New Hope Fellowship - Uptown Campus: Recent Episodes
New Hope Fellowship
Catch up on Sunday services and Bible studies from the uptown campus of New Hope Fellowship, a Christian church located in Toronto, Canada.
Date: June 16, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Philippians 3:1-11 Date: June 9, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: May 12, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: May 5, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: April 28, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: April 21, 2024 ----- We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. ----- Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: April 7, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: March 31, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: March 24, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: March 17, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: March 10, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: March 3, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: February 25, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: Feb 18, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: Feb 11, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: Feb 4, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: January 28, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: January 21, 2024-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: December 31, 2023-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: December 24, 2023-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: December 17, 2023-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: December 10, 2023-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: December 3, 2023-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: November 26, 2023-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Union with Jesus Christ: Already, Not Yet | Philippians 3.12-16 | Rev. Jason N. Yuh
Date: October 29, 2023-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: September 17, 2023-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: August 27, 2023-----We'd love to connect with you!Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.-----Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Date: July 23, 2023
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca.
Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Shared from New Hope Fellowship Sunday Service Mississauga Campus dated April 23, 2023.
Called Out For God's Mission #2:"People Who Care for God's Creation"Romans 8:18-25Rev. Charles Lee
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
When Paul warns against drunkenness (Eph 5.18), we often neglect the greater context of his warning (Eph 5.15-21). In fact, the passage has less to do with alcohol and more to do with living with a sense of awareness of the times: "make[ing] the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph 5.17). The reason why being drunk with wine is foolish is because it is "debauchery," which in the Greek means wastefulness--that is, we are wasting the opportunity that God has given us during this precious season of life. We must therefore reflect upon in what season are we living. What is the will of the Lord for us at this point in time?
At a macro level, we are living in the last days between Jesus's first and second coming. During these days, God has called the church to be his faithful witness of his gospel. In the specific case of Uptown, God has been leading us into a very special season. As mentioned numerous times, the past couple of years have been very formative and 2023 is already turning into a pivotal year for the church. In this sermon, we will reflect upon the recent seasons of Uptown and where he is leading us as we reflect upon how the leadership team has been developing in light of the elder/deacon elections.
Lastly, we will touch upon Paul's warning against drunkenness. Instead of focusing on our actions, we will consider what kinds of idols, lies, and habits compel us to drink so that we can replace those with the power, truth, and the life of Jesus Christ.
Questions:
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How long have you been at Uptown? How has the Lord used this church to help you to grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ and in your relationship with him?
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There were four seasons mentioned and explained during the sermon: opposition, breakthrough, avalanche, and explosion. In what ways can you identify with these (either personally or from the perspective of the church)?
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This passage is not primarily about drinking. In fact, drinking is just an example of foolish and wasteful living. Now that we have a better sense of the urgency and purpose with which we should live, what are some ways that the Spirit is leading us to be more disciplined and focused?
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Pray for Uptown, specifically that the church will be ready for and faithful to the pending avalanche. We need a stronger discipleship team and a larger location. Pray also that there will be a season of explosion, where all these pieces can converge so that more people can experience the gospel of Jesus Christ in a meaningful and glorifying way.
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Contrary to the famous, yet misleading, adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me," words are extremely powerful and important in the eyes of God. It was through God's Word that all of the universe was created and it is through his Word that all of life is currently being sustained. As God's image bearers, our words also have a potency that we typically overlook. Both our arrogance and our despair are generated by what someone has once said. Words are also very important to God because they are a window into the deep and hidden emotions, passions, and idols that rage within our hearts. Because we cannot control our own hearts, our minds become depraved; when our minds are depraved, we develop bad habits; and consequently, this triangular dysfunction bleeds into the way we speak, where our words are rancid, hurtful, or filthy.
Praise God, however, that he did not leave us in this miserable state. Instead, Jesus Christ--the Word who became flesh--came down to rescue us. His heart, mind, and habits were perfectly righteous and loving, which inevitably impacted his speech. Thus, Jesus's words were full of truth and love. And it is this same Jesus whose Spirit is in all of us who believe and submit to his gospel, conforming us to become like Jesus so that our hearts, minds, habits, and speech can also be filled with truth and love. In this sermon, we will see how the old way of our speech has been enslaved to a corrupt heart, mind, and lifestyle. Now that we are in Christ, this sermon will explain the implications of the new heart, mind, and lifestyle that God has gifted us, so that our speech can be edifying to others and pleasing to God.
Questions:
- This sermon has reminded us how impactful our words are.
a) Since words can produce a rancid or putrid effect (Eph 4.29), what are some ways that the Spirit is challenging you to restrain your speech?
b) Since words can build others up and be a delight to someone's ears (Eph 4.29), what are some ways that the Spirit is challenging you to speak?
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Reflect upon a time when you slanders or were tempted to slander someone. As much as you might have felt justified or hurt, Scripture teaches us that those situations reveal more about the idols in our hearts than the injustice of the offender. Furthermore, in Christ, instead of harbouring bitterness, we are to forgive one another as Christ forgave us (Eph 4.32). Take a moment to journal about an example and share it with the group.
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This sermon series reminds us that the gospel of Christ does not merely clean up our bad habits; instead, the gospel conforms us to the glorious image of Christ! In the same way, there might be certain things that we typically say or a certain way we generally converse that might not be bad, but are definitely not Christ-like (e.g., the way we joke, dominate conversations, small talk, humble brag, etc.). Ephesians 5.4 exhorts us instead to offer thanksgiving.
a) What are some of your "old self" that the Spirit is challenging you to put off?
b) What are some steps toward building a lifestyle where you are expressing more of a thankful heart (Eph 5.4)?
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Anger, bitterness, or wrath can wreak havoc, especially in important relationships. Unlike the other issues that we've been reflecting upon over the past few months, anger is usually directed toward someone in a very traumatic way and can thus create gaping wounds that never fully heal. Sadly, anger has already shaped or is shaping many of us--whether we were exposed to an outburst during our formative years as children or whether our own anger has created open scars on our loved ones, such as our spouses or children. As destructive as anger can be, this sermon will explain how the gospel of Jesus Christ can provide transformative hope and power in this sensitive area.
We must begin once again with the death, resurrection, and life of Jesus Christ. As it clearly states in Ephesians 2.3-6, we were all children of wrath. In other words, we were enslaved to destructive passions and emotions. However, it is only because of God's rich mercy and great love that we have been made alive with Christ through the death of Christ. This includes our resurrection with Christ so that we can live like Christ. Despite feeling hopeless or powerless against anger, we can find true confidence that we will overcome by living like Christ because of his death, resurrection, and life.
The sermon will then explore in greater detail what is happening in our heart, mind, and practice when we are tempted to give into anger. In our heart, there are idols that are being violated, which triggers rage within us; in our mind, we are succumbing to lies that make us feel deeply and unfairly offended/unloved; and in our practice, there are destructive habits that need to be replaced with the disciplined life of Christ.
Questions:
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How have you experienced anger whether in your family life, personal life, or another context? Is there a particular instance that comes to mind? (If so, then please consider sharing with your Life Group leader and/or with p. Yuh.)
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Read Ephesians 2.3-6 and Romans 6.3-4 (the very first passage of this sermon series). Do you see the logical flow of the death, resurrection, and life of Christ? Why is this so important when we think about the problem of anger (and other problems, such as sexual immorality, covetousness, deceitful desires, etc.)?
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This sermon series has taught us that our heart, mind, and actions all need to conform to the image of Christ. This means repenting of our idols (heart), replacing lies with truth (mind), and establishing disciplined habits/practices (actions).
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What aspects of the heart, mind, and practice resonate with you when it comes to anger? Share with one another some of the idols, lies, or habits that feel so natural to you (i.e., your old self).
- Reflect and share about what are some of the ways you can replace these idols, lies, and habits (i.e., your new self with new desires, truths, and disciplines).
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(If anger was not relevant for you, then share about a different area that the Spirit has been convicting you [e.g., covetousness, sexual immorality, deceitful desires, etc.].)
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Close the time by praying for one another in this area or others areas that the Spirit has been leading you (e.g., covetousness, sexual immorality, deceitful desires, etc.).
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
We are often misled to think that Christian life is centrally about momentous events or circumstances. The truth, however, is that both our victories and failures are influenced more by the little moments that we typically overlook. This is partly what Paul has in mind when he says that our old way of living has been corrupt (or destroyed) by our deceitful desires. These desires might seem innocent, but they have the power to ruin our lives so they are doubly dangerous. In fact, all the topics that Paul mentions between Ephesians 4.17-5.21 are examples of the desires that have the power to deceive and destroy.
This week, we will apply the framework of the death, resurrection, and life of Christ to deceitful desires. The death of Christ means that our deceitful desires have been forgiven so we will not be inflicted by the wrath of God; the resurrection of Christ means that we have been blessed by the permanent dwelling of his Spirit who will conform us to the life of Christ so that we can overcome these desires. In one sense, all these things have already taken place in Christ; in another sense, they have not yet been fully realized. We live in a tension where we suffer and need to take baby steps to grow gradually.
From a practical standpoint, this means that for every deceitful desire, we need to identify the idol (grow in our heart), identify the lie (grow in our mind), and practice discipline (grow in our actions). The sermon will explain all this by going through some of the more prevalent examples of deceitful desires: video games, Netflix/YouTube, social media, isolation, and Christian activities.
Questions:
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With which one of the deceitful desires can you relate?
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Are there other desires in your life that might be deceitful and destructive?
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The sermon explained the need to identify idols, identify lies, and be disciplined in order to overcome deceitful desires. In your situation, what are the specific idols, lies, and disciplines?
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This passage can easily be understood as merely a self-help tactic. Why is it so important for this passage to be understood and applied within the framework of the death, resurrection, and life of Christ?
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Paul continues to go through all the specific ways that our new life in Jesus Christ have been transformed. Because our old self has been put to death (i.e., the death of Christ) and we have received new life (i.e., the Spirit of Christ through his resurrection), we must continually grow in the conformity of Christ (i.e., the life of Christ). Today's sermon will focus on our speech.
Now that we are in Christ, our speech must be truthful. No longer are we enslaved to this world and dominated by the influences of Satan, who is the father of lies (John 8.44). The truthfulness of our speech must be motivated by and spoken in love. That is, we speak the truth not out of frustration, but out of a love for the other person. Thus, truth must be spoken in love--with sensitivity to the other person. This is usually very difficult, but as we are reciepients of this kind of sensitive and loving truth from Christ, who came down to us as a suffering human, we can therefore speak the truth to others in the same way.
Speaking truth in and because of love is one of the most effective ways for growth, both individually and communally. As mentioned recently, we have been experiencing transformations in the ways that we have been understanding and living out the gospel over the years. Another reason for this growth is because we have been much more explicit about the truths of the gospel. Most of this sermon will break down what this looks like so that we can apply it to one another. As we do, we--both as individuals and as a church--will increasingly resemble the life of Christ, which is only possible by the power of the Spirit of Christ because he put our old, untruthful life to death!
Questions:
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Do you struggle with falsehood or telling the truth? If so, why do you think that is? (If you are the Life Group leader, please let p. Yuh know if and how many members struggle with falsehood so that we can discern if we should have a focused sermon on this.)
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Out of the three scenarios--identifying the Spirit, identifying the lies/truths, and identifying the sin--which one do you think would be most relevant in your relationship with others? Which one is most difficult for you and why?
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These three scenarios can feel forced at times, so it will take time to grow into them. At the same time, they are more natural when we ourselves have been recipients of these from our relationship with God. That is, the Spirit has lovingly helped us become more aware of his work in our lives, has identified the lies/truths, and has led us to repentance by identifying our sin; the more we experience these from our relationship with God, the easier it will be for us to guide others in this way. What are some ways that you've experienced some of these things in your own relationship with God?
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Spend extra time in prayer tonight, especially for Uptown. In particular, pray that God will continue to empower Uptown to grow in truth and in love so that it will continue to be transformed by the death, resurrection, and life of Christ. Relatedly, pray against spiritual opposition and unnecessary distractions.
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Now that we are a few sermons into this series, we will first revisit the intended outcomes and marvel at how we are already experiencing so much fruit from trusting and obeying God's Word thus far.
The topic of this sermon will be covetousness. Although we hardly ever use the word, covetousness is one of the more dominating sins that we commit and is the motivation behind so much of our lives including work, how we engage in social media, how we view finances, etc.
We will look at covetousness through the lens of the death, resurrection, and life of Jesus Christ. It is only through what Christ has done that we can have the power to overcome the pervasiveness of this sin. More specifically, we see that covetousness comes from the futility of the mind and a darkened understanding. That is, our minds succumb to the lies of covetousness. Therefore, instead of living our lives with the motivation of the liberating power of the truth of the gospel, we live our lives with the motivation of the enslaving power of these lies. However, it is important to understand that these lies are always intertwined with truth; in fact, they were true when we were apart from Christ, but now that we are in Christ they are no longer true.
As the Spirit of Christ enables us to identify the lies of covetousness and replace them with the truth of the gospel, he will also give us the power to overcome. Consequently, we will experience the abundance and sufficiency of God's perfect provisions.
Questions:
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Take a moment and reflect upon how the Spirit has been using this sermon series (e.g., the death, resurrection, and life of Christ; identifying lies and replacing them with truth; sexual immorality; covetousness; etc.). Share with one another how the Spirit has been renewing your mind and allowing you to experience his power.
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This sermon talked about how covetousness is one of the sneaky sins that motivates so much of our actions and aspirations. What are some specific ways that you see covetousness as one of your underlying motivations?
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As we have been learning over the past few weeks, covetousness comes from a darkened understanding (i.e., in our mind). We succumb to lies and empty promises.
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What are some lies of covetousness that have been effective in your life? In what ways are they true (e.g., they might have been true when you were apart from Christ)?
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What are some truths of the gospel that can supplant these lies (others in the group can suggest some truths as well)?
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Close the time by praying for one another, the LG, and Uptown. Pray especially that we will no longer be motivated by the lies of covetousness, but instead be motivated by the new truth in the gospel of Jesus Christ so that we can experience true power, peace, joy, and love.
Passage: Ephesians 4.19; 5.3, 5
The gospel of Jesus Christ includes receiving a new heart, which renews our mind, which in turn enables us to live a life where our actions and speech are filled with power, love, and self-control. We've been reflecting upon this over the past couple of weeks and this week, we see all these wonderful blessings in the context of sexual immorality.
Our struggle with sexual immorality begins with the mind. Because God has given us a new heart, our minds can now be renewed. We often don't realize that the reason why we fall into sexual immorality is that we are being misled by various lies. In the gospel of Christ, we have the power to identify these lies and replace them with truth.
Two truths stand out in today's passage: we have a new identity as "holy ones" (or "saints") and we have an inheritance. This sermon will explain both so that we can have a biblical understanding of how powerful these truths are.
