25 “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

INTRODUCTION

Mourning is a NECESSARY part of the Christian life and I will explain this intriguing statement as we go on. Mourning however is NOT the END of the believers life. No matter how much a believer may go through sorrow or suffer for his faith in this life, HOPE is never extinguished.

A believer can go through the most HORRIBLE, EXCRUCIATING and HARROWING PAIN ever, yet his eyes will always beam with BRIGHTNESS and HOPE. The exhortation in today’s sermon is: NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, DON’T LOSE HOPE! BODY SERMON

I have decided to divide this sermon into two parts. Today, we will take up only until letter “d” of point number one.

I. HAPPINESS of MOURNERS

a.Description of mourning

b.What it is not

c. What it is

d. Reason for mourning

e. Genuine mourning

f. Self-examination questions

g. Result of mourning CONCLUSION

With what we have covered so far on the subject of mourning, we can only conclude that it is ONLY those who are GENUINE CHRISTIANS who can truly mourn in a spiritual and biblical way. So the question that needs to be answered is “Are you a genuine mourner?” If you are then that speaks of a REAL RELATIONSHIP with Christ.

INTRODUCTION

The Christian life is a paradox of sorts. Jesus said, “If we lose our lives, we shall find it.” Paul says that that God said that he is “strong when he is weak” and he also says that “having nothing, he possesses all things.”

Such is the Christian life:

We live by dying We gain by losing We reign when we surrender We are strong, when we are weak

And in today’s sermon: We are RICH, because we are POOR! The world looks at the beatitudes and they say that these are the marks of a loser. Jesus gives us a NEW APPROACH to LIVING - guaranteed to make us WINNERS. To those who would protest that Jesus does not know what He is talking about let me propound this analogy:

Who knows about a product more than the manufacturer? When you get a new appliance, you need a manufacturer’s manual so that you will know what your appliance CAN and CANNOT DO.

Therefore God who knows us because He created us KNOWS what is BEST for us. God is not a COSMIC KILLJOY nor a COSMIC COMIC. His pronouncements are not PROBABILITIES but CERTAINTIES.

May we be BLESSED as we launch into this new series on the beatitudes. Not only does it talk about what our CHARACTER should be, but also our PORTION in the kingdom. The passage on hand has TWO CLEAR POINTS: BODY SERMON

I. Christ’s Audience and Authoritative Teaching - vv. 1 - 2

II.Content of Christ’s Teaching (v. 3)

a) Happiness of the poor in spirit

COMPLETELY BANKRUPT NO BOASTFULNESS HELPLESS LIVES ONE DAY AT A TIME GRATEFULNESS ABSOLUTELY NEEDY

b) Reward of the poor in spirit CONCLUSION

Our poverty of spirit is a declaration of our riches.

INTRODUCTION

Among all the sermons of Jesus Christ, the SERMON on the MOUNT has attracted the most attention. It has been studied not only by Christians, but also by other people of other religions because of its LOFTY MORAL ETHICS.

Its interpretation and approach however have been diverse and has led to a misunderstanding of its application. My task is to describe to you the various approaches and to pick which approach is MOST CONSISTENT with scriptures.

As we determine which approach is most consistent, my desire is that we might be able to apply these beatitudes in our lives as well as in our church.

BODY SERMON

I. SOTERIOLOGICAL APPROACH DEFINITION: According to this approach, man may attain SALVATION by following the Sermon on the Mount. It teaches salvation by GOOD WORKS. Regardless of religion, whether one is a Jew, Mohammedan, Hindu or Buddhist, he can attain to salvation by following the Sermon on the Mount.

II. SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH DEFINITION: This sermon has in mind the SALVATION of SOCIETY.

III. PENITENTIAL APPROACH DEFINITION: The sermon on the mount makes people see who they really are - SINNERS in NEED of God. This would drive them to seek for God.

IV. MILLENNIAL APPROACH DEFINITION: The Sermon on the Mount applies to the FUTURE EARTHLY KINGDOM because the listeners were Jewish who were primarily the recipients of the KINGDOM BLESSINGS promised to Abraham and David.

V. ECCLESIASTICAL APPROACH DEFINITION: The sermon is ADDRESSED to the Church - a RULE of LIFE for believers.

VI. INTERIM APPROACH Because of the rejection of the Jews, there is NOW a HUGE time lapse before the establishment of the millennial kingdom.

INTRODUCTION

This short passage is loaded with a lot of truth and can be broken into TWO NEAT PARTS:

1.THE GREATNESS of King Ahasuerus vv. 1 - 2

a) His wealth

b) His accomplishments

2.THE GREATNESS of Mordecai vv. 2 - 3

a) Recorded in history

b) His Prime position

c) His Popularity and Influence

d) His Political accomplishments

1) Among the Jews

2) Nation - Non- Jews BODY SERMON

THE GREATNESS of King Ahasuerus vv. 1 - 2

a) His wealth

b) His accomplishments

THE GREATNESS of Mordecai vv. 2 - 3

a) Recorded in history

b) His Prime position

c) His Popularity and Influence

d) His Political accomplishments

1) Among the Jews

2) Nation - Non- Jews CONCLUSION

Let us remember that our lives are not intended for VAIN EXISTENCE, but for the accomplishing of God’s purposes. As such, let us be MINDFUL of our DIVINE APPOINTMENTS and GOD’S MISSION for us!

Otherwise, we will just be like Solomon in his backslidden state.

Ec 1:2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

3 What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun?

8 All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisﬁed with seeing, Nor is the ear ﬁlled with hearing.

9 That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages Which were before us.

13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afﬂicted with.

14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.

INTRODUCTION

There are certain key phrases in this passage which are quite similar, but I would just like to quote a couple of them to you and they are both found in verse 28:

“So these days were to be remembered . . .”
“. . . these days of Purim were not to fail from among the Jews, or their memory fade from their descendants.

These phrases clearly tell us the THEME of this passage. It has to do with remembering God’s GOODNESS and DELIVERANCE'S in the face of the THREAT of TOTAL ANNIHILATION of their NATION. Certain steps were taken here to ensure that Israel’s GOD MOMENTS would not be forgotten.

REMEMBERING God’s goodness and deliverances is a key part of WALKING in FAITHFULNESS! This is one of the key thoughts in the Book of Deuteronomy: BODY SERMON

I. STEPS to REMEMBER vv. 20 - 23

II.REMEMBERING the CRISIS v. 24

III. REMEMBERING GOD’S DELIVERANCE v. 25

IV. MAKING PERMANENT the REMEMBRANCE vv. 26 - 32 CONCLUSION

Intentionally remembering God’s goodness INCREASES our FAITH in God and brings HONOR to God and that is why we have to always WORK on REMINDING ourselves of God’s DELIVERANCE'S!

SAD STORY of this FEAST: “What it has since degenerated to, which is much worse. Their own writers acknowledge that this feast is commonly celebrated among them with gluttony, and drunkenness, and excess of riot. Their Talmud says expressly that, in the feast of Purim, a man should drink till he knows not the difference between Cursed be Haman, and Blessed be Mordecai. See what the corrupt and wicked nature of man often brings that to which was at ﬁrst well intended: here is a religious feast turned into a carnival, a perfect revel, as wakes are among us. Nothing more puriﬁes the heart and adorns religion than holy joy; nothing more pollutes the heart and reproaches religion than carnal mirth and sensual pleasure. Corruptio optimi est pessima: What is best becomes when corrupted the worst.”

-Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 653). Peabody: Hendrickson.

INTRODUCTION

Scripture right away tells us God’s purpose for His command to Abraham: to test him. About what? His faith in God. God is asking him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering at a mountain in the land of Moriah. Moriah is located in Jerusalem, the Temple mount in particular. BODY SERMON

Text: Gen. 22:1-18

Lesson 1 – Obedience is a learned experience of knowing God

Lesson 2 – God’s intentions and plans for us are always the best.

Lesson 3 - True faith will persevere under trial.

Lesson 4 – God’s test reveals the depth of our faith in Him

Lesson 5 - God rewards our faith in Him CONCLUSION

Through the centuries, Abraham has stood as a shining example of true faith in God. He learned to trust God in every area of his life and God honored his faith time and time again. Early in his walk with God, he had his share of failures to do what is right. But in time, after he was tested again and again, he came out victorious for the glory of the Lord.

Obedience is a learned experience of knowing God. God’s intentions and plans for us are always the best. True faith endures under trials. Trials will reveal the depth of our faith in God. God rewards our faith in Him.

God always rewards true faith, because true faith honors Him! Persevering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the key to victory in our walk with Him. What God did for Abraham, He can certainly do for us today!

Have you received the One God provided to be offered as a perfect sacrifice to reconcile you to Him? He is Jesus. He carried your sins on that cross! He willingly gave His life to save you from eternal death, and eternal torment.

INTRODUCTION

In this passage, we will see the FAITHFULNESS of God to His people and His covenants. God’s people always FALL SHORT of God’s standards. Yet that doesn’t STOP God from DELIVERING God’s people and FULFILLING His purposes. This is simply one of God’s attributes; He is FAITHFUL no matter what.

In this chapter, we will see after all of God preparations and providential dealings to deliver Israel from sure destruction, the day had ﬁnally come for God’s mighty deliverance and victory. There are three parts to our study today and they are as follows: BODY SERMON

I. THE TIMING OF GOD’S DELIVERANCE AND VICTORY

II.THE WAY OF GOD’S DELIVERANCE AND VICTORY

III.THE CELEBRATION OF GOD’S DELIVERANCE and VICTORY CONCLUSION

When the decree of Haman to annihilate the Jews became published and proclaimed throughout the Medo-Persian Empire, FEAR struck the hearts of the Jews. God however prepared, protected and delivered the nation of Israel.

In this we see that God’s faithfulness perseveres in the midst of our unfaithfulness. He does these things FOR THE GLORY of His NAME and the FULFILLMENT of His purposes. What a MIGHTY and GRACIOUS GOD we serve!

INTRODUCTION

Both King Xerxes and Haman believed that they had full control of the Medo-Persian kingdom. Haman, most especially, felt he had the power to do anything including inflicting harm on his enemies because he was the Prime minister. To his tragic discovery, he realizes that he had no control of circumstances and events. In the end, he loses everything including his own life.

Chapter eight is a series of IRONIES proving to one and all that GOD ALONE RULES! There four sections to this narrative and they are as follows: BODY SERMON

I. GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY in ESTHER’S PROSPERITY and MORDECAI’s PROMOTION - vv. 1 - 2

II. GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY as seen in ESTHER’S PETITION ON BEHALF OF THE JEWS - vv. 3 - 6

III.GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY AS SEEN IN THE KING’S ACTION - vv. 7 - 14

IV.GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY AS SEEN IN MORDECAI and the Jews’ EXALTATION vv. 15 - 17

INTRODUCTION

Yes, we are saved by grace through faith. But aren’t we also saved to serve? Jesus did pay it all! Jesus alone is the Savior, not us! He accomplished salvation the work in His life, death and resurrection because we can never accomplish salvation through our own works! We don’t serve God to be saved. We are saved to serve. Don’t get the sequence twisted. We are saved by grace through faith and we’re saved to serve the God who is worthy of our time, efforts and resources, amen? ! BODY SERMON

Text: 2 Timothy 4:1-5

I. Proclaim God’s Truth (4:1-2)

II. Beware of Myth-seekers (4:3-4)

III. Fulfill Your Ministry (4:5) CONCLUSION

Charles Spurgeon is regarded as the prince of preachers. His influence in today’s pastors and preachers lives on. Throughout his life and his ministry, he faithfully carried out his solemn charge. He proclaimed God’s Word. He was aware of the myths and false teachings in his time. When God’s truth was attacked, he unleashed the power of God’s Word despite the constant struggles of his weak health. He had suffered rheumatism, gout and Bright's disease. And after forty years of powerful and also painful ministry, he entered into rest on January 1892. Two or three days before he died, he told his secretary, “My work is done.” Wouldn’t you want to end like this? To finish strong for God? Spurgeon had fulfilled his ministry and there was nothing else for him to do but to wait for His Master to call him home.

Our work is not yet done. Our ministry has not yet been fulfiled. Be faithful to your solemn charge.

INTRODUCTION

In the previous chapters many questions arose. Questions like:

What would happen to the Jews in exile?
What would happen to the Jews who had returned to Israel?
What is going to happen to the plan of salvation?

4.Would a Messiah and Savior come to the world?

What would be the fate of Mordecai?
What would happen to Esther?
Would Esther’s request be granted?
What is going to happen to Haman? BODY SERMON

I. The Queen’s Petition - 6: 14 - 7: 4

II.The Queen’s Revelation - 7: 5 - 7: 6

III.The King’s Wrath and Haman’s Destruction - 7: 7 - 7: 10 CONCLUSION

Haman sought glory for himself and wanted to destroy everything on his path that he perceived was a hindrance to his self-worship. What he didn’t know was that Satan was using his pride and anger to destroy God’s plan for the salvation of mankind.

Our God however can never be FRUSTRATED! In His sovereignty and providence, He will work behind the scenes and work on behalf of His instruments to FULFILL ALL OF HIS GOOD PURPOSES!

INTRODUCTION

The battle between GOOD and EVIL characterizes the HISTORY of mankind, and behind this would be God against Satan. God calls and uses people to fulﬁll His purposes to DEFEAT the SCHEMES of Satan. Satan on the other hand is a copycat using people as well to DESTROY God’s people.

In this chapter, we ﬁnd this human drama played out as we see Esther vs. Haman. God works behind the scenes supplying Esther the wisdom she needed to win the favor of the King. Satan on the other hand fuels and energizes the hatred of Haman to destroy God’s people.