On the one hand, we are already deemed as "holy ones" and our inheritance is fixed--this should provide us great assurance and this is captured in the idea of "justification." On the other hand, we are not yet completely "holy ones" and have not yet received the full inheritance--this leads us to the idea of "sanctification." All this explains why there is an unstoppable power/hope for the Christian while the Christian must still experience suffering and struggles.
Questions:
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In what ways are things like sexual immorality linked to the way we perceive ourselves and God? Similarly, what are some of the lies that typically mislead us? How does this sermon help us replace these lies with truth?
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Why is it so important to be reminded of our new identity as "holy ones" (or "saints") and our inheritance? And how do these two blessings relate to the death, resurrection, and life of Christ?
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The "Already, Not Yet" gives us a better understanding of life so that we can appreciate our holiness and inheritance. Already, Christ has secured our holiness and inheritance; but growth and sanctification are still required, which includes experiencing his resurrection power and suffering.
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How can all of this help us overcome things like sexual immorality?
- How can all this provide a more biblical/accurate explanation of both our victories and failures?
Last week's sermon is foundational as it explained how many of us have a distorted and unbiblical view of the gospel. It is only when we see the death, resurrection, and life (DRL) of Jesus Christ that we have any hope in life. The rest of the sermon series will provide examples of what this looks like based on Ephesians 4-5, so if you missed last week's sermon, be sure to listen to it. (Even if you did listen to it, multiple listens would be helpful as we need to be reminded repeatedly of the DRL of Christ.)
Ephesians 4-5 speak of many different problems in life: sexual immorality, uncontrolled anger, unhealthy greed, etc. All these can be categorized under three groups: soundness of mind, purity in life, and truth and love in speech. Therefore, a transformed heart will produce these three things. In this sermon, we will focus on the soundness of mind.
One of the most recurring problems that we face is that we are not in control over our thoughts. Most of our problems stem from allowing destructive lies to infiltrate our minds. According to Ephesians 4.17-19, those of us who are not in Christ, we have a hardened heart. Because of this, our thinking is darkened and distorted. We allow harmful narratives to influence the way we see the world and ourselves. Consequently, we are enslaved to a number of unhealthy habits, attitudes, and thoughts.
However, because of the DRL of Christ, we do not have to fall into this cycle! We have been given the permanent presence of the Spirit whose work to conform us to Christ is certain and guaranteed. One of the blessings from this is that we now have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2.16). So now we can take every thought captive to the lordship of Christ (2 Cor 10.5). This means that we can identify lies and replace them with truth. When this happens, we are set free in Christ, which leads to healthy habits, attitudes, and thoughts.
As a reminder, because we live in the "Already, Not Yet" (ANY), we still experience the sufferings of this world. Nevertheless, we now have a new motivation, power, peace, and hope that allow us to overcome these struggles. This is all thanks to the DRL of Christ!
Questions:
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Do you have any general thoughts on last week's sermon about the distorted view of the gospel versus the biblical view (i.e., the DRL of Christ)?
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Ephesians 4.17-19 describe the inevitable flow of those who are not in Christ: because of the hardness of the heart, the thinking becomes darkened, which leads to a myriad of sinful habits, attitudes, and thoughts. However, there is a different flow for those of us who are in Christ: because our hearts have been transformed by the DRL of Christ, we can think truly and biblically, which leads to worshipful habits, attitudes, and thoughts. How have you seen these two dynamics in your life or the lives of those around you?
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The sermon mentioned some sample lies that might be plaguing us and some sample truths that might liberate us. Can you resonate with any of them? Or are there any lies or truths that you have been experiencing?
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We are reminded again that we are living in the ANY. This means that we still have to persevere through sufferings, but that we have a new motivation, power, peace, and hope. What are some specific ways that being reminded of the ANY and the DRL of Christ can help you?
Passage: Romans 6:1-11
Speaker: Reverend Jason Yuh
The focus of this sermon series, “Heart Detox,” is to allow the Spirit to empty our hearts of anything that is offensive to the Lord and detrimental to ourselves. When the Spirit detoxicates our hearts, we are then able to experience God's grace, power, and joy with greater depth so that we can love others accordingly.
But what hope do we have that we can experience this kind of transformation of our hearts? If our hearts are in need of detoxication, then we are grossly offensive to our holy God. If that is the case, then why would he bother to save us? This is where we must be reminded of the death, resurrection, and life of Jesus Christ. It is only because of the death of Christ that we have been completely forgiven of our sin; it is only because of the resurrection of Christ that we have a power to overcome our sinful habits; and it is only because of the life of Christ that we are being conformed to perfect obedience. Unfortunately, many of us have a distorted understanding of this, so this sermon will unpack the relevance that the death, resurrection, and life of Christ has on our lives.
When we reflect upon the certainty of what Christ has done for us, we frequently wonder: how come I still struggle with sin? To the question, the sermon will remind us of the ambiguous era that we all live: "The Already, Not Yet." Indeed, what Christ has already done is secure and fixed; at the same time, the full consummation of what Christ has done has not yet been complete.
Through this sermon series, we pray and hope that we can:
- Have a greater appreciation for the relevance of the gospel of Christ
- Understand the unique and powerful blessings that we have from the death, resurrection, and life of Christ
- Experience instances where we are putting off our old, fleshly, sinful ways and putting on our new, Spirit-filled, Christ-conforming ways
- Allow the Spirit to liberate us from sinful and destructive habits, attitudes, or ways of thinking
Questions:
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In what ways can you relate to the distorted understanding of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ? In what ways is this understanding unhealthy?
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What aspects of the biblical understanding of the death, resurrection, and life of Christ resonate with you? Why is it so encouraging that the gospel of Christ includes all three?
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Do you find the "Already, Not Yet" understanding of our reality helpful? If so, in what ways?
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Which one of the 4 outcomes of the sermon series do you need the most in your life and why?
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Have a greater appreciation for the relevance of the gospel of Christ
- Understand the unique and powerful blessings that we have from the death, resurrection, and life of Christ
- Experience instances where we are putting off our old, fleshly, sinful ways and putting on our new, Spirit-filled, Christ-conforming ways
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Allow the Spirit to liberate us from sinful and destructive habits, attitudes, or ways of thinking
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Pray for each other based on the previous question, and pray for the overall Uptown church community to experience these outcomes through this sermon series.
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As the people of God begin to settle in the rebuilt city, they take their time to reflect upon and renew their covenant with the Lord. One of the most prominent parts of the covenant is keeping the Sabbath. This passage and sermon will teach us the importance of Sabbath and the Law of God. What is the purpose of these and do they apply to us today?
The purpose of the Law of God, including things like Sabbath, is manifold. For this sermon, three purposes will be explained: (1) the Law of God teaches and reminds us of God's character, (2) the Law of God is to be trusted and obeyed so that we can better our lives, and (3) the Law of God exposes our sin and our need for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
When we look at the Law of God as having these three purposes, we must ask ourselves if we are responding accordingly. More specifically, when we do "Christian" actions (e.g., going to Sunday service, small group; reading the Bible and praying; etc.), are these three things happening? Sadly, many churches today are too focused on tangential things, even if those things are good. Oftentimes the life of the church is filled with exciting and noble events, but are void of these three ultimate purposes.
Let us therefore pray that every aspect of our church will (1) point us to the character of God; (2) compel us to trust and obey the Word of God; and (3) stir our hearts to become more aware of our sin and need for Christ.
Questions:
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Think of your ideal day off. What would you do during this time?
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Why is it so difficult for us to rest truly, especially in modern times?
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This sermon emphasized that our inability to rest truly boils down to our sin. Explain in your own words what this means to you and how you have experienced this.
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The Law of God has a threefold purpose (see summary above). How have you experienced the three purposes of the Sabbath in your own life (e.g., whether Sunday service or other ways of finding rest)?
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How has the Spirit been helping you in these three areas as of late and what kind of an impact has this been having in your life?
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Learning and/or being reminded of God's character
- Growing in your trust and obedience to God's Word
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Becoming more aware of your sin and therefore more dependent on Christ
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Take some time and pray for this LG as well as Uptown. Rather than a church being busy with a lot of events and distracted from its original calling, pray that every part of our church would help people in beholding God’s character, trusting in his Word, and depending on his grace.
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletin
Over the past few months, Nehemiah has taught us that the people of God are marked with a three-dimensional view of life and a heart of prayer. In chapters 8 and 9, we see that the people of God are also marked with reverence to the preaching of the Word of God.
This reverence is implied throughout the passage. They begin listening to the Word at sunrise all the way till midday (~6:30 am to 12 pm). Additionally, this passage might be the first instance of an actual pulpit, which stresses the importance of God's Word. Throughout Scripture, there is a recurring emphasis on the preaching of the Word (e.g., Ezek 37.4-5, 10; Mark 1.35-38; Rom 10.13-17; Heb 3.7-8; 5.11). In short, how one receives the preaching of the Word determines both their salvation and their further sanctification in the Lord--it is absolutely critical!
According to this passage, there is a progression in how we should respond to the preaching of the Word. First, the people are attentive (8.3), then they receive it with reverence (8.6), then they understand it (8.7-8), and then they respond with repentance (8.9-10) and joy/faith (8.10-12). Similarly for us, those who have been experiencing many breakthroughs in their lives have been responding the preaching of the Word! And this is why we respond to every message with a time of repentance and faith.
Lastly, one of the key emphases of this passage is the need to understand. The original Hebrew of Nehemiah 8.8 indicates that this understanding is not merely intellectual. It is more about insight, wisdom, and discernment. In many ways, hearing the preaching of the Word is easy to understand because its logic and content should be simple; in other ways, it is difficult to understand because the depth and range of meaning are vast. Oftentimes, it takes things like taking notes, sharing with others and in small groups, and going through life experiences to have a true understanding.
Questions:
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If someone were to ask you why sermons and preaching of the Word are so important, how would you respond?
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What are the key elements of any sermon?
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The people of God were attentive and reverential toward the preaching of the Word. They were also patient in trying to understand it. Most importantly, they had soft hearts so that the preaching not only convicted them to repentance but gave them the assurance of joy.
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How does this description affirm the way you have been receiving the preaching of the Word?
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How does this description challenge the way you have been receiving the preaching of the Word?
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At Uptown, we have been emphasizing repentance and faith, especially as the fundamental ways we respond to the Spirit after sermons.
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In what ways has the Spirit been using the preaching of the Word to stir your heart to repent?
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In what ways has the Spirit been using the preaching of the Word to reassure you and to give you joy?
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Take some time and thank the Spirit that he has been using the preaching of the Word in such powerful ways. Also pray that the preaching of the Word will continue to be faithful to the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the people of God.
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At this point in the book of Nehemiah, the people have finally finished rebuilding the wall. Although the task was daunting, it only took 52 days for it to be completed. Additionally, the opposition that was once fierce has died down. Nevertheless, there was no time for complacency. There were still some issues that needed to be addressed.
First, Tobiah still had a lot of influence on the people of God (Neh 6.17-19). This was an influence that could not be easily removed and made things difficult in many ways. Second, the people still needed to be vigilant and on guard (Neh 7.3). And third, the city felt very empty because only a few people were dwelling in the city and houses have not yet been built (Neh 7.4). This might have made the people feel empty and have a sense that their hard work was not worth it.
In many ways, this passage reflects what we are currently experiencing. The past few months have been quite intense at Uptown. God has been moving powerfully at our retreat, in our Sunday worship services, and in the lives of individuals. He is also doing a powerful work in our Life Groups, New Hope 101, and our Lunch On Us. As much as we have been experiencing breakthroughs, we have also been experiencing much opposition and discouragement. As of now, however, we might be experiencing a period of lull as we enter into the holiday season.
May this passage be a reminder that there is no time for complacency. There might still be lingering issues that might not seem too severe, but can nonetheless cause problems. Additionally, we must stay vigilant by praying and being prayerful. And for some of us, we might be having a sense of emptiness and be discouraged into thinking that what we experienced over the past few months have not resulted in what we were expecting.
Questions:
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Take some time and reflect upon the things that the Lord has been doing in your life over the past 0-12 months. Share with one another how the Lord has been encouraging and/or challenging you.
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Which one of the three issues from this passage do you anticipate experiencing in the coming weeks (or you are already experiencing)?
a) There are still lingering issues that might not seem too severe, but that can be a source of frustration/distraction in your life.
b) As we enter this holiday season, you sense that you can fall into spiritual complacency instead of being vigilant and prayerful.
c) You feel like there is a sense of emptiness or that things are not as you were hoping them to be.
- Whatever issues you might be anticipating or currently experiencing, take some time and thank the Lord that you will overcome these because you are in Christ and Christ is in you. Close your time by praying for one another and for Uptown as we continue to build this church together.
We'd love to connect with you! Follow us on Instagram @nhfuptown or reach us at uptown@newhopefellowship.ca. Weekly bulletin: https://newhope.to/ut-bulletinLast week, we saw much opposition coming from external factors. It was Nehemiah's three-dimensional view on life that enabled him to overcome--that is, he did not see his life as being about merely himself (dimension 1) and the situation (dimension 2). Instead, he was more influenced by his "great and awesome God" (dimension 3), which compelled him to be prayerful, confident, and vigilant.This week, we see that opposition is now coming from within the community. Members of the community were taking advantage of each other during the famine. Nehemiah overcomes this opposition in the same way. His conviction that God is present enables him to confront the issue. The reason why Nehemiah was enraged by this injustice is ultimately because of "the fear of our God" (Neh 5.9).Later in the chapter, Nehemiah discloses details about himself. Instead of taking advantage of others or taking things that rightfully belonged to him, he was sacrificial. Why? For the same reason: "because of the fear of God" (Neh 5.15). So we see both times that Nehemiah responds with this three-dimensional view of life. Because God is holy and is to be revered, we should treat each other fairly and generously.Some of us are also generous with our resources, but the question that this passage presents us is: why? Is it because of habit or because it's the right thing to do? If so, then that is only a two-dimensional view on life. Instead, our generosity must be motivated by the fact that God is holy and is therefore worthy of all our resources. For others who have not been generous, this passage challenges us to look beyond our situation and reminds us that our holy God is worthy of every sacrifice.Questions:1. We see in the life of Nehemiah (and many other examples in Scripture) that he is able to overcome many different issues by having a three-dimensional view of life. In what ways has growing in this view on life made an impact on the way that you live?2. What is the fear of God? Are there specific areas where the Spirit is challenging you to be more aware of the fear of the Lord?3. How would you assess your own generosity? And what specific aspects of God's character and promise can help you be more generous?a) I am generous, but not because of my conviction in God's character and promise.b) I am generous because of my conviction in God's character and promise.c) I struggle with generosity.d) Other: ___________4. Close your time by praying for Uptown. One specific prayer request is that internal oppositions, which are inevitable, will not have their way, but that the Lord will enable us to overcome them.