I. God’s weapon - Queen Esther

A. The huge RISK - Esther’s intercession B. The RESPONSE of King Xerxes C. The INITIAL “TESTING of WATERS” and “SOFTENING the GROUND”

II.Satan’s weapon: Haman

A. HAMAN’S HAPPINESS AND HATRED B. HAMAN’S DELIGHTS AND DISMAY C. HAMAN’S DEVIOUS PLAN

This chapter gave us an idea on HOW GOD and SATAN work. Satan works through the HATRED, PRIDE and the FOOLISHNESS of people to destroy others and the instruments he uses. God on the other hand supplies WISDOM, GENTLENESS and LOVE in using his instruments like Esther. It is not DIFFICULT to PREDICT who is GOING to WIN in the END. In the end, God and his instruments have their HANDS raised in VICTORY!

There are bad things that happen to us that catches us by surprise! One of the reasons bad things could happen to us is our DISOBEDIENCE which was certainly the case with the EXILES in Medo-Persia who did not want to return to the PROMISED LAND.

As a review, we saw in Chapter three, the consequence of their disobedience as Haman hatched a plan for the extermination of the Jews. This would not have happened if they had returned to the land of promise, the land of Canaan

I. TRIPARTITE MOURNING II. HATCHED PLAN OF DELIVERANCE

While everything was PURE CHAOS on the part of Mordecai, Esther and the Jews, HEAVEN was CALM for God is never taken by SURPRISE. God will always achieve His purposes of DELIVERANCE, DISCIPLINE, and DESTINY. The question is: Would you like to be part of God’s plan? Hopefully, just like Esther, we should be willing to make the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for God to fulfill His purposes!

We are now going to start a book series on the Book of Esther, but before we dive into the passages themselves, I want to paint the big picture ﬁrst of all, so that we don’t lose sight of it once we get into the details of the narrative.

The central theme of this book has to do with the PROVIDENCE of God. Let me give you a working deﬁnition of providence: Providence is God’s divine activity that provides protection, provision and promotion on behalf of His people based on His loving foreknowledge.

Providence precludes the employment of supernatural and miraculous interventions, but nevertheless displays the POWER of God to CONTROL THINGS, CIRCUMSTANCES and PEOPLE so that ultimately everything that happens is according to the SCRIPT of God. He is the PRODUCER, DIRECTOR and SCRIPT WRITER all rolled into one to paint the story He wants.

THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD
THE UNFAITHFULNESS OF ISRAEL
THE CONSEQUENCE OF UNFAITHFULNESS
THE PROVIDENTIAL FAITHFULNESS of GOD
THE ROD OF DISCIPLINE THAT STRAIGHTENS OUR PATH

The providence of God in our lives is a reminder that the God we serve is a Covenant keeping God who keeps His promises and never forsakes nor abandons His people. Let God’s providence be an inspiration to gratitude and obedience.

May we not be like the Jews in exile who lingered outside of God’s will and almost paid dearly with their lives. If not for the providence of God, they would have been exterminated altogether. Let us not however use the providence of God as a license to stay outside His will.

1 Peter 5: 5 states: “…. clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” This in summary is the powerful lesson of Habakkuk 2: 5 - 8. Babylon’s prideful stench was reaching the nostrils of God and they didn’t know that they were walking the road leading to disaster.

Here’s a brief outline of the passage: TEXT: Habakkuk 2: 5 – 8

I. THE APPETITE OF PRIDE - verse 5 (a)Pride’s analogy with wine (b)Effects of pride 1. Restlessness 2. Greed 3. Discontent 4. Acquisition II. THE TAUNT OF THE HUMILIATED -vv. 6 - 7 (a)The SLAP in the FACE of the PROUD (b)The MISERY of the PROUD THIEF (c)The PLUNDER of the PROUD III.THE PAYBACK ON THE PROUD - v. 8 (a)The SIN OF LOOTING (b)The SIN of BLOODSHED and VIOLENCE

This passage is a STRONG WARNING to the PROUD and indirectly a POWERFUL ENCOURAGEMENT to the HUMBLE. May we all be HUMBLE and NOT PROUD this 2019, so that God may EXALT us!

If there is one thing this passage is teaching, it is that it is a FEARFUL THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD, when caught in sinful PRIDE.

INTRODUCTION:

Habbakuk complained to God that He was not doing anything about the evils in the Southern Kingdom of Israel. Habbakuk wondered as to why God seemed apathetic to the evil around him.

God corrects this misimpression on Habakkuk’s part and imparts His answer to Habakkuk. This passage proves one important point. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. God’s answer to Habbakuk’s prayer for justice is the BABYLONIANS.

This ANSWER to Habbakuk’s PRAYER was even more BAFFLING to Habbakuk and I will expound on this as we go on. But first, let me present to you the three things we will see in this passage:

TEXT: Habbakuk 1: 6 – 11

A. The Character and Reputation of the Babylonians (vv. 6 - 7)

B. The Military might, Motive and Pride of the Babylonians (vv. 8 - 11)

C. The Future Judgment of the Babylonians (v. 11)

INTRODUCTION

In this sermon, we will see the beginning of Habbakuk’s dilemma. In here we will see the LIMITATIONS of Habbakuk’s mind and this is likewise true of us. There are certain things that are difficult to understand about GOD’S WAYS. God understands our FINITE MINDS and He allows us to ask.

The form by which this book comes to us is through a series of DIALOGUES between God and Habakkuk and this should encourage us to engage God in a dialogue whenever the situation calls for it.

God will not despise us when we ask Him serious questions in a reverential way. In the end, God has an answer to every question we have.

There are THREE THINGS we will see here:

TEXT: Habbakuk 1:1- 5

I. Habakkuk’s two-fold question:

a) 1st question: God’s seeming apathy

b) 2nd question: God’s silence in the face of blatant sin

II. Result of God’s seeming apathy and silence:

a) law is ignored

b) justice is never upheld

c) increase of wicked men

d) perversion of justice

III. God’s Surprising answer

a) God is doing something amazing and mysterious in the present

INTRODUCTION:

Paul had been released from prison around A.D. 61 - 62 and was able to travel and continue his ministry. During this time, he assigned Timothy to pastor Ephesus.

The church and its spiritual health were under threat not only from outside persecution, but also from false teaching (1 Tim. 1: 3 - 4, 6 - 7; 1 Tim. 4:7, 14,15; 1 Tim. 6: 3 - 5).

Perhaps, Paul knew that he could be re-arrested and could be executed and thus, the great concern to strengthen the church even before anything happens to him.

This was one of three pastoral letters that Paul wrote prior to his execution or martyrdom.

Since Paul may have discerned that his time was short, he had to make sure that his disciple Timothy would ably pick up the baton to continue the work of the gospel and establish the church, even without Paul by his side (1 Tim. 1: 18, 19).