So far in the book of Nehemiah, we have already seen multiple instances of opposition when living in obedience to the Lord. But what is the essence of this opposition and what might it look like in our own context?
The opposition that Nehemiah faced was multiform and grew in frequency and intensity. The first sign of opposition was that the antagonists, Sanballat and Tobiah, were merely displeased (Neh 2.10). There wasn't much that Nehemiah noticed at the time. However, as God's purpose for Nehemiah grew, so did the opposition. Later in that chapter, Sanballat and Tobiah began to jeer and accuse/question Nehemiah's motives (2.19). When the building of the wall was progressing, Sanballat and Tobiah became even angrier and raised doubts that Nehemiah's efforts were futile (4.1-3). Later in that chapter, they became even angrier and tried to oppose Nehemiah's efforts through hostile force and confusion (4.7-8; see more in 6.1-14).
Similarly for us, when God is using us for his purposes, we will also experience opposition. While there might not be a Sanballat or Tobiah in our lives, the essence of opposition will be similar: it will grow in frequency and intensity as we are bringing greater glory to God, and the opposition will manifest in many forms (whether direct attack, subtle confusion, doubts/questions, discouraging narratives, etc.).
How do Nehemiah and the people of God counter these oppositions? It is with the same emphasis that God has been placing on our church community over the past year: with a three-dimensional view of life. Because Nehemiah was more influenced by the presence of God than the presence of opposition, his natural reaction was prayer. Notice how Nehemiah responds to each of the attacks in chapter 4:
"Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives." (4.4)
"And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night." (4.9)
Another implication of having a three-dimensional view on life was that Nehemiah did not fear the opposition: "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes" (4.14). Instead of being intimidated by the opposition, he focused more on God, who is great and awesome, and was therefore vigilant. As we continue to take steps toward glorifying the Lord, let us not be surprised at the multiform, frequent, and intense opposition that we will inevitably face. Instead, let us respond with a three-dimensional view that exudes prayer, confidence in the Lord, and vigilance.
Questions:
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Share about a time when you felt like there was opposition in your life from living in obedience and glorifying the Lord (whether in the past or current). Was the opposition more direct or subtle? More isolated or united? How did you respond and eventually overcome?
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We face opposition when we are living in obedience and glorifying the Lord. Although oppositions might be frustrating and even intimidating, why should we interpret them as signs of encouragement?
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In many of these sermons, we've been learning how prayers can be reactionary and honest, even if they do not sound very "holy" or "pious." We see yet another example of this in Nehemiah's first prayer (4.4). How has this aspect of prayer been helpful for you?
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In this passage, we see that a three-dimensional response to opposition enables us to pray, to have confidence, and to be vigilant. These are important for us to overcome opposition. What are some specific ways that this can help you respond better to future or current opposition?
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Passage: Nehemiah 2.11-3.32
Date: November 13, 2022
Have you ever been invested in a group before--whether it was a sports team, a musical band, or a team that was assigned a project? What was your motivation? For most people, the motivation is the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal or working together as a group. While these motivations can be helpful, Nehemiah and the people of God had a far greater motivation.
Nehemiah and the people of God faced a dismal situation. Not only were the walls of Jerusalem in ruins, but the people were weak, had very few resources., and lacked leadership. Nevertheless, the people found the motivation to rebuild Jerusalem not because of the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal or working together as a group, but because of the character of God. They refused to be a reproach (Neh 2.17), which means that they wanted the city and their well-being to reflect the holiness of God's character. Therefore, they were compelled to build the city of Jerusalem.
Moreover, there was much opposition from Sanballat and Tobiah (Neh 2.19). Despite the opposition, the people of God found the strength to persevere. However, their perseverance was not based on the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal or working together as a group. Rather, their perseverance was because of the involvement of God. It is because God's favor was upon them that they were able to overcome the opposition (Neh 2.18, 20).
Lastly, the people of God showed remarkable unity. This unity is remarkable because the people were quite diverse and had many reasons to be disunited (Neh 3.1-32). There were priests, goldsmiths, perfumers, temple servants, officials, and people of tainted backgrounds. Yet they all worked together in remarkable unison because their focus was on God.
For those of us who are in Christ, we too have a far greater motivation than the mere satisfaction of accomplishing a goal or working together as a group. Christ has saved us so that our lives can reflect the holiness of God and so that we can be recipients of God’s favor. In other words, our motivation is no longer based on temporary circumstances, but on the foundation of God’s character and promises. With this new motivation, God has called us to build his church. Let us build God's church with unity despite the difficulties and opposition because his favor is upon us and his holiness deserves our best efforts.
Questions:
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Have you ever been invested in a group before--whether it was a sports team, a musical band, or a team that was assigned a project? What was your motivation?
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In what ways have you seen (or are you seeing) the Lord work through a dismal situation, powerful opposition, or remarkable unity in your life and/or the Uptown covenant church community?
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What is your motivation for being a part of the Uptown covenant church community? Share about a time where your motivation was based on either the character and involvement of God or other things. How would you describe the difference?
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Many of the sermons have been exhorting a three-dimensional view on life rather than a two-dimensional view. What does this mean to you and what has your experience been like living with a three-dimensional view?
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One of the most fundamental ways to build the church is through prayer. Take some time to pray not only for this Life Group, but for the overall Uptown covenant church community. Praying through the announcements and for the leadership team are specific ways that you can pray (e.g., the New Hope 101 classes, Lunch on Us).
Date: October 30, 2022
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Date: October 23, 2022
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Date: October 16, 2022
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Date: October 9, 2022
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Date: October 2, 2022
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Passage: Amos
Date: September 25, 2022
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Passage:
Daniel 7:1-14
Date: September 18, 2022
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Passage: Daniel 1
Date: September 11, 2022
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Passage: Ezekiel 37.1-14
Date: September 4, 2022
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Soon after experiencing God's miraculous victory, Elijah is running for his life yet he desires to die out of sheer hopelessness. Moreover, Elijah continues to distort the truth by repeatedly claiming that he is the only prophet of the Lord (even though Obadiah explained to him that he himself is a prophet of the Lord and that he has saved 100 other prophets of the Lord). Elijah’s character flaws and sin that were hinted in previous chapters are fully exposed and we see Elijah, though one of the greatest prophets of God, as very self-centered.
Most of us do not notice these things about Elijah. We remember Elijah as a hero of faith who performed extraordinary things for God and his people, and we neglect the significance of the details found in 1 Kings 19. However, when we read Scripture carefully and with God (and not Elijah) as the main character, we see more clearly how Elijah's life points to our need for Jesus and his gospel.
The fact that God still chose to love and use Elijah, despite all his shortcomings, emphasizes God's grace. This grace culminates in the gospel of Jesus Christ and brings incredible hope for all of us. Many of us will experience seasons where our shortcomings, character flaws, and sin are exposed. Despite all of this, God's unwavering grace and love remain for those of us who place our trust in what Christ has done for us. Jesus's death has wiped away all of our sin and his resurrection guarantees that we will overcome all of our sin.
Not only does the life of Elijah allow us to appreciate the death and resurrection of Jesus more, it also brings to light the character of Jesus. Where Elijah struggled with fickleness, Jesus's trust in God was unwavering and steadfast; where Elijah focused on himself, Jesus sacrificially gave up his will for God's glory. The obedience of Jesus is truly remarkable! But what's even more amazing is how his obedience has been imputed onto us!
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How has this sermon series changed the way you see Elijah and God? Why do you think you did not notice these things before?
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In what ways can you relate with Elijah?
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In what ways are you more amazed by God?
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When reading Elijah's story with an understanding that God is the main character, we see more clearly how this story points not to how great Elijah is, but to God's grace and ultimately to Jesus Christ and his gospel. Which implications of Jesus and his gospel resonate with you the most, and why? The death of Jesus means that despite all of our shortcomings, character flaws, and sin, God's gentle love and patient grace for us will remain. The resurrection of Jesus means that his Spirit is working in our lives, so that we will overcome our shortcomings, character flaws, and sin. The obedience of Jesus (i.e., how his faith was not fickle like Elijah's, but steadfast; how he was not self-centred like Elijah, but committed to God's glory) has been imputed onto us. Other (explain in your own words how Elijah's life points to Jesus and his gospel, and how that resonates with you): ____________________
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Close your time by sharing what the Spirit might be placing on your heart through this passage, and pray for one another.
In the long-awaited showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, we see Elijah at the height of his boldness and faith. He stages a theatrical contest that not only puts Baal to shame, but that unequivocally proves that the God of Israel is the only God. As a result, all of the prophets of Baal have been defeated, king Ahab is no longer a threat to Elijah, and the drought is over!
As much as this account tells a good story, it also contains some key principles regarding our relationship with God. First, how did Elijah have such a bold and heroic faith? Thus far, we have not seen anything like this from Elijah. In previous passages, Elijah's faith was not only fickle but he also lacked this level of boldness.
Second, although this passage is one of the highlights of Elijah's ministry, we still see some of his character flaws. There are hints of him distorting reality and being arrogant. Subsequent passages further develop these hints to show us that Elijah is not the main character and how desperately we need the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Read 1 Kings 18.1-40 1. Share about a time in the past where God placed you in an uncomfortable season. In hindsight, how was God using that season to mature and disciple you to become more like Jesus Christ?
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In what ways do you think God might be strengthening your faith and trust in him during this time?
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Despite this passage containing one of the highlights of Elijah's ministry, we see hints of some of his character flaws. Despite these character flaws, God still used him and allowed him to experience this miraculous victory. Is it more encouraging or unsettling that God still loves you and allows you to experience victories even while you have character flaws?
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Share prayer requests with one another and close your time in prayer. Also pray that God will allow this Life Group (1) to trust in God during uncomfortable seasons and (2) to also grow in repentance during seasons of victory.
After three long years without any rain, Elijah and Ahab finally meet. In the eyes of Israel, Elijah (and God) have been the source of their problem, the enemies of Israel. The land has been devastated and the people have been suffering a severe famine.
During these years, both Israel and Elijah have developed a stronger sense of God's character and involvement. In the case of Elijah, he has continually been humbled and surprised by God's miraculous provisions—from being fed by ravens and a widow to resurrecting the son of the widow. Despite Elijah's fickle faith (as we saw in previous weeks), God has been patiently discipling him to become a prophet of God. He shows no fear in confronting Ahab.
Israel, on the other hand, has developed a stronger distrust in God. Rather than responding to the drought with repentance, they blame the prophet of God as the source of all their problems, calling him "the troubler of Israel" (1 Kings 178.17). They seek to kill all of the prophets of the Lord, while worshipping Baal. Because they distort God's character and involvement, they fail to repent and are not restored by God.
In our context, God is also working powerfully. Sometimes it's through difficulties like a long drought or sometimes it's through miracles like being fed by ravens. Through the varying circumstances, how are we perceiving God's character and involvement? Is he our God who is worthy of worship or a troubler who is not doing what we expect him to do? Are we growing in our trust or distrust in him? Sadly, we often see him as a troubler, which leads us to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Christ enables us to see God more accurately and because we are in Christ, God will never give up on his people despite our misperceptions of him.
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What is repentance and why is it so important in our relationship with God?
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How have you been led by the Spirit to repent over the past few months? In what ways have you experienced God's grace and love in a more meaningful way through repentance?
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Think back three years ago from today (maybe look at a picture that you took). What has grown more over the years: your trust or distrust in God?
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Which of these two truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ resonates with you more and why?
a) If you are in Christ, then your perception of God will become progressively more accurate thereby making your faith in him grow.
b) If you are in Christ, then he will never give up on you and will continue to work powerfully in your life so that your faith in him grows.
After the miraculous provision of ravens, God sends Elijah to an even more precarious situation. God commands him to go to Sidon, which is known for Baal worship. Moreover, God tells Elijah that he will be fed by a widow (at the time, widows were socially marginalized and had no resources to provide for themselves, let alone others). When Elijah meets the widow and asks for food, she says that she only has enough food for her and her son to have one final meal before their death. Yet, Elijah unashamedly insists that he be fed first! Even more surprising, the widow actually listens to Elijah!
Many, if not all, of us would have had tremendous doubts regarding God's commandment. We would not think it is wise to dwell in the enemy's territory. Nor would we have the audacity to ask a widow for food, especially when all she has left is one final meal for her and her son! So why would God make these questionable commandments to Elijah and the widow?
There are several reasons, some of which will help us make better sense of our lives and how God is working in us. First, trusting and obeying God is a fundamental way of glorifying and worshiping. Because God is so relational, our trust and obedience matter a lot to him, especially in situations where it is difficult. Glorifying and worshiping God has less to do with serving or singing songs, and more to do with trusting and obeying.
God has now proved his power and faithfulness to Elijah and the widow in miraculous ways. He has withheld the rain, fed Elijah through ravens, and multiplied the paltry amount of flour/oil for the widow. Despite experiencing these miracles, we see that the faith of Elijah and the widow is ultimately fickle. When the widow's son becomes ill, the widow immediately blames Elijah (1 Kings 17.18), upon which Elijah immediately blames God (1 Kings 17.20)!
How is it possible that after experiencing all of these extraordinary works of God, the widow and Elijah are so quick to blame God when difficulties arise? In many ways, this is a mirror to the way that we respond to our own difficulties. In our lives, God has staged one deliverance after another—the most significant being our salvation in Jesus Christ. Yet, we are also quick to blame God when we face challenges.
Despite the fickleness of our faith, God nonetheless listens to Elijah (and to us). Therefore this passage (like every other passage in Scripture) is ultimately about God. In the midst of our wavering trust, God is patient and loving. He even listens to our prayers and delivers us during our time of need. Our God sees us through the seasons and will always remain faithful to us.
When we think about God in this light, it is quite radical. In every other religion, worshippers strive to earn the trust of their deities. In Christianity, God strives to earn our trust! He places us in difficult situations in order to mature and increase our faith. Of course we falter countless times, just like the widow and Elijah, yet God is so faithful and loving throughout the entire process.
Read 1 Kings 17.17-24
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What surprises you more about this passage: (1) how quickly the widow and Elijah blame God or (2) how faithful and patient God is toward the widow and Elijah?
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One of the points from this passage is how fickle the faith of Elijah and the widow was. Despite all that they have experienced, they are so quick to turn against God. Yet God was still faithful to each of them, working in their lives with patience and love. In what ways do we see this dynamic in our own relationships with God?
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Read through 1 Kings 17.1-24 on your own and reflect upon what we have learned about God from his interactions with Elijah. In what ways do you see God earning Elijah's trust? Why is this so radical, especially compared to other religions? And how has God been striving to earn your trust in your own life?