This was now time for Timothy to step up to the plate. The problem was that Timothy was beset with insecurities and fears and this had caused him to be tentative in performing his duties. (1 Tim. 4:12)

Based on the tone of Paul’s letter one would think that Timothy was very tentative or at least was pulling back a bit from ministry. His age had become a factor, since he was considered young to be a pastor. He was in his early thirties, but at that time, it was considered quite young relatively speaking.

While this was a letter specifically addressed to Timothy, it doesn’t mean that this was letter was not read or studied by the rest of the congregation. Obviously, all the instructions here which pertain to the church of Ephesus trickled down to them through Timothy.

Paul gives him fatherly instructions on what to do in the face of the circumstances he was facing and we see here Paul’s final pastoral instructions in three points and they are as follows:

TEXT: 1 Timothy 4: 12 - 16

ATTITUDE AND DECORUM - HOW TO BEHAVE? (v. 12)

a. Don’t let anyone BELITTLE you

b. Show yourself an example

DUTY - WHAT TO DO? (v. 13)

a. READ SCRIPTURE

b. EXHORT FROM SCRIPTURE

c. TEACH FROM SCRIPTURE

III. DETERMINATION - HOW TO CONTINUE? (vv. 14 - 16)

a. USE YOUR GIFT (v. 14)

b. DEVELOP YOUR GIFT (v.15)

c. MONITOR AND PERSEVERE IN YOUR LIFE AND TEACHING (v. 16)

INTRODUCTION

This topic has touched each and everyone of us degree or another and it’s the problem of discouragement, depressions, despair, anguish, certainly everyone of us has experience it to one extent or another in our lives.

We have gone through periods of our lives, events have taken places, situations that have come up on just our own feelings we’re we are down and discouraged. Sometimes our discouragement leads to something far deeper, leads us to somewhere dark place.

Many heroes of the faith have suffered through times of their life of depression and discouragement.

TEXT: Psalms 13 vv 1-6

I. Pray to God (vv. 1-4)

a. Pray Honestly (vv. 1-2) (17:19)

b. Pray Fervently (vv. 3-4) (27:37)

II. Preach to Self (vv. 5-6) (31: 19)

a. Preach Faith in God (34: 05)

b. Preach Joy in Salvation (43:50)

INTRODUCTION:

REVIEW: Believers are often faced with a myriad of realities, some sad and some glad. All of these things are permitted by God for a reason, but what is IMPORTANT is that we RESPOND RIGHT.

As we do that, we can expect God to move in ways that are FAVORABLE to us.

TEXT: James 5: 13 - 16

In this passage, we will see three conditions and three godly responses and they are as FOLLOWS:

Suffering - Pray (v. 13)
Cheerful - Sing (v. 13)
Sick (vv. 14 - 16)

A.Call vv. 14 - 15 •Elders are to pray in faith and anoint v.14 •Elders are to Seek repentance of sick v. 15 •Result - RESTORE and RAISE and PARDON v. 15

B.Confess and Pray v. 16 •Result - HEALING

INTRODUCTION:

Believers are often faced with a myriad of realities, some sad and some glad. All of these things are permitted by God for a reason, but what is IMPORTANT is that we RESPOND RIGHT. As we do that, we can expect God to move in ways that are FAVORABLE to us.

In this passage, we will see three conditions and three godly responses and they are as FOLLOWS:

TEXT: James 5: 13 - 16

Suffering - Pray (v. 13)
Cheerful - Sing (v. 13)
Sick - (vv. 14 - 16)

A.Call vv. 14 - 15 •Elders are to pray in faith and anoint v.14 •Elders are to Seek repentance of sick v. 15 •Result - RESTORE and RAISE and PARDON v. 15

B.Confess and Pray v. 16 •Result - HEALING

INTRODUCTION:

After addressing the RICH OPPRESSORS, James now turns his attention on the SUFFERERS who were poor and he talks to them about TWO PROPER RESPONSES in the midst of their SUFFERING.

Later in the passage, he shifts back to the oppressive rich and tells them how they respond.

The following are the ways by which they are to respond:

TEXT: JAMES 5: 7-12

I. BE PATIENT you poor! vv. 7 - 8 A) LENGTH OF PATIENCE v.7 B) EXAMPLE OF PATIENCE in AGRICULTURE v. 7 C) MOTIVATION OF PATIENCE v. 8

II. DON’T COMPLAIN you poor! v. 9 - 11 A)REASON: because of JUDGMENT and JUDGE v. 9 B) THE EXAMPLES 1. PROPHETS v. 10 2. JOB v. 11

III. DON’T SWEAR you rich! v. 12 A) MANNER B) REASON: because of JUDGMENT

INTRODUCTION:

Last weekend, we said that there are two kinds of rich people: 1] the “rich rich” and 2] the “poor rich”. The “rich rich” are those who recognize the hand of God and are righteous in their dealings; their blessings abound in all aspects of their lives.

The “poor rich” are those who have acquired money through unrighteous means and God will make their lives miserable. We tackled the first two points last weekend and they are as follows:

TEXT: James 5:1-6

I. THE COMING MISERIES OF THE RICH (verse one)

II. THE LOSSES OF THE RICH (verses 2 - 3) A. TEMPORAL LOSS (verses 2 - 3) B. ETERNAL LOSS (verse 3)

Today we will tackle the last point which is as follows:

III.THE SINS OF THE RICH (verses 4 - 6) A. WITHHELD PAY OF THE LABORERS (v.4) B. LIVING FOR ONESELF ONLY (v.5) C. OPPRESSION OF THE RIGHTEOUS POOR (v.6)

My prayer is that none of these sins would be found among us and if they are, let there be genuine repentance so that we would become “rich rich” and not the “poor rich”.

INTRODUCTION:

There are two kinds of rich people: 1] the “rich rich” and 2] the “poor rich”. The “rich rich” are those who recognize the hand of God and are righteous in their dealings; their blessings abound in all aspects of their lives.

The “poor rich” are those who have acquired money through unrighteous means and God will make their lives miserable. We will study the pitfalls of the “POOR RICH”, in the hope that we will be the “RICH RICH.”

TEXT: James 5:1-6 Our passage today has three main points:

I. THE COMING MISERIES OF THE RICH (verse one)

II. THE LOSSES OF THE RICH (verses 2 - 3) A. TEMPORAL LOSS (verses 2 - 3) B. ETERNAL LOSS (verse 3)

III.THE SINS OF THE RICH (verses 4 - 6) A. WITHHELD PAY OF THE LABORERS (v.4) B. LIVING FOR ONESELF ONLY (v.5) C. OPPRESSION OF THE RIGHTEOUS POOR (v.6)

INTRODUCTION

Satan has always desired to be worshiped and we see this wicked ambition exposed in Isaiah 14: 12 - 14:

12“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! 13“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

In his desire to be worshiped, he counterfeits God and creates his own Christ, whom we know of as the Antichrist. Oftentimes we see the meaning of this word as “AGAINST CHRIST”, when it could also mean “IN PLACE of Christ”.