After the miraculous provision of ravens, God sends Elijah to an even more precarious situation. God commands him to go to Sidon, which is known for Baal worship. Moreover, God tells Elijah that he will be fed by a widow (at the time, widows were socially marginalized and had no resources to provide for themselves, let alone others). When Elijah meets the widow and asks for food, she says that she only has enough food for her and her son to have one final meal before their death. Yet, Elijah unashamedly insists that he be fed first! Even more surprising, the widow actually listens to Elijah! Many, if not all, of us would have had tremendous doubts regarding God's commandment. We would not think it is wise to dwell in the enemy's territory. Nor would we have the audacity to ask a widow for food, especially when all she has left is one final meal for her and her son! So why would God make these questionable commandments to Elijah and the widow? There are several reasons, some of which will help us make better sense of our lives and how God is working in us. First, trusting and obeying God is a fundamental way of glorifying and worshiping. Because God is so relational, our trust and obedience matter a lot to him, especially in situations where it is difficult. Glorifying and worshiping God has less to do with serving or singing songs, and more to do with trusting and obeying. Second, we need to learn how to trust God's Word over circumstances. For Elijah and the widow, there were many circumstances for them not to trust God. In our context, we too face many circumstances. Whether these are external (e.g., busyness with work, stress from school, conflicts in relationships, etc.) or internal (e.g., our emotions, mood, doubts, anxieties, etc.), we need to learn how to trust and obey God's Word no matter what the circumstances are. Third, God needs to train and disciple us to have greater faith in him. As we will see in this sermon series, Elijah eventually becomes one of the greatest prophets, but he was not born that way. He needed to experience how to trust in God in smaller things before he was able to have the faith to trust in God in greater things. For us, God has blessed us with a season of answered prayers. We should enjoy and make the most of it. However, we should also recognize that God is training us to have more trust in this season so that we will have more faith to handle whatever challenges we face in the next season. Later in this sermon series, it will become clear that Elijah is not the exemplar of trusting and obeying God. He falters and we see that he was a man just like us. However, Elijah does point to the one who trusts and obeys God perfectly—Jesus Christ! Part of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that those of us who are in Christ are inevitably being shaped and conformed to become like Jesus Christ—ones who perfectly trust and obey God in all circumstances!
Known as the Beatitudes, this passage describes what it means to have a blessed life. Jesus addresses this teaching directly to his disciples and envisions the kind of life that they will live. As Luke writes further in the Book of Acts, the disciples, who are later called the apostles, live a life of poverty, hunger, sadness, and persecution. Yet, according to the Beatitudes, they live a blessed life. Many of the disciples had to leave their life of financial security, whether it was the lucrative job of tax collecting or the stability of being a fisherman. Being poor in the ancient Mediterranean was even more difficult than it is today; there were no societal virtues or values to help those who are poor. Instead they were largely ignored. We, too, can identify with the feeling of lack and vulnerability that the disciples experienced. However, just like the disciples, we can be assured that God will provide for us. Although the world will try to distort what it means to have a blessed life, according to Jesus, it is one where we find our provision in God. The apostles eventually experience much sadness and weeping, especially as the early Christians were being martyred and imprisoned (e.g., Acts 8.12; 12). This is another area where we can also identify with the apostles. Living with Christ entails seasons or moments of intense sadness. At Uptown, there are many people who are presently going through this. We should be encouraged that some of this sadness is because God is sharing his heart with us, burdening us to love those around us. Additionally, this passage reminds us that God is our comfort in the midst of our weeping. Lastly, the apostles are also persecuted and ridiculed (e.g., Acts 4). Jesus is saying that even in those moments, the apostles can rejoice because they will be rewarded by God (e.g., Acts 5.40-41). Similarly, some of us have expressed how we feel ostracized or alienated by our faith. This passage is reminding us not to feel sorry for ourselves; rather, we should rejoice and know that God will reward us. This passage correctly defines what it means to have a blessed life. Contrary to what many of us think, the truly blessed life is one where it finds its ultimate provision in God alone: those who are poor and hungry are truly blessed because God gladly gives them his glorious kingdom; those who weep are truly blessed because they are comforted by God; and those who are ridiculed and persecuted are truly blessed because they will be rewarded by God.
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A few months ago, we reflected upon what it meant to live a life filled with the Spirit (from Ephesians 5.15-21). It is essentially living a God-centered life where we edify others and honor God. Often times, we overlook this understanding of a Spirit-filled life because of our own selfishness.
This sermon, we will look at another aspect of being filled with the Spirit from Luke 4.1-13. Jesus was filled with the Spirit as he was being led to to the wilderness, fasting and being tempted for forty days. Despite all of the opposition, Jesus was still able to honor and obey God by holding fast to God's word.
There are many implications from this passage. One is that being filled with the Spirit sometimes means undergoing a season of discomfort and temptation. For many of us, we have experienced a similar season and this passage might be calling us to reinterpret what is going on in our lives. Rather than a season where God is distant, it could be a season where we are actually full of the Spirit.
Another implication is that the way Jesus was tempted is the same way that Satan usually tempts. Ever since Adam and Eve, Satan's most effective tactic is to distort God's word. In our own lives, Satan also tempts us by distorting God's word. The way we counter it is to hold fast to God's word.
Lastly, Jesus had to go through this period of temptation not for his own sake, but for our sake. The forty days of wilderness is a reflection of Israel's forty years of wandering. The temptation from Satan is also a reflection of the way that Adam and Eve fell. What Jesus's temptation implies is that Jesus is the new Adam and the new Israel. Prior to Christ, our identity was bound in Adam and Israel. We had no power or hope to overcome sin. Because we are now in Christ (and no longer in Adam or Israel), we can refute Satan's temptations even in the fact of our most vulnerable moments.
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Many of us have suffered the accumulated stress from this prolonged lockdown. Various studies have called this the "pandemic burnout." As work-life balance is even more difficult to achieve when working from home, especially as children are also at home for school, the majority of our society feels utterly worn out.
Recent events have also reminded us of the limitations of the human intellect. Many of our predictions have proven to be false. Even at a personal level, we continually make foolish decisions and regretful choices.
The weariness and stupidity of humanity is nothing new. Proverbs 30.1-4 make it clear that life can be marked by weariness and stupidity. But praise God that though we cannot trust in ourselves, the Word of God is reliable. God seeks to help those who trust in him.
What is so special about the Word of God? There are a few reasons, but the one that will be the focus of today is how the Word reveals to us the character of God and how he interacts with us. More specifically, we will reflect upon how God provisions are perfect: they are not too much (lest we forget him) and they are not too little (lest we covet).
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Many Christians are often confused about what our lives should be like. Because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have been made co-heirs with Christ so that all of God's riches now belong to us! On the other hand, because we are in Christ, we have been crucified to this world and our life is one of suffering.
This sermon will focus on the wealth of God. Proverbs 22 makes it clear that God is the one who is the source of all wealth. We also see this same truth emphasized throughout Scripture. Additionally, God is also the distributor of all wealth. He determines who the recipients of wealth are.
Those who are in Christ might not enjoy earthly riches. This is never guaranteed to Christians. However, because we are co-heirs with Christ, we are promised God's heavenly riches. Therefore, regardless of how wealthy we are on earth, we are actually heirs of God's infinite wealth! This should drastically change the way we pursue our desires, and how we see ourselves and those around us.
As much as we are heirs of God's wealth, Scripture also teaches us that we are heirs of suffering. This connection is explicit in Romans 8.17. Therefore, we should not be surprised or discouraged when we experience suffering in life because suffering is linked with wealth. On the other hand, we should not be consumed by any success or wealth that we enjoy on earth because as followers of Christ, we are called to suffer like our master.
Passage: Proverbs 13.20; Ecclesiastes 4.9-12; 1 Corinthians 1.25
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
This week's sermon will focus on friendship. Similar to societal values, Scripture emphasizes the importance of who your friends are. If your friends are wise, then you will likely become wise; if your friends are foolish, then you will likely become foolish.
I will share how the Spirit has been moving in our Uptown community in terms of friendship. In many ways, friendships in a church community might seem forced or awkward. Friendships that are outside of our church community might seem more organic or natural. However, friendships within a specific church community are crucial. Not only are these relationships expressions of being a part of the body of Christ, but they are different from our natural friendships with regard to commitment and purpose.
Finally, we will reflect upon these passages in light of the life of Jesus Christ. In earlier sermons, I emphasized that Jesus is both the fulfiller and empowerer of the Proverbs. In these passages, we see that Jesus in some ways subverts the Proverbs. Contrary to the Proverbs, Jesus spent much of his earthly life befriending fools. Eventually, Jesus was abandoned to be by himself without any friends. Of course, Jesus did not live this way in order to defy the Proverbs: this was just another suffering that he had to endure in order to save us and reconcile us back to God.
Passage: Proverbs 22.6, 15
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Historically, there have been many exaggerated shifts in what the parent-child relationship should look like. At one point, parents were regarded as authoritative figures; in turn, children were to be obedient. Then, at another point, parents were regarded as friends; in turn, children were to be treated as if they were already adults. Of course, both extremes are unhealthy and can cause many problems that eventually spill into society.
What does the gospel of Jesus Christ say about parent-child relationships? In this sermon, I will use what the Proverbs say about parenting as a window into God's heart for those who submit to and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
On the one hand, the Proverbs emphasize the authoritative role of parents. The language used can be seen as stringent by today's standards (Proverbs 22.6a, 15), although this language would have been the norm in the ancient Near East. On the other hand, Proverbs 22.6 uses surprising language that have puzzled today's commentators of the Bible.
I will explain this paradox by looking at how God (and Jesus) interact with humans. Certainly there is a sense of authority and hierarchy because he is God and is holy. At the same time, God is relational and intimate. The more we experience the range of the parental heart of God toward us, the more we are able to be wise in our own parent-child relationships. The more that we are led and filled by the Spirit, the more that we will be able to interact with love and wisdom with those around us.
Passage: Proverbs 5-7
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Contrary to a strong misunderstanding in current Christianity, especially among Protestants and particularly in Reformed traditions, discipline should be one of the hallmarks of a life of a Christian. It is true. Salvation is freely given by the Father, everything has been earned and secured by Christ, and all of our Christian life is empowered by the Spirit. For various reasons, Christians distort these blessings to rationalize a life that lacks discipline. They use the threat of legalism as an excuse to be negligent in their relationship with God. This, of course, is a paradox. We abuse the free gift of salvation as a license not to live a life of discipline when in reality it is because salvation has been given to us by God that we are called and enabled to live a life of discipline!
Proverbs 5-7 describes vividly what the path of folly is. One of the key characteristics of the foolish life is the lack of discipline (Proverbs 5.12-14, 23). Therefore, Proverbs exhorts people to treat the virtue of discipline with urgency (Proverbs 6.1-5) and to make every effort to foster a lifestyle of discipline (6.6-11). As we were reminded last week, because we are in Christ, we are now called and enabled to live a life of discipline!
This sermon will focus on four aspects of spiritual disciplines: (1) urgency, (2) baby steps, (3) our hypocrisy, and (4) lazy excuses.
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Last week, we were reminded that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. In order to live a life of wisdom, one must be dependent on God. But what does it mean to live a life that is fearing the Lord? This week, we gain more details on what this involves: we must seek the words of the Lord (Proverbs 2.1-5), remember and not forget God's teaching (3.1-4), depend on God instead of ourselves (3.5-7), and be attentive to the God's wisdom (4.1-4). The picture is an obedient child to his/her wise and loving father.
Indeed, it is a great privilege that God has invited us to have an intimate relationship with him. Yet we see that Israel, God's chosen people whom God regarded as his very own child, rebelled. Israel did not seek the Lord; Israel failed to remember God; Israel depended on its own understanding rather than God; and Israel was not attentive to the wisdom of the Lord. Israel, of course, is a spiritual mirror to all of us. In our own ways, we have also forsaken our relationship with God.
Israel also sets the stage for Jesus, who is the true Israel. Unlike Israel, Jesus continually sought after Father; he remembered and obeyed every one of the Father's commandments; he faithfully depended on the Father; and he was perfectly attentive to the Father's will. Jesus is the perfectly obedient Son of God. As much as Israel is a spiritual mirror to us, true Israel (i.e., Jesus) is the new identity and destiny for all those who believe in and submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ! The same fear and obedience that Jesus had for the Father have now been imputed unto us; and the same Spirit that empowered Jesus to live in perfect obedience will guarantee that all of us are progressively becoming more like Christ!
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
As we begin a new sermon series on wisdom, there are two fundamental truths about wisdom that need to be stressed.
First is that true wisdom and knowledge are obtained only through a fear of the Lord. This is repeated throughout Scripture (Proverbs 1.7; 9.10; 15.33; Job 28.28; Psalms 111.10). This kind of "fear" is not an unhealthy horror toward someone. Instead, it is a healthy reverence or awe. In other words, if one wants to gain true wisdom or knowledge, then s/he needs to depend on God.
Second, as valuable as wisdom is, it can also be an idol or a cause of sin. When we seek good things, like wisdom, outside of our relationship with God, then we are actually robbing God. To many, this might sound absurd. Therefore, it's important to remember that God is holy and the creator of all things. Everything belongs to him. A classic example of this is Adam and Eve. They sinned by eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet, it wasn't the fruit or knowledge that was sinful; rather, it was their desire to attain this knowledge outside of their relationship with God that was sinful. This is why Scripture repeatedly states: "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." True wisdom or knowledge can only be found in one's relationship with God.
Since God is the creator of all things and is worthy of all of our worship, this same principle applies for everything else in life. Everything is intended to be enjoyed by us only within the context of our relationship with God. Apart from Christ, we will always be like Adam and Eve: we constantly value the things of this world over our relationship with God. We will choose wisdom, knowledge, security, comfort, affirmation, success, etc. instead of God every time.
Praise God, however, that our identity is no longer in Adam and Eve. For those who believe in and submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ, our identity is now in Christ. Therefore, we now have the power to fear the Lord and value him over all things. Within the context of a reverential relationship with God that Christ has established for us, we can now enjoy things like wisdom.
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
The most important decision that anyone can ever make comes down to the question: was Jesus raised from the dead? There is so much at stake with this simple question, so it is only appropriate to explore this question as we celebrate Easter.
Paul also recognized the importance of the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus had not resurrected, then Christians should be the most pitied people of all. Therefore, Paul elaborates on the historical reliability of the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead three days later and appeared to more than 500 individuals!
In this sermon, I will outline the basic facts of Jesus's life and death that even secular/atheistic historians would agree: (1) Jesus of Nazareth existed, (2) this Jesus performed "miracles," (3) Jesus was crucified, and (4) Jesus's tomb was somehow empty.
Then I will offer 3 possible explanations for the empty tomb. The only explanation that makes the most sense in history is that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead.
If this is the case, then Paul elaborates that we will also experience the power of Jesus's resurrection! This means that for those who believe and submit to the gospel of Jesus, every aspect of their life and of this world will be fully redeemed! Equally important is that we get to live this resurrection life today!
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Many of us have a distorted understanding of this. We think that it means a life full of excitement, passion, and joy. Or a life that is full of the miracles of God. Or a life where circumstances suddenly turn favorable.
In this passage, we see that being filled with the Spirit is very different from our typical understanding. Being filled with the Spirit simply means that we can live like Christ in our everyday lives! Paul mentions three things: we live in obedience to God through our current calling, we live in thankfulness to God as we encourage others, and we live in reverence toward Christ as we submit to others. In all three of these points, the focus is simple: pleasing God through very ordinary means.
This sermon will therefore be a tremendous encouragement for us. Many of us feel trapped in our own Groundhog Day (i.e., a time loop where everyday feels the same). The gospel reminds us that even in the ordinariness of life, there are opportunities for us to honor and glorify God! The daily responsibilities and the relationships that God has given us are all opportunities for us to express worship to God that is meaningful!
However, this sermon will also challenge the way we look at the gospel. Many of us have a myopic understanding of what it means to live in Christ. We think that our lives should always feel extraordinary or supernatural. But this is both biblically inaccurate and grossly selfish. The Bible usually describes the Spirit-filled life as one that is simple and God-centered. Do we see the gospel in a self-centered way, being so focused on how God should benefit our lives? Or do we see the gospel in a God-centered way, being more focused on how God can be glorified and honored through our lives?
Passage: 1 Corinthians 12.4-31; 13.13
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Last week, we were reminded of how radical God's love is. On the one hand, God is perfect in holiness and cannot tolerate sin. On the other hand, we deserved nothing but his wrath because of our rebellion and defiance. Yet, God reached out to us in the most sacrificial and powerful way. He sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and his resurrection means, among other things, that we are united with him! We are not only forgiven of our sins, but we are now the body of Christ! God's radical and uniting love is what motivates and empowers us to love others in the same way.
This week, we'll focus more on the effects of God's love for us. Those who believe and submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ are now a part of his body, which is the church. In our church context, we can now experience true unity and love. The Spirit moves in our hearts so that we can love one another and experience the unity of God. Praise God that we have been experiencing these effects of the gospel in our Uptown community, especially during the pandemic!
However, Paul mentions that there is a structure to church communities (verse 28). At the foundational layer is the apostles, then prophets, and then teachers. The reason for this is because the apostles, prophets, and teachers were responsible for ensuring that the community focuses and is constantly reminded of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, as we celebrate the communal effects of the gospel, we must always be reminded that it's only because God has first loved us in such a radical and sacrificial way through Jesus that we are able to experience this love and unity with one another.
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
One of the recurring dangers that we've seen in these recent sermons is that we take God's Word and make it about ourselves or our relationships with other people. For example, when we think about the fruit of the Spirit--like love, joy, peace, kindness, etc.--we are tempted to focus on how we need to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, etc., without first considering God's love, joy, peace, and kindness.
This same danger applies as we focus on spiritual gifts, the unity of the church, and the need to love one another. Of course, God wants us to use our gifts, to be agents of unity, and to be expressions of his love so that we can edify others. But this is only possible because God has first loved us by uniting us to himself. Similar to what we saw last week, God's love is so radical: how could such a holy and eternal God unite us to himself when we are his own creation and are wickedly sinful before him? As we grow deeper in our appreciation for God's love and unity, we are then able to be used by God to edify others.
The sermon will focus on a passage from 1 Corinthians, which is a letter that Paul wrote to the church in the city of Corinth. Apparently, the church was very gifted; but there were also many problems of disunity and jealousy. Paul addresses this problem by reminding them that every gift and person of the church is important because the church represents Jesus's own body. Paul also reminds them that they are all united as Jesus's one body because of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, out of all of the exciting gifts that God has given them, the best gift is love.
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
So why exactly are things like love, joy, peace, goodness, etc. called "fruits of the Spirit?" There are at least two reasons.
The first is that "fruits of the Spirit" are contrasted with "works of the flesh." "Works of the flesh" means that we, apart from Christ, are working or striving for something with our own strength. But our efforts are futile, resulting in things like impurity, anger, jealousy, idolatry, conflict, etc. On the other hand, "fruits of the Spirit" means that things like love, joy, peace, and goodness are the results of the work of Christ. The works of Christ—namely, his suffering, death, resurrection, and presence—result in things like love, joy, etc.
The other reason why it's called "fruits of the Spirit" is because these are the fruits of Christ. So love, joy, peace, etc. are all reflections of who Jesus Christ is. He interacts with love, kindness, patience, etc. with those who believe and submit to his gospel. So when we think about love, patience, kindness, and gentleness (which are the focus of this week's sermon), we are not thinking of the love, patience, kindness, or gentleness of this world. Instead, we are thinking of Jesus's love, patience, kindness, and gentleness.
This is a very important difference! For example, the best love that the world has is one where it is fundamentally using people. We are all guilty of this. We love people only because it benefits us somehow. Sometimes the benefits are obvious, but other times they are internal and hidden. Even a mom's love for her child is partially out of her own benefit of fulfilling her maternal instinct.
In the sermon, I will preach how Jesus's love, patience, kindness, and gentleness are not only radically different than what this world can offer, but that what the world can offer are mere imitations of Jesus. Unlike the world, Jesus's love is utterly selfless. Nothing of his love benefitted him as it only benefited us. He did not need to love us. Moreover, the sacrifice and cost of his love are unparalleled to anything that this world could imagine. The creator suffered death for his own creation that was hell-bent toward rebelling against him.
The only way to respond to the love, patience, kindness, and gentleness of Jesus is worship. That is, we live with joy and peace, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. And we live with love, patience, kindness, and gentleness toward others. In short, our life is free from the works of the flesh and is instead marked by the fruits of the Spirit!
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Have you ever wondered how other religions or worldviews promote the same values as the gospel? Even outside of Christianity, people endorse love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, and other virtues. The gospel, however, presents a critical difference. In the gospel, these virtues are merely a result of what God has graciously initiated in our lives. Those outside of Christ, however, attempt to achieve these virtues based on their own abilities. They think that by their own efforts, they can be the cause of these virtues. The gospel, on the other hand, says that we are all hopelessly enslaved to our sinful nature. Left to ourselves we cannot live a life of love, joy, etc. But it is because of the undeserving and sacrificial love of Jesus that these virtues are now a part of our identity and destiny in Christ. Outside the gospel, people foolishly think that they can be the cause and produce their own results; in the gospel, God is the cause, and we get to enjoy the results.
This is why Paul emphasizes that we have been crucified in Christ and that we no longer live. We are pathetically incapable of living a life of these virtues because of our sin. Therefore, our sinful nature needs to die, which Christ accomplished through his death! And it is through his resurrection that he (not us!) lives in us. The life we now live is one of faith and where Jesus's Spirit reigns (Galatians 2.20; 5.24)!
Those who have submitted to the gospel of Jesus Christ can now live a life of love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, etc., which Paul calls the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5.16-24). "Fruits of the Spirit" is an apt way of describing this new life. We get to enjoy the results of what Jesus has done, which includes the presence of his very own Spirit! Therefore, we will progressively grow in love, joy, peace, goodness, etc.
In this week's sermon, we'll focus specifically on joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. It is absolutely foundational that we realize that these virtues or fruits of the Spirit are merely a result of what God has done in our lives. We are not the cause of any of this! Because we are now crucified with Christ and because his Spirit now lives in us, we have the ability to have joy and peace in all situations! Especially in this lockdown life where people are regressing into bad habits, we need the Spirit and his goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.
Passage: Acts 6.1-7
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
As we saw last week, the Holy Spirit is moving in a powerful way in both the book of Acts and even in our situation. But as the Spirit moves, there is always opposition. This week, we see that there is conflict within the church as the widows of the community were being neglected.
The solution is simple. The apostles delegated the task because they needed to focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word. So they had the community select 7 people who could serve the widows. The requirement was that these people had to be full of the Spirit.
One of the 7 people who were selected was Stephen. Stephen is notable because he is the first recorded martyr for the gospel of Jesus Christ. A prominent characteristic of Stephen was that he was full of the Spirit, and therefore full of wisdom as well.
In this sermon, I will explain why the apostles could not serve the widows themselves. The ministry of the Word and prayer were too important because these ministries are the most effective ways for the people to know the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I will also explain the importance of the Holy Spirit. More than any other quality, we need to be full of the Spirit because this gives us wisdom, power, and enables us to be intimate with Christ. It is somewhat odd that the filling of the Spirit would be required for a simple task like distributing food to widows. This just emphasizes the fact that we need the Spirit for everything.
Title: It's Personal (and Marital)
Passage: Acts 5.1-11
Date: February 14, 2021
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Acts 5.1-11 is one of the more uncomfortable passages of the Bible. We see two people, Ananias and Sapphira, die suddenly after being exposed of lying, causing much fear in the newborn church. In the sermon, I will explain the need of reading this passage in the context of what's happening in Acts. Although the context of Acts cannot be fully summarized here, it is important to recognize that this passage takes place at the earliest stage of the church. The Spirit is moving powerfully by unifying the church (Acts 4.32-37) and by performing many miracles (Acts 5.12-16). In this passage, we see the potential of something to undermine both the unity and the authenticity of the church through deceit and lies.
The sermon will also expound on some practical implications from this passage. Ananias and Sapphira's sin was that they lied to the Spirit. They sold their land and pretended to give all of the proceeds to the church (when in reality, they held some of the proceeds back for themselves). This lie was not very noticeable and was something that many of us can relate with. There is no requirement to give all of our proceeds to the church and in some ways, this act is financially prudent! From this, we learn how we can always rationalize sin. Sin might not be as obvious as theft or murder.
The second implication is how the Spirit takes our sin personally. Peter says that the lie is not primarily against the leaders of the church or even the church community. Instead, Peter says 3 times that the lie is against the Spirit himself (Acts 5.3, 4, 9). As I preached earlier, the Spirit is a person (who is also God). He is not some distant entity. Rather, he loves and cares for us intimately; conversely, our sin is a personal matter and can even grieve him (e.g., Ephesians 4.30).
The third implication is how much God is zealous for the church! The church is the bride of Christ, so God will do whatever it takes to make the church beautiful, spotless, and presentable to Christ! Notice that 2 times, the result of the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira is that fear came upon the church (Acts 5.5 and 11). God is calling the church to have a certain fear or reverence because he is with the church and cares deeply for it. Let us therefore love, serve, and pray for the church with the same zeal that God has, and with a sense of fear!
Passage: Acts 3.1-10
Date: February 7, 2021
Have you ever felt like you were stuck in an impossible situation? Not only did it feel like there was utterly no hope for you, but you knew that things would only get worse. Moreover, you knew that you did not deserve God's merciful involvement in your situation.
This is precisely how the lame man in Acts 3.1-10 felt. In fact, this person was lame from birth and would go out daily to the gate of the temple to beg for donations. Being lame from birth meant that this person or this person's parents did something evil to warrant such a tragic life. This meant that there was no reason to believe that God would extend his mercy toward him.
Yet the lame beggar encounters Peter and John who were on their way to pray at the hour of prayer--the ninth hour. With boldness, and even swagger, Peter and John command the beggar to look at them, to rise, and to walk! Based on verses 7-8, the beggar is not healed until Peter and John physically raise him up! Now being healed, the lame beggar "leaps" and praises God.
There are quite a few important points that we can learn from this miraculous account that I will explain in greater detail:
- God often waits for us to recognize how impossible our situation is and how undeserving we are of his grace before he delivers us.
- As followers of Christ, our focus should be on connecting with God, not chasing miracles. More specifically, God is calling us to pray with greater obedience.
- This passage must be understood within the context of Acts: God's movement is not based on miracles, but on Word and Spirit.
- This passage must also be understood within the context of Scripture: Acts 3.8 is a fulfillment of a promise prophesied centuries earlier in Isaiah 35.6.
Passage: Acts 1.8
Date: January 31, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
As we have been reflecting upon the overwhelming and undeserving gift of the Holy Spirit, many of us have been compelled to share this love from God with others. This is an appropriate and expected response. As we are filled with the love of God, we cannot help but to want to share it with others, especially those who do not know Jesus Christ.
This leads to the topic of evangelism. Even in our call to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit plays a prominent role. I will preach on the importance of the Holy Spirit based on Acts 1.8. The book of Acts describes how the gospel is eventually advanced in miraculous ways, but it was not because the disciples were incredibly gifted, theologically educated, or had social connections. Instead, they were quite ordinary people just like us. However, the gospel flourished because of the Holy Spirit.
In our situation, this emphasis on the Holy Spirit will be both a rebuke and an encouragement. It is a rebuke because our evangelistic effort and motivation are often rooted in ourselves. We rely on our experience or personality; or we think that we cannot be faithful witnesses of the gospel because we lack training or something else. Either way, we sorely underestimate the role, power, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
This emphasis will also be an encouragement. Regardless of how ineffective we feel about sharing the gospel, we can take comfort that it is not about us, but about what the Spirit can do. This should liberate us from putting unnecessary pressures on ourselves.
In the end, even our evangelistic effort and motivation need to be rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are utterly powerless to convince others and others are hopelessly lost in their sin. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we find the boldness to share the gospel and that others can be convicted to submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Praise God that he chooses to use ordinary people like us to usher salvation into the hearts who do not know Jesus Christ!
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
As we have alluded to throughout the year, salvation in Christ is thoroughly the work of God's grace. God is the one who initiates and completes what he began in us. This week's sermon will specify this more by focusing on some of the Holy Spirit's role in salvation. In particular, I will explain what theologians call regeneration, conversion, and adoption. I will also elaborate on the practical implications of these three aspects of salvation, with specific attention to what some of us are presently experiencing.
Regeneration is the awakening of our dead spirit. Apart from the work of God, all of us are spiritually dead. Even worse, we are foolish, disobedient, and slaves to various passions (Titus 3.3). In other words, we were absolutely offensive before God. Yet, it is out of God's loving kindness that he regenerates us through the Spirit (Titus 3.4-5). Part of the gospel is that there is no inherent good in us, but God nonetheless reaches out to us through the Spirit to awaken our dead spirits. This continues to provide tremendous encouragement for us today. Many of us might still feel like we are struggling with disobedience or living a life that is offensive before God. Regeneration reminds us that if God reached out to us while we were dead and absolutely offensive before him, then he will certainly continue to extend his grace to those who are now in Christ--even if we are experiencing a season where we feel distant from God.
Conversion is an implication of being awakened. We recognize that our ways are sinful and wrong, which leads us to repentance. Additionally, we recognize that our hope and our trust are not in ourselves, but are in what Christ has done for us. This mentality of repentance and trust is something that the Spirit cultivates in our lives. Even now, the Spirit is challenging us not to be so influenced by ourselves or our circumstances. Instead, the Spirit is reminding us and giving us the power to look to Christ for our joy and peace.