In this chapter and section, we shall see Satan at work behind the scenes in his desire for universal worship. Satan had always been at odds and will continue to be at odds with God and His Christ and this hatred and constant striving against God is reflected in Chapter 12.

INTRODUCTION:

Years ago World Report says that 70 percent of the people employed don't like their jobs.

Ninety percent of the seventy percent who don't like their jobs don't feel like getting up in the morning to go to work at all. So what we have is a very large group of people who are very unhappy.

And unhappy people tend to be rather unproductive. There is little love for quality and little concern for excellence in the product which he produces. Employees today are more consumed with comfort and leisure and with materialism. And really many Christians fall into these areas as well as non-Christians.

Therefore there is a great need for many of us need to be reminded of our responsibilities in the realm of work.

INTRODUCTION:

There are some people who are confident of their abilities and resources that they think they can chart their own destiny without God. Such worldly pride does not look to God for assistance, but is INDEPENDENT AND SELF SUFFICIENT. This attitude, however, is self- defeating for it will only bring failure and humiliation.

I. MAN’S PLANS and LIMITATIONS: vv. 13 - 14 a. MAN’S AUTONOMOUS PLANS v. 13 b. MAN’S IGNORANCE OF THE FUTURE c. MAN’S INSIGNIFICANCE

II. GOD’S PLANS: LET GOD CHART YOUR DESTINY v. 15

III. MAN’S PRIDE and SIN: v. 16 - 17

INTRODUCTION:

Oftentimes we assume ROLES that do not belong to us, even roles that ONLY BELONG to God! In this passage, James argues that God is the ONLY RIGHTFUL LAWGIVER & JUDGE.

Sadly there were believers who were unwittingly USURPING the ROLE of God and in so doing they were acting like gods who in truth were DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN of God.

TEXT: James 4: 11 - 12

I. COMMAND: NOT TO SPEAK and JUDGE

II. IMPLICATION OF DISOBEDIENCE to the COMMAND: A) CONTRADICTION OF THE LAW B) FLAWED INTERPRETER OF THE LAW C) DISOBEDIENT AND A MISLED INTERPRETER

III.THE ONE RIGHTFUL LAWGIVER and JUDGE

The lesson in this passage is that God alone is the rightful lawgiver and judge.

INTRODUCTION:

Very few people probably see the connection between worldliness and war or conflicts. Human conflicts are often the by-product of man’s worldly passions, but more than that, worldly passions cause us to be in CONFLICT with God Himself.

TEXT: JAMES 4:1- 6 These are the things that we will be talking about today.

I. WORLDLY PASSIONS = War with men (vv. 1 - 2)

a. LUST and do not have = MURDER (v.2) b. ENVY and do not have = FIGHT and QUARREL (v.2)

II. WORLDLY MOTIVES = War within (vv. 2 - 3)

a. GENERAL PRINCIPLE ON PRAYER (v. 2) b. PRAYING from WORLDLY MOTIVES (v. 3)

III. WORLDLINESS = WAR with God (vv. 4 - 6)

a. FRIENDSHIP with the WORLD (v.4) b. FRIENDSHIP with the Spirit (v. 5) c. FRIENDSHIP with the WORLD = PRIDE / FRIENDSHIP with the SPIRIT = HUMILITY

INTRODUCTION:

To this question, we already have ready-made answers and usually we think in terms of INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENTS. While intelligence is a good thing to have, God considers something more nobler, and that is what He considers as wisdom.

TEXT: JAMES 3:13-18 I. The Question and the Answer (v.13) II. The Description: Wise and Unwise (vv. 14 - 18)

A. Marks of the unwise

Internal Root: Wrong heart (v. 14a)
Inner Disposition: 14b
External Source: Rebel forces (v. 15)
Result of UNWISE Conduct: (v.16)

B Marks of the wise (vv. 17 - 18)

Source: Internal and External (v.17)
Inner disposition: (v. 17)
Result of WISE Conduct (v. 18)

INTRODUCTION:

James addresses his audience “my brethren” three times in this chapter alone and it is done intentionally on the part of James to shame those who professed to be Christians but had uncontrolled tongues.

Christians are expected to be a NEW CREATION, which means that they are people who have a NEW TONGUE. Yet the sad reality, it seems, is that many in that congregation were still acting in a FLESHLY WAY, as if they were not a NEW CREATION.

TEXT: James 3: 6 - 12

In this section, James describes what a FLESHLY TONGUE is in THREE WAYS:

I. The tongue is an evil destructive force v. 6 (wicked bio-data) a. fire b. world of iniquity c. source of defilement d. tone setter of our lives e. inspired by hell

II. The tongue is untamed vv. 7 - 8 (study of contrasts) a. tamed animals b. wild tongue

III.The tongue is inconsistent vv. 9 - 12 (study of contrasts) a. instrument of blessing and cursing b. consistency of nature

The descriptions stated here is not the design of God, for God made the tongue for positive purposes and not for negative ones.

INTRODUCTION:

The tongue is a beautiful gift of God and one can’t possibly imagine what great loss human life would have if we lost the gift of speech.

I belonged to a generation that transitioned from black and white SILENT movies to colored movies that had SOUND, and those who belong to my generation know the WORLD of DIFFERENCE between the two. Movies are now so much more richer because of sound.

Sadly however this gift of speech has been terribly misused and has even become a mighty instrument of SIN. The tongue is supposed to be a fountain of blessing, encouragement, and edification, but sometimes it is used in the opposite way that God wants it to be.

The tongue is so IMPORTANT that it is the MEASURE of THREE THINGS in this passage:

I. The measure of judgment of the tongue v. 1

II.The measure of spirituality of the tongue v. 2 a. The given fact of our imperfection b. The spiritual maturity of one able to control the tongue

III.The measure of the power of the tongue vv. 3 - 5 a. The illustration of small and powerful things b. The small but powerful tongue

INTRODUCTION:

We have been talking about the priority of prayer and hopefully we have become convinced and convicted enough to bring us to a resolution to take the matter of prayer seriously.

The question that remains is the HOW? How do I pray? Thankfully, Jesus gave a pattern of prayer to His disciples which we will do well to emulate

The sermon today has two main points that teach us the RIGHT PATTERN IN PRAYER:

TEXT: Matthew 6: 9 - 13

I. GOD’S AGENDA: a. God’s name b. God’s kingdom c. God’s will

II.MAN’S AGENDA a. Man’s provision b. Man’s forgiveness c. Man’s deliverance .

INTRODUCTION:

Just as a review, we said that the Jews were PUZZLED why God was not acting on behalf of the nation, what with all the national threats and turmoil that they were going through, ALBEIT, with ALL THEIR PRAYERS.