Adoption in the context of Titus 3 means that we are heirs of God, which is a result of the Spirit being poured out upon us (Titus 3.6-7). The Greek words emphasize that we gain an opulent inheritance. In this way, we--who were former slaves--are now co-heirs with Christ! We have been adopted into God's family! The inheritance means that we have been united with Christ, so we have been gifted with the mind of Christ, the work ethic of Christ, the ability to love and be patient--even to our enemies--like Christ. It also means that we will be glorified with Christ: we will receive imperishable bodies, judge the angels, and experience an eternal and perfect relationship with God!
There are other aspects of salvation beyond regeneration, conversion, and adoption that I will cover in subsequent sermons. But for now, there is plenty to absorb with these three. And they all reinforce the idea that salvation is completely a gracious work of God--thanks to the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the intimate work of the Holy Spirit in our lives!
Title: All Flesh and All the Time
Passage: Acts 2.14-24; Joel 2.28-32
Date: January 17, 2020
One of the questions from this past week is if we can ever lose the Holy Spirit. Does he live in those who submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ forever? The short answer is, the Holy Spirit will permanently be with all those who submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus himself says that the Spirit will always be with those who submit to his gospel (John 14.16; Matthew 28.20), even in our moments of weakness (Romans 8.26) since we have been sealed with the Spirit until we see God face to face (Ephesians 1.13-14).
However, this wasn't always the case! During this sermon, I will explain who the Holy Spirit is and how he interacted with humans before Jesus Christ (i.e., the Old Testament). There are significant differences between the Old and New Testaments, which will give us a greater appreciation of how the Holy Spirit is interacting in those of us who now submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I will first go over the similarities between the Old and New Testaments. The Holy Spirit existed before creation. He is God after all. The Spirit is also involved in sustaining life and the universe. Thus, the origin and maintenance of all of the universe are dependent upon the Spirit!
Second, I will talk about some important differences. The Spirit was involved in rescuing, delivering, and rescuing the people of God. He does this among the lives of various judges, kings, prophets, and others. However, his presence in these individuals was not permanent and it was given to only certain people.
This then brings us to one of the most important promises in the Bible, which is recorded in Joel 2.28-32. This promise means that one day, the Holy Spirit will be upon all people. Not just people who seem important, but both men and women, the old and young, and even upon servants/slaves. And not only on all people, but the Spirit's presence will be permanent.
We later learn that this promise has been fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter quotes the promise of Joel 2 in Acts 2.14-24. This means that the Holy Spirit, who is the creator and sustainer of this universe, now dwells permanently in every single person who submits to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unlike the Old Testament, this promise is not just for important people and it is not just temporary!
Title: Is There Something or Someone Better than Jesus?
Passage: John 15.26; 16.5-15
Date: 10 Jan 2021
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
What comes to mind when you think of the Holy Spirit? Is it a distant or impersonal force that helps you in your time of need? Is it what enables intense experiences, such as unexplainable healing or euphoric moments with God? Or perhaps you associate it with divine dreams, visions, or messages? As we begin our sermon series on the Holy Spirit, we will correct misunderstandings of who he is and explore how the Bible describes him.
First, the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a he. He is a person, and is actually intensely relational and intimate. This is evident in the way Jesus describes him: an advocate or intercessor who comforts and guides.
Second, the presence of the Spirit in our lives is better than having been with Jesus during his earthly life. This might surprise some of us as many of us wish that we could have lived with Jesus during his earthly life. But Jesus himself says that it is to our advantage that he goes away so that we can gain the Spirit (John 15.7).
Both of these points can be illustrated by surveying how the Bible in general describes the Spirit. He has enabled his people to accomplish specific tasks ever since the Old Testament (e.g., Joseph and David) and was enabling Jesus during every part of his earthly life--from his conception all to way to his ascension.
The most crucial point about the Holy Spirit is his primary purpose. As Jesus himself says, the Spirit will bear witness about Jesus (John 15.26), convict the world about Jesus (John 16.8-11), and glorify Jesus (John 16.14). In short, the Holy Spirit seeks to magnify Christ. He does this in our world and lives in a personal and relational way, especially by convicting us of our sin and bringing to light the glories of who Christ is.
Title: The 5 Ws of Worship
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18; Philippians 4.10-13
Date: December 27, 2020
Sermon on Psalm 138:
https://youtu.be/lNXfV-zWpdw
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sJs...
Sermon on 2D to 3D:
https://youtu.be/8uaEQAwHnR4
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Km2...
Problems are inevitable in life. Even our secular society understands this. In fact, many of us might be experiencing difficulties during this present season—whether it is stressful relationships or feeling stuck in a trying situation. The most important question during these times is not how we can solve our difficulties. Rather, it is: "who is Jesus?"
Because of the effects of sin, we fail to see Jesus properly even though he is very relevant and involved in every situation of our lives. Instead, we become fixated on individual circumstances. However, praise God for the gospel of Jesus Christ! Because of our union with Christ that has been accomplished by his death and resurrection, we can now live in Christ—every circumstance of our lives is a window into seeing Jesus!
This is exemplified in the life and writings of Paul. Paul urges us to rejoice, to pray, and to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5.16-18). This is possible because this is God's will (i.e., his desire or intention) for us now that we are united with Christ! Elsewhere, Paul writes about how he has learned to be content in all circumstances because he is now in Christ (Philippians 4.10-13).
Paul was able to live this life not because he was an exceptional person. Instead, it is because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is at work in our lives as well. All those who have been united with Christ can now live this kind of life where we are able to rejoice, pray, give thanks, and be content in every situation. In other words, this is a life of worship, where we are able to recognize, submit to, and celebrate God's character and involvement. This is God's will for us; and what God intends and desires, God will accomplish!
Title: The Awesome Names of Jesus Christ
Passage: Isaiah 9.1-7
Date: December 20, 2020
Related to the sermon from last week, we often have a narrow understanding of who Jesus is. Some of us view Jesus as simply a healer, a faithful friend, or a good teacher. In this sermon, we reflect upon the four names given by Isaiah's prophecy: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. As we reflect upon these names, we must be reminded that the one with these awesome names: (1) was given to us; (2) died on our behalf; and (3) and is our new identity and destiny.
As the Wonderful Counselor, Jesus's wisdom and plans are truly wonderful. That is, his counsel leads us to awe and wonder, and is far greater than we can possibly conceive. Later in Isaiah 55.8-9, we learn that God's thoughts and ways are higher than our own. Jesus as our counselor means that he has a perfect and unstoppable plan for this entire universe. Not only that, but Jesus as our counselor means that he is also intimate with us. A counselor in biblical times is a trusted and personal advisor (e.g., Ps 32.8). So although Jesus is the master counselor of this entire universe, he is also incredibly intimate in counseling our individual lives!
Jesus as Mighty God means that he is strong, powerful, and imposing. "Mighty" is often used to describe a very capable warrior, who is also awesome and great. In our modern context, the word would be used for the most formidable and daunting figures. The physique of Jesus's first coming was very ordinary because of his humility. However, in his glorified state, he is truly mighty. It is this Jesus who has fought for us, is fighting for us, and will deliver the final blow to Satan and our sin upon his return.
Jesus is also our Everlasting Father. During ancient times, one's life was extremely fragile. Many people died prematurely and were unable to live a full life. Also during ancient times, the role of the father was extremely important. Without a father, widows and orphans were cast aside in society without any sense of hope or future. Jesus, however, is everlasting. He has always existed and will forever be our father. This means that we will always have security and hope.
Lastly, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The Hebrew word for Prince has military connotations, e.g., a chief, ruler, captain, or official. This therefore relates to Jesus being King and Mighty God. Jesus fights the ultimate war against our sin and Satan in order to provide true peace. In the context of Isaiah, peace means absolute harmony. First, it is peace with God: God is rightfully wrathful toward our sin and we are therefore his enemies; but because of Jesus's work, there is now peace between us and God. Second, it is peace with the rest of creation: throughout Isaiah, there are powerful images of war and hostility forever ceasing (2.4); a wolf being tender toward a lamb, a child playing with a cobra (11.6-9).
Jesus is so much more than a friend, teacher, or healer. He is truly awesome and even these four names do not do full justice. Yet, this awesome Jesus has been given to us! Moreover, this awesome Jesus died for us! And this awesome Jesus is now our identity and destiny: all of the attributes described above are now part of our identity and growing into these attributes is now our destiny!
Title: Distorting the Kingship of Jesus Christ
Passage: Isaiah 9.1-7
Date: December 13, 2020
In this sermon of the Advent series, we will focus on one of the primary purposes of Jesus's coming. Jesus came to rescue us so that we can live under his kingship. Many of us have been taught that Jesus is the true king. However, many of us have a skewed understanding of what Jesus's kingship means. This also leads to a skewed understanding of salvation and of the gospel.
Our skewed understanding is very similar to the misguided expectations of the people of Israel. God, through Isaiah, promises that Jesus will be Israel's king. Jesus will destroy Israel's oppressors and establish an everlasting kingdom. The people of Israel understood these promises primarily from an economic or a military perspective since they were focused more on their circumstances (i.e., living in need and under the oppression and captivity of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and eventually the Romans).
We too place too much focus on our circumstances. Therefore, our desires for Jesus's kingship and salvation are also misguided: his kingship often means that our prayers and desires will be granted so that we live a comfortable or predictable life; his salvation often means that our life is filled with success or meaning. But the kingship and salvation of Jesus Christ are so much more than a life of comfort, predictability, success, or meaning!
In this passage, Jesus's kingship is not set to destroy military opposition, to grant us a satisfactory life, or to address any other circumstantial influence that is of secondary importance. Rather, the primary purpose of Jesus's kingship is to destroy our sin. He achieves this by being born as a vulnerable infant, living the perfect life of obedience to God, dying for the penalties of our sin, resurrecting to give us the power to live a life of worship, and returning to complete fully this gift of salvation.
This passage therefore reminds and challenges us to focus on the primary essence of the kingship and salvation of Jesus Christ. He came to destroy our sin so that we can live a life of worship unto God.
Title: The God of Darkness
Passage: Isaiah 9.1-7
Date: December 6, 2020
How do you typically respond to difficult circumstances? Do you preoccupy yourself so that you don't have to deal with them? Or maybe you misinterpret them as God being absent or distant in your life? As we begin our advent sermon series on Isaiah 9.1-7, we learn that God is the one who brings these difficult situations in our lives.
Isaiah 9.1-7 is a promise of Jesus Christ foretold centuries before his birth. Although it is a promise of joy and celebration, it is preceded by a period of darkness. God is the one who has brought about anguish, contempt, and deep darkness. He does this for a variety of reasons. For the purpose of this sermon, we will focus on two reasons. First, it is a consequence of humanity's sinful rebellion against God. But second, so that we can better appreciate Jesus Christ in our lives. We see the glory and light of Jesus Christ much more clearly when they are in stark contrast to our darkness. This sermon will therefore encourage us not to respond to difficult circumstances according to our sinful tendency; rather, we should embrace even difficulties since they have been orchestrated by God so that we can appreciate Jesus Christ more in our lives!
More specifically, Jesus Christ entered into our darkness. He emptied himself of his glory so that he can become like his own creation with the ultimate purpose to die for our sins. Jesus not only entered into our darkness, but he became dark on our behalf: in some ways he became sin, bearing the full wrath of God that was intended for us! This is what Isaiah refers to when he speaks of the glory and the great light that Jesus shares with us.
The sermon will conclude with some practical ways that we can respond to this great promise of Jesus Christ by offering specific ways that we can repent, trust, and reflect upon Jesus in our everyday lives.
Title: Saint or Sinner or Both?
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 5.12-28 (esp. 5.22-24)
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Sermon on Psalm 8: https://youtu.be/PRv6066XNU0
The 5 Basic Food Groups of the Gospel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
For the last sermon of the 1 Thessalonians series, we will focus on the tension that all Christians experience: are we sinners or saints? Indeed, our identity is rooted in Christ, but Scripture continually describes us as both sinners who need to combat sin and saints who have been saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This tension is deeply practical as many of us have experienced the conflict of being both a sinner and a saint in Christ. What principles has Scripture offered in helping us to make sense of all of this? As we explore this tension, we will gain a deeper appreciation for Jesus Christ! We will reflect upon three questions: what is the ultimate problem in life? What is the ultimate solution? And when does this solution take place?
(1) The ultimate problem in life is sin. Sin is our tendency to suppress, distort, or reject God's character or involvement in our lives. Because God is the source of true life, joy, wisdom, and love, cutting ourselves from him impacts every aspect of our existence. Theologians call this the "total depravity of sin." Moreover, sin is deeply offensive to God who is perfect in holiness, so we are objects of his wrath. Sin is the ultimate problem and its impact knows no bounds. For this sermon, we will look at three roles that sin can have: a judge, a master, and an influence.
(2) The ultimate solution is what Jesus Christ has done, is currently doing, and will do on our behalf. He has died for us so that we can be forgiven of the offense of our sin: sin no longer has the final say in our lives and has ceased to be our judge! Christ also resurrected from the grave so that we can now live by his Spirit: sin no longer has total control over our lives and has ceased to be our master! And Christ will return and make us fully conformed to himself: sin will no longer have a strong influence in our lives (theologians call this "indwelling sin"). Both our identity and destiny are rooted in Christ!
(3) So when does this solution take place in our lives? On the one hand, Paul understands that we are still sinners as he warns us to "abstain from every form of evil" (v. 22). On the other hand, Paul says that our sanctification or salvation is secure because God will accomplish it (vv. 23-24). Many of us can relate to this tension. We celebrate the efficacy of what Christ has accomplished for us, but there are moments where we are still devastated by the impact of sin. Theologians refer to this tension as "already, not yet": Christ has already secured our salvation and the future promises are all guaranteed because God is true to his word; yet all of these blessings are not yet fully lived out in our lives until his return.
These three understandings--(1) sin and its impact; (2) the death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ; and (3) the "already, not yet" tension--can help us make sense of what Paul is describing in 1 Thessalonians (esp. 5.22-24). More importantly, these understandings also help to interpret how the gospel of Jesus Christ is being lived out in our own lives, particularly in our struggles!
Title: Sermons: Soapboxes or TED Talks?
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Paul concludes 1 Thessalonians with a series of exhortations. Some of these might seem random or disconnected, so we will expand on them over the course of two or three sermons. This week's sermon will focus on the importance of sermons. Why do we devote so much of our worship service to sermons? Especially in our current context where any talk that goes longer than 10 minutes can be a struggle and where there is such a plurality of opinions, sermons might seem archaic and narrow-minded.
In this passage, we learn two things about the preaching of the gospel. First, it is intended to "admonish" (v. 12). The Greek word means that it should rebuke, warn, advise, chastise, or put in mind, but it is in the context of love and for the welfare of the other person (e.g., 1 Cor 4.14). We must ask ourselves, how have we been rebuked, warned, advised, chastised, or had certain things put in our mind as we think about this sermon series? In what ways has it been correcting or reorienting the way that we think and live? And through this, are we interpreting this as an expression of God's love for us?
The other aspect of the preaching of the Word is the urgency of it (v. 27). Paul makes them swear that they read the letter because it represents the Word of God and not just the opinions of Paul (2.13; 4.8). Moreover, without the Word of God, we would be utterly lost: we would have a very vague understanding on what the gospel is, the specifics of God’s character and how he is involved in our lives, and how to interpret the chaos in this world. Do we regard the preaching of the Word as God's voice or just the opinions of some human? In what ways have we heard the voice of God, especially during this sermon series?
As we can see, sermons are important because they have been mandated by God himself and they represent the most important way in which he lovingly communicates to us. This is why Paul tells the Thessalonians to respect those who are responsible for the preaching of the Word (v. 12). These are the ones who labor (i.e., to tire oneself or to grow weary). In the immediate context, Paul is thinking of the pastors and teachers of a local church community. But here, I want to shift our attention ultimately to Jesus Christ. He is the one who has truly tired himself so that he can teach us the Word. When his disciples were exhausted, Jesus is the one who persisted in teaching the masses. Jesus expended his own blood, sweat, and tears in order to deliver us the true Word.
Title: Walk This Way?
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
As we approach the final chapter of 1 Thessalonians, we will begin the sermon reflecting upon some of the key blessings from the letter: (1) the reality that not only is God incredibly gracious and loving by sending his one and only Son to die for us, but even our ability to respond and believe in this is by God's grace (1.2-10); (2) because we are in Christ, God's heart toward us is like a parent who longs for his children (2.7, 11); (3) God is the one who will guarantee that all those who are in Christ will abound in love and grow in holiness (3.11-4.12); and (4) because we are in Christ, we have hope that we will be glorified on the day of resurrection, which gives us assurance even as we experience our daily struggles (4.13-18)!
This week, we will focus once again on having an eternal perspective. Last week, the emphasis was that an eternal perspective can give us assurance and hope as we experience our everyday struggles. However, this week, the specific point is that an eternal perspective should cause us to have a sense of urgency in the way that we live our lives. It is because Jesus's return is imminent and unexpected (5.2-3) that we should live with a sense of purpose (5.6-7). This teaching should challenge us to think about the way we live our lives, particularly how we use the resource of time, money, and passion. Additionally, it should lead us to be vigilant in living a life of faith, love, and hope (5.8).
All of this should lead us to repent since oftentimes, we are not living with this sense of purpose, urgency, faith, love, or hope. While we do this, however, we should also appreciate how our ability to live rightly is once again based on God's grace! It is only because our identity has been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ (5.5, 8) and because God has destined us to be in Christ (5.9-10) that we will progressively live rightly. I will flesh this out some more by illustrating how Christ is the ultimate example of living a life of purpose, urgency, faith, love, and hope. But Christ is not merely an example. He lived like this in order for his perfect life to be attributed to us! Thus, the way that Christ lived has been imputed into us, while his Spirit is gradually conforming us so that his lifestyle is a reality in our own lives!
Title: Jesus’s Death: the Death to All Deaths
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
In this week's passage, Paul addresses one of the primary concerns of the Thessalonians. The Thessalonians were grieving because they were unsure of what happened to those who passed away. Will they somehow be neglected when Jesus returns?
Paul addresses this concern by emphasizing two things. First, no matter what happens in life, there is a future hope. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ have not only brought death to all deaths (v. 14), but his return guarantees us that all of us will experience the final resurrection (v. 17). Moreover, it is at his return where we experience the final victory over sin (v. 16).
Second, no matter what happens in life, there is present encouragement. No matter what the situation is, all those who submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ have now been united with Christ (vv. 16-17)! One of the blessings of our union with Christ is that our destiny has been guaranteed, which, through the power of the Holy Spirit, should enable us to put our everyday struggles into their proper perspective.
Certainly death causes all of us to mourn. This is appropriate. However, unlike the Thessalonians, many of us, especially those who grew up in the church, already know that our hope is secure even after death. Thus, the sermon will focus more on the everyday implications of the title of the sermon: Jesus's death has now brought death to all deaths! How should an eternal perspective change the way we live today?
Title: Who Did That Painting?
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 4.1-12
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Last week, one of you raised a wonderful question that we were unable to answer, but which is the topic of today's passage. How do we know if we are relying on ourselves or on God? How are we to maintain the balance of being responsible, and yet rely on God? These questions are supremely important not only for the Christian but even for the broader secular society. With the prevalence of evolutionary theory during this new scientific age, many are wondering if free will is a mere illusion.
We reflect upon some of these questions through Paul's instructions on sexual immorality and love. Although Paul's instructions are practical and can be seen as commands that we fulfill with our own abilities, they are actually grounded in God's will and promise (vv. 3, 7). It is only because the Thessalonians are "in the Lord" (v. 1) and have the Spirit (v. 8) that they are able to follow these instructions (see also 3.11-13 and 5.23-24).
In other words, without the gospel of Jesus Christ, we would still be dead in our evil ways. We would be utterly incapable of living sexually moral and loving lives. With the gospel, God has replaced our sinful heart; he has given us his very own Spirit. Thus, every single baby step that we take to become more like Christ is because his Spirit is working in us. Therefore, there is no distinction between being a responsible Christian and relying on God. We can only be responsible because of his Spirit. I will illustrate this with Question #75 from the Larger Westminster Catechism (printed below) as well as some modern-day analogies (e.g., Venn diagram, cleaning the room, and the Mamba mentality).
In the latter part of the sermon, we will then deal with some of the practical implications of being sexually pure and loving. This portion of the text is actually very encouraging to us. Although the Thessalonians were in some ways model Christians, they were struggling with some shameful sins. Their sexual immorality was not just private, but it actually affected their fellow brothers and sisters (v. 6). They were most likely lazy and taking advantage of others (v. 12). We can take great encouragement to know that even though we might also be struggling with shameful sins, God is not done with us! He will not only conform us to become ideal believers like the Thessalonians, but he will conform us (as we saw last week) to become the beautiful bride of Christ. In fact, we are being conformed to the image of Christ himself! Let's focus on the painter and not the painting!
Title: The Author and Perfecter
Passage. 1 Thessalonians 3:11-3:13
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Many times in our walks with Jesus, we wonder what we need to do in order to grow? How can we become more loving? How can we become more blameless and holy? There are certainly moments when these questions are helpful, but only insofar as we remember an answer to a far more important question? Who is the one ultimately responsible for our growth? God is!
That God is the one who is ultimately responsible for our growth can be seen in Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians. Although they are experiencing persecution, struggling with a vulnerable faith, being tempted with sexual immorality and a lack of love, and other problems, Paul knows that it is ultimately God who will conform the Thessalonians into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
For the purpose of the sermon, we will focus on the two things that Paul prays for: (1) that God will make the Thessalonians grow in love and (2) that God will make them blameless in holiness.
(1) One of the remarkable ways that God has been moving in our Uptown community is by sending individuals who have broken pasts that have been marred by sin. None of us are inherently loving people. But it is because of what God has done in our lives that God has enabled us to grow in love as both individuals and as an Uptown community.
(2) Holiness (from hagiōsýnē) is one of the required characteristics that God looks for among his people. In the New Testament, the people of God are frequently called "the holy ones" (usually translated as "saints" from hágios). At first, this might sound intimidating for many of us who struggle with holiness. However, the New Testament also frequently mentions that it is God who is the one who makes us holy (usually translated as "to sanctify" from hagiázō).
The point is that in all areas of Christian growth, it is God who is the one who promises us to become more like Christ! As we saw earlier, not only is it by God's grace that our faith has been born (i.e., Jesus had to die and resurrect, and the Holy Spirit had to enable us to believe and submit), but it is also only by God's grace that we grow in this faith. When will this promise be fulfilled? Paul mentions that it will be fulfilled at the return of Christ (v. 13), which is elsewhere described as a wedding celebration (e.g., Revelation 21). The point is that the Father is so committed to glorifying his Son that it is guaranteed that the Spirit will beautify his bride (i.e., the church) for the ultimate wedding!
Questions:
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Share about a moment where you experienced genuine growth in your relationship with Jesus Christ. What role did God play in that experience? Would you have been able to grow apart from the role that God played during that experience?
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Reflect upon the following two truths from the sermon:
Not only is it by God's grace that our faith has been born (i.e., Jesus had to die and resurrect, and the Holy Spirit had to enable us to believe and submit), but it is also only by God's grace that we grow in this faith.
The Father is so committed to glorifying his Son that it is guaranteed that the Spirit will beautify his bride (i.e., the church) for the ultimate wedding! What are some ways that we distort these truths? How can these truths be a helpful reminder for you during this season?
Passage 1 Thess 2.17-3.10
Title: Being Torn and Prayerful
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
I remember when my first-born, Jude, was dropped off at daycare for the first time. A part of me was overwhelmed with anxiety because I thought that Jude was going into daycare too early. Maybe his immune system wasn't strong enough? Maybe he is at the point of separation anxiety so he won't be able to adjust? As much as we tried to prepare him for the big transition, he could not stop wailing the moment that I tried to drop him off. He would not let go and I have never heard him cry so loudly or desperately. Yet I know that the right thing for me to do was for me to walk away. Through that first day, I could not stop thinking about how Jude was adjusting. Fortunately, my office was just across the street from the daycare center, so at every opportunity, I would walk over and try to see him from the window.
In order for us to understand today's passage, we must realize that Paul had a very similar heart toward the Thessalonians. He too felt like he left the Thessalonians prematurely and he made every effort to see them. This is in large part because Paul was deeply concerned that the Thessalonians would not be able to adjust to the new life of the gospel. What we see in Paul is not merely a heart of a parent, missionary, or a pastor. Instead, we see Paul expressing the heart that God has for all those who submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel means that God has rendered us--who were once enemies--into his beloved children that he deeply loves, even more than the love that parents have for their own children!
The sermon will focus on an important biblical principle that we often forget: all Christians struggle with a vulnerable faith and trust in God. We see this not only in the Thessalonians, but throughout Scripture in the examples of even the most positive examples (e.g., Abraham, Moses, David, etc.). This is incredibly relevant for us because many times we feel like God is distant or we distance ourselves when we realize how fragile our faith is. We get disappointed and become self-centered—shutting God out. This passage instead reminds us that struggling with a fragile faith is part of the way we conform to the likeness of Christ. Instead of being ashamed or discouraged, we should recognize that God is actually very present in our life and using the moment of fragility to mature us.
As it turns out, Paul does get a report on the Thessalonians, and it is very positive! This provides Paul much comfort, thanksgiving, joy, and encouragement; it also compels him to pray for the Thessalonians with even more urgency. Witnessing others struggle and yet overcome periods of vulnerability has the same effect on us as well. As we enter another year of small groups where we share our failures and victories together, may we also experience the same kind of comfort, thanksgiving, joy, and encouragement; and may the Holy Spirit also compel us to pray for one another with greater urgency.
Questions:
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Because you are in Christ, what are God's disposition and attitude toward you based on this passage? Why is it a struggle for us to remember or live like this in our everyday lives?
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In what ways do you need to recognize that part of walking with Jesus faithfully is to struggle with our vulnerable faith and trust in him? How can this provide comfort and encouragement for you?
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Share about a time where you witnessed someone struggle and overcome a period of fragility. In what ways did this encourage you? In what ways did this give you a greater urgency to depend on God?
Title: The Reliability of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Passage. 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Title: Make Me an Offer I Cannot IGNORE
Passage: 1 Thessalonians 1
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Passage: Jeremiah 29
Title: 70 Years of Pandemic to… Prosper Us?
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Title: The Gospel as Heart Repair or Heart Transplant?
Passage: Ezekiel 36:22-32
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Title: Because of His Name
Passage: Psalm 138
It is unbelievable that August is already coming to an end. For many of us, September will present many new and challenging changes to our lives. Despite the pending uncertainties, we are reminded in Psalm 138 that we can nevertheless place our hope in God. Our hope is not based on circumstances, but based on the fact that God is committed to exalting his name. Therefore, he will continue to show his steadfast love toward those who are humble and needy.
David praises God for what might seem to be an unusual reason. David does not praise God for answered prayers or victories. Instead, David praises God because God will exalt God's own name (v. 2). The reason why David praises God for this specific reason is that if God is true to his own name, then it means that he will continue to show his steadfast love and faithfulness to us no matter what. God's commitment toward us is not based on how good or holy we are; rather his commitment toward us is based on his own character, reputation, or name. Therefore, there is tremendous comfort and security that God interacts in our lives based on his unchanging character rather than based on us or circumstances. In fact, God loves us despite who we are. As it says clearly in verses 3 and 6, we are lowly and needy; yet God shows us his grace by loving and providing for us. This undeserving love from God is most powerfully exemplified through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
What does this mean for our situation? We can experience an unshakable reassurance and security because (1) God's hand is powerful enough to deliver us in the time of trouble; (2) our lives will transpire according to his perfect purpose; and (3) his disposition toward us will always be a committed love and a sense of pride over his own work (vv. 7-8).
Title: Living the Cursed Life
Passage: Psalm 90
One of the lessons that I need periodically to remind my young children is how different I am to them. They often take my playfulness for granted, and if I do not remind them that I am ultimately their father (and not merely a friend), then it will damage our relationship and even their own well-being. For instance, when they look at their baby pictures and videos, they are always uncomfortable at how they see themselves. But they are also comforted by the fact that I was their father all along. That I was still playing and loving them throughout these years. In these moments, my children become that much more appreciative of our relationship, and their obedience becomes more joyful and immediate.
In the same way, one of the repeated emphases of Scripture that we do not normally live out is the jarring gap between God and us humans. On the one hand, God is unchanging in his faithfulness (vv. 1-2); on the other hand, our very existence is as temporal as the dust from which we came (v. 3). On the one hand, a thousand years is only a transient moment in "time" for God (v. 4); on the other hand, we cannot even conceive the longevity of a thousand years. We unfortunately take God's intimacy as an excuse to neglect how he is utterly superior to us in essence.
More importantly, however, is how God is also superior to us in virtue and righteousness. On the one hand, God is absolutely holy and has the right to judge all things because he is the creator; on the other hand, we are perpetual sinners—constantly rejecting, suppressing, or distorting his character and involvement in our lives (vv. 7-9, 11). It is for this reason that God has afflicted our existence: our lives are now marked by toil and trouble (v. 10, 15). In other words, we are living the cursed life.
The psalm therefore concludes by urging us to place all of our dependence on God (vv. 12-17). Though he has the right to judge us, he is also a God who is loving, and he desires to pour out his grace and mercy upon those who are humble. We see this undeserving grace poured out through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
More practically, Psalm 90 reminds us to depend on God for a mentality that recognizes how short our lives are (v. 12), for his grace and mercy on a daily basis (v. 13-15), and for his blessings in our vocations (vv. 16-17).