Isaiah the prophet gave them the reasons in ISAIAH 59 and the following chapters.

1.The first reason for UNANSWERED PRAYER is OUR SIN which creates a WALL or BARRIER between us and God!

2.The second reason why God wasn’t showing favor to Israel, was because there was no intercessor, to stand in the gap, by prayer to turn away his wrath! As I mentioned, we need Moses-like people today who will stand in the gap for His church!

Today’s sermon picks up from where it left off, which is intercession, but we will focus on three lessons from Isaiah 62: 6 - 7 and Isaiah 64: 4.

I. THE NEED FOR WATCHMEN II.THE ROLE OF WATCHMEN: REMEMBRANCERS III.THE NEED FOR THE WATCHMEN’S PERSISTENT PRAYER

INTRODUCTION:

I believe with all my heart that our church is entering into a NEW PHASE and NEW LEVEL of ministry, which is much HIGHER, but MUCH HARDER than ever before. It is my goal with this sermon to CALL US INTO VIGOROUS INTERCESSION for our CHURCH and our COUNTRY!

If this call is heeded, I believe that we will see our church ESTABLISHED REFLECTING the GLORY and SPLENDOR of God and our country will see BETTER TIMES!

BODY SERMON

I will break down our sermon in three points:

I. ISRAEL’S LAMENT II.GOD’S POWER AND WILLINGNESS TO ANSWER III.TWO FAILURES OF ISRAEL

INTRODUCTION:

December is the TRADITIONAL time of the year when the BIRTH of Christ is celebrated, but we do not know for certain the exact date he was born. Scholars have been debating back and forth on this issue for hundreds of years.

Some say it was December. Others say it is January. Others say it could not be, because it was winter time and it would have been extremely oppressive for them to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the required census, which would take 3 days journey riding on a donkey.

So others conclude that it must have been between August and September which was before winter. I do not want to get into the nitty gritty debates of this, because I think the specific date is irrelevant.

What is important is that CHRIST was BORN to save us and because of this reason, I think it is a good thing to celebrate the BIRTH of Christ, but even as that is a must, I believe that there is something that is amiss or lacking in our Christmas celebrations. This is what I would like to talk about today.

There are THREE POINTS to our sermon:

I. The POWER of Christ’s BIRTH, DEATH and RESURRECTION: II. The POWERLESSNESS of these events taken APART from each other. III.The POWER of these EVENTS taken as a WHOLE.

INTRODUCTION:

The Bible warns us that the last days would be perilous times for us and one of the reasons would be a generation that does not respect its parents. Allow me to quote 2 Timothy 3:1-2:

“1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,” How do you survive spiritually in a world that is living dangerously and how do you help your children overcome the pressures of worldly voice and choices?

The passage that we will be teaching today tells us how we and our children will be able to survive this dark world that we are in.

This passage is a call to heed and follow the godly wisdom of the parents which should be embraced from generation to generation. There are three things I would like us to see in this sermon:

TEXT: Proverbs 4:1-9 * The Priority of Promoting God’s Wisdom (vv. 1-4a) * The Necessity of Pursuing Wisdom (vv. 4b-7) * The Blessedness of Wisdom (vv. 6, 8-9)

INTRODUCTION

We had previously discussed about the sin of favoritism and discrimination and it is possible that there were some that James was writing to, who were still exonerating themselves in their minds, by thinking that the sin of favoritism and discrimination is just one sin, and therefore, God cannot be displeased with that for after all they had obeyed majority of the commandments.

BODY SERMON

The emphasis of this entire passage has to do with God and His righteousness.

One Law Broken = All Laws Broken

Jewish teachers often used “stumbling” to mean sin.

According to God’s standard: One law broken = All laws broken. The point here is that even if you can achieve 99% righteousness. If you miss 1%. YOU HAVE BECOME GUILTY OF ALL. The laws of God are unitary in nature.

God’s Standard of Righteousness: Complete Obedience - One law broken = All laws broken - Reason: God is the maker of all laws

God’s Expected Righteousness - Speech and Action consistent with the gospel - Judgment on our speech and action

God’s Judgment on Measure of Righteousness - No mercy means no mercy from God - Mercy means no judgment

CONCLUSION

The righteousness of God transcends human righteousness in its essence, expression and evaluation, and we must align our minds and hearts to God’s own righteousness, so that we would always do the right thing!

INTRODUCTION

Now God, our heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ did not fabricate a reason for why we His children, though born-again into a living hope, which is an inheritance like no other (imperishable, undefiled and unfading) needs to go through sufferings, trials and pain and still be confident, but not just confident, but confidently joyful.

Our Loving God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ provides us the reasons so we can exude with confident joy in Christ even in trials and sufferings.

BODY SERMON

1 Peter 1:6-9

Peter gives five perspectives on joy so that believers may triumph even in the most adverse circumstances. Peter highlights the reality that joyful confidence is founded and derived from the following truths in a:

protected inheritance,
proven faith,
promised honor,
personal fellowship with Christ,
present deliverance

CONCLUSION

No matter what difficult circumstances and persecutions they face, the faithful greatly rejoice because of the future hope that derives from Christ’s resurrection and the present reality of the indwelling Spirit, securing a protected, eternal inheritance.

To the Elect of God in Christ, confident joy is not some brief, shallow, circumstantial emotion, but rather something permanent and profound, tied closely to the spiritual blessings of faith, hope, and love and given by God through His Son and the Holy Spirit. - “You should be able to figure it out.”

God has reserved and securely protected an eternal inheritance in heaven for every believer.

INTRODUCTION

Even as Christians, we sometimes carry with us some form of worldliness and that worldliness is seen in our treatment of our less fortunate brethren.

Discrimination and favoritism have no place in the body of Christ. James minces no words in tackling this issue.

BODY SERMON

God’s Treatment vs. Believer’s Treatment of The Poor Man - God’s election of the poor (James 1:5) - The believers’ rejection of the poor (James 1:6-7 )

The Unbelieving Rich Man’s Treatment of The Believers - Oppression and suing in court - Blasphemy of the Christian name

The Proper and Improper Treatment of All Men - The proper treatment of all men (James 1:8) - The sin and indictment of preferential treatment (James 1:9)

CONCLUSION

The way to the path of love is through the path of empathy. It is not that God is anti-rich but that the rich at times are anti-God. MAY WE ALSO BE “HUGGERS” OF THOSE WHO ARE POOR.

INTRODUCTION

Favoritism and discrimination are sins that Christians commonly commit, but something that is not given much attention, but surprisingly this one of the sins that God condemns so vigorously both in the Old and New Testament. Again, here we find James tackling this issue once more.

BODY SERMON

Principle and Practice in Christianity (James 2:1) - Equality of All Men - Equality of Treatment

Inequality of Treatment - Two Kinds of Men (James 2:2) - Two Kinds of Treatment (James 2:3)

Malpractice: Guilt on Two Counts (James 2:4) - Discrimination and Judgment - Evil Motivation

CONCLUSION

All over the world, there is racism and discrimination, but Christianity is a home and refuge for all men who want to know Christ.

Our Jesus makes no distinctions; He treats all men equally and grants salvation with no thought of riches or poverty.

INTRODUCTION

Throughout the centuries, raging debates have continued unabated, and have even resulted in religious wars. Even in Christendom itself, many sects have debated as to which is the genuine Christian faith.

BODY SERMON

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. - James 1:26-27

I have only (2) points to share in this sermon:

The Religion of The “Fakes”
Characteristics of The Fakes
Value: Worthless
The Religion of The “Genuines”
Characteristics of The “Genuines”
Value: Approved of God

CONCLUSION

Question: Are you a fake or are you genuine?

If you are genuine, then you don’t have a problem. If you are a FAKE, you have a problem, but you have hope in Christ.

Make Jesus not only your Savior, make him the Lord of your life, so that you might be genuinely saved and changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The kind of religion that does not change our manner of speech and does not change the deceitfulness of our hearts is worthless.

INTRODUCTION

In the previous verses, we were taught to center our lives on the Word of God as it was the means to our salvation. The Book of Romans affirms this truth:

Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

Likewise, the word of God is the instrument of the Lord for our sanctification and spiritual growth. As such, the word of God is not just to be read or heard, but it is to be obeyed. In this, we will find blessing for our lives.

BODY SERMON

The Illustration of A Mere Hearer - James 1:22-25

Purpose: FIX yourself. (A) Dismisses his appearance before God (B) Misses the goal

The Way To Blessedness (A) Look (B) Abide

As the Christian meditates on God’s word, he is to do what the Word of God requires. The result of this is blessing.

CONCLUSION

The Bible is called the “Perfect Law”, because the holiness of God knows no error. It is also called the “Law of Liberty”, because one who does it senses an inner freedom, which can only come when one follows the Word of God. Freedom is present not when we do what we want to do, but when we do what we ought to do.

The call of God upon our lives is not a pseudo-spirituality that glories in intellectual stimulation, that has no bearing on our spiritual maturity and transformation.

What God wants is that when he looks at us, WE LOOK LIKE THE WORD!

INTRODUCTION

God is good with an exclamation mark, with no ifs and buts, and this goodness is seen in two truths as explained by James. James does this to establish further the fact that God cannot be the source of evil or temptation.

BODY SERMON

James 1:17-18

Two Truths on God’s Goodness: 1) General Truth on God’s Goodness a) God, the Giver of all good and perfect gifts b) God, the Immutable One

2) A Specific Truth on God’s Goodness a) God’s will: Our salvation b) God’s instrument: His Word c) God’s Purpose: First fruits among His creatures

CONCLUSION

As such, our faith should be firm that God will never ever be the source of any temptation that comes my way. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

INTRODUCTION

The title tells us that is Psalm was written by the sons of Korah.

These men were Levites who had been appointed by King David to be singers and musicians in temple worship (1 Chr 6:31-33).

BODY SERMON

In times of distress, in times of great fear; in times of uncertainty—know this beloved: God is present. He is there. He is with His children.

Psalm 46

1) Take Comfort in God’s Presence (vv. 1-3) 2) Take Comfort in God’s Protection (vv. 4-7) 3) Take Comfort in God’s Providence (vv. 8-11)

CONCLUSION

If you have truly confessed your sin and have trusted only in Jesus alone to forgive you of that sin through His death on the cross then you are God’s child, take comfort in His presence; take comfort in His protection; take comfort in His providence.

INTRODUCTION

The Theme of Psalm 8 is very easy to spot because you will see a similar phrase at the beginning of the Psalm and at the end of it and the similar phrase is: “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth”.

So, this Psalm is talking about God’s majesty. Sandwiched between those similar phrases is God’s gracious and undeserved dealings with man which could be broken down in three parts:

BODY SERMON

If you have you ever felt overlooked by God, this Psalm is for you.

God’s Majesty displayed with powerless man (vv. 1-2) God’s Majesty displayed with undeserving man (vv. 3-6) God’s Majesty displayed with man created from nothing but made to rule everything (vv. 7-9)

CONCLUSION

I would like to repeat what the Psalmist said in Psalm 8:4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? But this is exactly the reason why we the redeemed: O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

INTRODUCTION

In today’s sermon, we will see that instead of being hailed as a hero, Jesus will be persecuted as a villain. More than this, as we shall see, the Jews will fail to see Him as both Messiah and God but instead they will see Him as a blasphemer in John 15:8.

Wrong perceptions and wrong beliefs stemming from a hardened heart will lead to wrong decisions and wrong responses. In the end, we will see that if ever unbelief reigns in the hearts of people, it is because they have chosen this path, not because Christ does not present enough evidence for Himself.

BODY SERMON

(a) Who offended the Jews? Jesus! | verse 14 (b) Jesus heralded by the one healed (sinner) | verse 15 (c) The persecution of Jesus and Jesus’ Defense of His person and work | verses 16-17

CONCLUSION

As we reﬂect on this passage, let us be mindful that our pride and our stubborn insistence on our religious beliefs, can come in the way of knowing truth.

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever done something good and yet your deeds were misunderstood and instead of becoming the hero, you become the villain. This is what happened to Jesus. Instead of being hailed as a hero, He became persecuted as a villain.

As we go through the story, we will see that wrong perceptions because of wrong beliefs can create a conflict between man and God, ultimately causing the condemnation and damnation of man’s soul. The Jews had misunderstood the Sabbath and the Lord of the Sabbath Himself.

BODY SERMON

The lesson here is that it is only in a proper understanding of God and His word that any issue or conflict could be resolved. It is however important to note that it is the “fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom.”

The ones whose hearts are right will understand, but the ones whose hearts are stubborn and hardened will not understand.

John 5:1-17

(a) What was the occasion for the conflict? (verses 1-5) (b) What was it that offended the Jews? John 5:10-13

CONCLUSION

The truth is what truly sets us free, but willful ignorance is what will destroy and damn us. Wrong beliefs lead to wrong conclusions and wrong conclusions lead to wrong decisions and wrong responses. Such was the problem with the Jews.

If our lives will be made right, we have to get it right! But to get it right, it is important to know that Jesus will reveal Himself to those whose hearts seek Him, just like this desperate paralytic, but He will Himself from those who harden their hearts like these Jews who saw Jesus as a “Villain” instead of “Hero”!

INTRODUCTION

In last weekend’s sermon, we saw that Jonah did not respond positively to God’s call to prophesy to Nineveh. Instead he disobeyed, fleeing away from the presence of the Lord, the result of which was a storm of enormous proportion as a consequence.

We saw that the reason for his disobedience was a misplaced patriotism, which caused him to wish the extermination of a million people from Nineveh, all because they were a threat to the Jewish nation.

BODY SERMON

f) The Grace of God (v. 17 )

The Bible does not indicate what kind of fish swallowed Jonah. A lot of people see this as further punishment on the part of Jonah, but rather we have to see this more as Jonah’s rescue and discipline to restore him to his senses to cause him to be obedient to God’s call.

There is no escaping the call that God places upon us and God is willing to give us another chance.

CONCLUSION

Is there a Jonah in the house? God is a God of second chances.

INTRODUCTION

When God calls you to do something, how do you respond to him? Do you respond to him in obedience or disobedience? Does it ever cross your mind that you can actually escape your calling and the consequences of your disobedience?

BODY SERMON

Why he disobeyed is probably one of the most intriguing things in this story and we will attempt to understand the circumstances which led to his disobedience.

How the story plays out in this story is seen in the ﬂow of the narrative: (a.) The Command to Prophesy to Nineveh (vv. 1-2) (b.) The Disobedience (v. 3) (c.) The Consequence (vv. 4-5) (Part 1) (d.) The Rebuke: The Captain (v. 6) , The Sailors (vv. 7-10) (e.) The Solution (and Conversion of Sailors) (vv. 11-16) (f.) The Grace of God (v. 17) (Part 2)

CONCLUSION

Jonah knew that the storm was a consequence of his disobedience and yet he didn’t care if he died or if the men in the ship would die with him. Jonah just went below the ship and slept. Again, he shows that he had no compassion towards other people of other nations.

Can we really escape the call of God and the consequences of disobedience? The answer is a BIG NO, so we should NEVER CROSS the LINE AGAINST GOD!

INTRODUCTION

It is amazing to see how rich the Bible is. Even the parting words of Paul pack a lot of relevance for our life here on earth as Christians. We find three things that characterize our Christian lives here on earth at the close of this book (Philippians 4:20-23):

BODY SERMON

Our Purpose: Worship (v. 20) Our Relationship: Saints (vv. 21-22) Our Daily Need: Grace (v. 23)

CONCLUSION

As we close this book, let us remember three things: 1. Live for God’s glory 2. Treasure every believer 3. Live in the power of the grace of God

INTRODUCTION

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”― Colossians 1:13-14

BODY SERMON

Summing up our desperate condition, the Bible says: We were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1-2) We were separated from God (Isaiah 59:2) We were in spiritual darkness (2 Corinthians 4:4) We were children of the Devil (John 8:44) We were objects of God’s wrath (Romans 1:18) We were on our way to Hell for eternity (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Psalm 9:17)

This was the sad reality before God rescued us. We were once in bondage to the spiritual powers of sin and Satan and we were powerless to set ourselves free.

But God rescued us from the dominion of darkness! By His grace and mercy He took us out of it!

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”―John 8:12. Jesus also said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”―John 12:46

Jesus is the light of the world so that whoever is united with him has the light of life and is able know God in a personal way!

CONCLUSION

God changed our position: from condemned to redeemed, from alienation to sonship, from death to life, from being lost to being found, from under the dominion of darkness to the dominion of the Light!

Halleluiah!

INTRODUCTION

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” - Ephesians 1:3

We are identified with him in his, perfect life, atoning death and glorious resurrection. His righteousness becomes our righteousness His victory becomes our victory. And so we become co-heirs with Christ. That means everything Christ has we have.

BODY SERMON

The Sufficiency of God’s Blessings The Superiority of God’s Blessings The Cause for God’s Blessings The Effect of God’s Blessings

CONCLUSION

To be in Christ not only speaks about our union with him but our identification with Him. And peace is about the presence of God.

INTRODUCTION

Paul knew that he could be misconstructed as advertising his needs in a subtle way. If they were thinking in those terms, he wanted to correct their misconceptions. This was not his motive! Paul never sought their gifts.

Text: Philippians 4:17 -19

Paul’s Motive: Profit of the Philippians Philippians’ Spiritual Profit Philippians’ Material Profit

BODY SERMON

This was how Paul described their love offerings: (a) Aroma that was fragrant. (b) Acceptable sacrifice. A sacrifice (v.18) (c) Agreeable or well-pleasing to God

CONCLUSION

It is when we are faithful in our giving that we can expect God to supply not some, but all of our needs. Poverty is never an excuse for not giving.

INTRODUCTION

We will see is the consistency of the Philippians’ giving to the work and the worker of the Lord, none other than Paul himself. This is seen in the present as well as in the past. One of the ways to describe this church was that it was a generous church. The reason why they gave consistently to Paul was because they were sensitive to minister to Paul’s needs.

BODY SERMON

Text: Philippians 4:14-16

We will break the sermon today in two parts: 1. Present Generosity (at the time of Paul’s writing this letter) 2. Past Generosity

CONCLUSION

The challenge for us is not just to be generous on special occasions, but to be consistently generous!

INTRODUCTION

“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being ﬁlled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” ― Philippians 4:12-13

BODY SERMON

We will be looking into two things today: 1.) Paul’s curriculum, 2.) Paul’s confidence.

Course No. 1 – Humble means, going hungry, suffering need. Course No. 2 - Prosperity

CONCLUSION

A living Christ on the inside is more than sufficient to endure the circumstances on the outside.

INTRODUCTION

Every Sunday and every time we open our Bibles, it would do us well to refresh to ourselves the gospel—the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the very act of our Lord that resulted in the forgiveness of our sins and, consequently, our eternal salvation.

The cross of Christ on Calvary is the historical and eternal “but God” that is the center point in the history of mankind, the central event in God’s plan of redemption! But even beyond the theological significance of these two words in relation to redemptive plan, “But God…” also has practical implications in our daily lives.

BODY SERMON

“But God...” The cross of Christ on Calvary is the historical and eternal “but God” that is the center point in the history of mankind, the central event in God’s plan of redemption!

But even beyond the theological significance of these two words in relation to redemptive plan, “But God…” also has practical implications in our daily lives.

CONCLUSION

Our salvation in Christ is the most major event in our lives, far eclipsing all others; everything else in the Christian life flows from that. When we understand what really happened in our fall and redemption, we can’t help but marvel. Our fate was worse than we thought, and our salvation is greater than we think. And that is why all that’s left is gratitude and love as expressed through lives lived in devotion to our Lord for the glory of His name.

INTRODUCTION

Life has been described as a journey. But it is more than a journey, it is an education. Life is a continual learning process, and one of the basic lessons God wants to teach us in life is the Course of Contentment. Paul in this passage graduated as a summa cum laude in the University of Contentment as seen in the situation presented to us in this passage.

BODY SERMON

There are (3) three things that we will see here: 1. Paul’s ultimate source of rejoicing (foundation of contentment) 2. Paul’s secondary source of rejoicing: Philippians’ resources shared 3. Paul’s remarkable attitude of contentment

CONCLUSION

Contentment, however, is learned. The verb "learned" means "learned by experience". It is not something that comes automatic when you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. Contentment is a course you have to finish.