Title: Jesus, the Ultimate Pilgrim
Passage: Psalm 84
Here at Uptown, it's been uncanny how God has been moving in the lives of our community over the past few months during the pandemic. Not only has God been expressing his faithfulness toward us, but recently, there have been many of us experiencing surprising and unexpected breakthroughs and answered prayers. Praise God!
However, regardless of what season we are going through, Psalm 84 reminds us to place our hope in God, specifically in his presence among fellow brothers and sisters (vv. 9-12). The context of Psalm 84 is the pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem that the people of God undertook. The Temple symbolized God's intense and intimate presence.
The psalmist proclaims that our true joy (vv. 1-4) and our true strength (vv. 5-8) comes when we are in the Temple of God--in God's presence and in the presence of his people. This is therefore a timely reminder for many of us. During this pandemic, we might be overlooking the need to be in God's presence with fellow brothers and sisters. More specifically, through victories and answered prayers, we might forget that our true joy and strength comes from the presence of God and his people.
In fact, if we are honest with ourselves, none of us values the presence of God and his people as we ought. We often find our joy and strength in other things—whether it's our superiors at work or school, or significant relationships, or financial success. We often get complacent and underestimate the privilege of being able to access the presence of God and his people.
As a response to our ungrateful attitude, God actually came to us. Instead of demanding us to make a pilgrimage to him, which he could rightfully do, he instead humbled himself and came to us (John 1.14). In all other religions, sinful people make pilgrimages to some holy site; in the gospel, our holy God takes a pilgrimage to us. Thus, Jesus is the ultimate pilgrim. He is the true temple, the embodiment of God's intense glory and love (Heb 1.3). And yet, he forsook all of his glory (Phil 2.1-11) in order to take a pilgrimage toward sinful people like us so that we can be saved.
To respond to this gospel, let us place our joy and strength in the presence of God and his people, which is now located in the church! Sisters and brothers, no matter where you are in life, place your trust in God!
Title: It's His Name and I'll Cry If I Want To
Passage: Psalm 70
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Many of us have experienced difficult seasons where we feel great need and lack. As I mentioned before, I am presently experiencing such a season and I know some of you are as well. Often times, we think that we have to be "strong" and "mature" during these seasons by reminding ourselves that God is trying to teach us something important. However, in Psalm 70, we see another perspective, which is equally important.
First, we see David's unabashed request for God to deliver David out of this difficult season urgently. This is refreshing as many times, we are taught to be patient during these seasons. For David, he begins and ends the prayer with the direct request for God to make haste (vv. 1, 5).
Second, the bulk of David's prayer is a brazen plea for his enemies to be harmed (vv. 2-3). This is quite contrary to how we are supposed to pray for blessing and love for our enemies. David is so overtaken by his difficulties that he casts curses upon his enemies. We actually see something similar to this throughout the Bible (e.g., Ps 137.9; Mark 12.12-25). What we see here is that God is encouraging us to pray honestly and vulnerable before him. Many times we do not go to God because we think our prayers need to be theologically or biblically correct and we know that it is so tiring for us to be in that correct mindset. But in Psalm 70, God wants us to be open and raw.
Third, despite his difficulties, David can still experience that God is his joy, that God is great (v. 4), and that God is his help and deliverer (v. 5). This is a tremendous encouragement to know that the God of the universe wants to help and deliver us.
All of these privileges that David has is not because he is a strong believer or that he is inherently worthy of God's attention. Even David himself admits that he is "poor and needy" (v. 5). Rather, David and the people of Israel can sing this psalm because God has chosen them to be God's people. However, where does that leave us? Many of us are not Israelites or descendants of David. But we know that, more importantly, those who submit to the gospel and lordship of Jesus Christ and are now united with Christ. Therefore, all of these privileges are applicable to us because of what Jesus has done on our behalf.
So if you are going through a difficult time of lack and need, be encouraged by Psalm 70! It is because of Jesus's death and resurrection that we can enjoy these privileges of praying honestly, unabashedly, brazenly, openly, and vulnerably. And through this, we are reminded of the joy, greatness, help, and deliverance that are found in Christ alone!
Title: His Glory; Our Peace
Passage: Psalms 46
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Like Psalm 46, many of us have experienced seasons where our confidence or assurance in life has been severely shaken. In fact, many of us might be experiencing such a season right now--whether it's the discouraging news in the world, difficulties at work, relational tension, personal discomfort, or struggles in our relationship with God. Psalm 46, however, reminds us that we can find assurance by looking to God. There are three reasons.
First, God is strong (vv. 1-3). No matter how tempestuous our lives are, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (v. 1). He is capable of being our anchor of peace regardless of what we are experiencing. He is the one who is in control and sovereign over every situation in this world and in our personal lives--regardless of how volatile these situations appear to be.
Second, God is for and with his people (vv. 5-7). The image is that God's people live in a city that not only has a constant stream of resources (v. 4), but that God's presence is with her (v. 5). Once again, God's power is emphasized as he is called the "Lord of hosts" (v. 7), which means that he has all of the host of his angelic army at his disposal; because this Lord of hosts "is with us" (v. 7), it emphasizes that God will use these resources for our benefit. However, some of us might question why God would love us like this, especially since some of us are struggling in our relationship with him? All of this is because Jesus Christ was forsaken for our behalf, as we were reminded last week. Because Jesus died for our sins, God has committed himself to be our fortress.
Third, we can be reassured because, in the end, God will be exalted (v. 10). This last reason might seem irrelevant to many of us since we are so focused on ensuring that our lives transpire according to our preferences and expectations. But recognizing that God will be exalted provides tremendous comfort when we think about at least two things. First, since God has been so faithful and good to us, why wouldn't we want him to receive all the glory, even in the face of our own discomfort? If we truly submit to the gospel, then this should provide us with great peace that he will receive the glory that he alone deserves. Second, because Jesus resurrected from the grave, his Spirit is alive and living in us. The primary purpose of the Spirit is to conform us to become more like Jesus, which means that we care less about our own preferences and more about God's glory. Thus, we once again find great assurance that even though we don't know how our own lives will turn out, we at least are guaranteed that he will be forever exalted.
So allow the Spirit to reassure you through Psalm 46 in the midst of life's vulnerabilities because our God is strong, our God is for and with us, and our God will be exalted!
Title: Jesus Was Forsaken So That We Can Worship
Passage: Psalm 22
Sermon series: Turning Mourning into Dancing
One of the common feelings of the Christian is that God is distant from us. This is especially true in light of recent circumstances. Not only has the pandemic disrupted our lifestyle, but the recent injustices to the black community and even our own personal struggles have led many of us feeling like God has forsaken us.
Of course, as Christians, we know that God is nonetheless near us and that we should not succumb to these discouraging thoughts. Nevertheless, it can be very difficult for us to struggle through this tension when everything around us and within us is trying to convince us that God has abandoned us.
In this sermon on Psalm 22, we see that even David, one of the greatest heroes of our faith, was not immune to these feelings of being forsaken. Moreover, I share about my own recent struggles, partly to comfort those who are experiencing similar struggles are not alone. In fact, God's Word and my own life experiences affirm that it is through these discouraging seasons where God is most near and intimate. God delivers us from these difficult seasons.
However, the focus of the sermon is not how faithful God has been to David, to me, or to any one of us. As all of the psalms are ultimately fulfilled by Jesus Christ, we see that Jesus prayed this particular psalm as he was approaching his death. But unlike David, God did not deliver Jesus from his difficulty. Instead, Jesus was forsaken and abandoned by God. This occurred so that Jesus he could take away our sins and thereby guarantee us that we ourselves will never be forsaken or abandoned by God.
Not only has the death of Jesus taken away our abandonment, but his resurrection guarantees that we can live with a new mentality that can overcome any and all discouragement. Psalm 22 ends with the desire to see God glorified in all the earth and in all generations, even though the psalmist and Jesus have not experienced God's deliverance. Because Jesus's Spirit lives in us, we too can have this new mentality—that regardless of what we go through, our greatest desire is for God to receive all glory and praise!
Title: Hindsight is 2020a
Passage: Psalm 8
Sermon series: Turning Mourning into Dancing
Title: From a Planted Tree to Hung on a Tree
Passage: Psalm 1
Sermon series: Turning Mourning into Dancing
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Title: Overcoming Conflict (Part 2)
Passage: Matthew 18.21-35
This week's sermon is the second part of the "Overcoming Conflict" sermon from a couple of weeks ago. In this second part, we will focus on the topic of forgiveness.
Our society values the idea of forgiveness. In our world today, many people point to the benefits of forgiving by pointing to recent findings in psychology, neuroscience, and other areas of research. However, this completely misses the mark: society advocates forgiveness primarily because it benefits our own selves.
The gospel preaches forgiveness as well, but for an entirely different reason. Christians are to forgive not merely for their own benefit. Instead, they forgive because they themselves have been forgiven of the greatest offense—their own sin before a holy God. God's forgiveness is not only undeserving, but it is expressed through the most sacrificial way possible—through the death of his one and only Son, Jesus Christ. So Christians do not forgive simply because of psychological benefits, but because it is the appropriate response to the fact that they themselves have been forgiven.
Therefore, forgiveness is not a topic that primarily deals with our relationships with other people. Rather, forgiveness is primarily related to our own relationship with God. Being able to forgive is one of the key symptoms of whether or not we are truly living in Christ.
Title: Overcoming Conflict (Part 1)
Passages: 1 Sam 1.1-8; Matt 13.53-58; 27.46; Isa 53.3-12
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
The following sermon will focus on how to overcome conflict, especially as many of us are experiencing tension in our household during this pandemic. First, we must be thankful for the Word of God. It contains raw stories of relational conflict and tension. This indicates that our God understands that our relationships can be very difficult. For example, the embarrassing story of Judah and Tamar (Gen 38) or the dysfunction in Joseph's family.
Next, we will look at two short passages that illustrate how difficult these relational conflicts can be (1 Sam 1.1-8; Matt 13.53-58). Often times, our family members frustrate us either in direct or indirect ways. From these passages, there are a few principles that can help us: (1) do not take these conflicts personally; (2) these conflicts say more about their toxic personality; (3) these conflicts have been orchestrated by God; and (4) focus more on recognizing God's character/involvement than fixing the problem.
Lastly, we will see that Jesus Christ experienced the worst of relational conflict. He was betrayed by his closest circle; he was brutally assaulted by the people of authority. Ultimately, he was unjustly punished by the wrath of God for the sake of our sin. It is important to remember that this wrath that he experienced was not from an enemy, but from his own father, with whom he has a perfect relationship. Therefore, Jesus expresses even more agony (Matt 27.46). Because Jesus experienced the worst relational conflict and has overcome it, we can find empathy and victory in him since his Spirit lives in us. We will close by reflecting upon Isa 53.3-12.
Passage: Nehemiah 1-13 (with special attention to Neh 8.10)
Date: May 31, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
This week, we are taking a break from the "From Outbreak to Breakthrough" sermon series because the Bible reading plan is astonishingly relevant to our current situation. Therefore, we will reflect upon what we can learn from the book of Nehemiah.
Like the people of Nehemiah, many of us feel stuck and we cannot wait until the pandemic is over. Our new lifestyle is constricting, leaving many of us feeling lost, anxious, and unsettled. The people of Nehemiah felt this way to a greater degree as they were living under captivity. However, everything seems to go back to normal when the Persian empire releases the people from exile. People are once again filled with hope, only to realize that the problem was never the captivity, but their tendency to suppress, distort, or reject God's character and involvement in their lives.
We see this in two ways. (1) In the beginning of the book, the people are discouraged because the Jerusalem Wall is in ruins. God stirs their heart to rely on him and the preserve despite much opposite to finally rebuild the Wall (Neh 1-7)! Like us, we might also be discouraged; like the people in Nehemiah, God is calling us to rely on him so that we can find strength to persevere.
(2) However, the book does not end well. The people struggle with all kinds of sin, most notably their inability to understand even the language of the Bible (Neh 13.24). Even after God's faithfulness and experiencing victories, we see the people disconnect themselves from God. This is a gentle warning to all of us. We might get through COVID-19 and eventually experience a season of victory. But like the people in Nehemiah, our tendency is to disconnect ourselves from God.
What can we learn from this relevant, yet sobering, account? The heart of the book centers on Nehemiah 8.10. Despite God's foreknowledge of all of the ways that the people would suppress, distort, and reject his character and involvement, he still has joy for his people. And it is this joy that enables us to persevere with strength. The idea that God has joy for you is mind-blogging. The only reason is because we are now in Christ. It is because Jesus's blood covers all of our sin and Jesus's Spirit is making us more obedient that we are guaranteed that God has joy for us. So whether we are in the pandemic or out of it, let us place all our hope in the fact that our God has joy for us because of Jesus Christ!
Passage: Romans 5.12-21
Date: May 24, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it confronts us with the reality of death. As Christopher Bullock quipped back in 1716, "'tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes." Apart from the gospel, there is very little, if any, hope when we think about the vulnerability of our own lives and the lives of our loved ones.
Fortunately, the gospel directly addresses the problem of death. In this week's sermon, we will unpack how the gospel is not only concerned with death, but has already overcome it. Though death may cause us sorrow, it does not have the final say thanks to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will look at key 3 truths that Paul reveals inRomans 5.12-21.
First, we will see how the gospel is fully sensitive to the devastating impact of death (Rom 5.12, 14, 17). Moreover, even in the life of Jesus, he experienced great sorrow over the temporary death of Lazarus (John 11.35) and his own death (Matt 27.46). Therefore, we do not have to cope with death by minimizing its pain or numbing ourselves.
Second, Paul explains that death is not a consequence of our human nature. Instead, it is a consequence of our sinful nature. This is important so that we understand that death was not God's original intention, but was instead brought upon by our own sinful tendency toward God. More specifically, Paul explains that all of us are represented by Adam and his sin. Therefore, as we live under the headship of Adam, we are all sinners and therefore prone to death (Rom 5.12, 14, 15, 17).
The third point, however, is the good news! Death has been overcome by the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ. In his great love, Jesus took the punishment of all of our death and sin, and gave us his perfect righteousness so that we can have eternal life (5.15-19, 21). Therefore, if we submit to this good news, then we no longer live under the headship of Adam; instead, we are now represented by Jesus Christ.
Passage: Philippians 3.10
Date: May 17, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
When we face adversity, there are 4 typical ways of coping with it.
First, we compare our situation to the situations of others that are less fortunate. For instance, we might have lost our job, but we take comfort in the fact that there are others who might have lost their health or the lives of their loved ones.
However, if we are unable to find solace in the fact that others are experiencing worse situations, then we try to find a silver lining through our adversity by thinking about how there might be some beneficial results. In the case of losing a job, maybe it turns out that we find a better job.
The third way to cope is for those who might be more introspective. We understand that not every adversity has a silver lining. So instead of looking at the unintended beneficial results of an adversity, we look at this as an opportunity to draw strength from within. This is where we hear a lot of self-help advice telling us to be mentally prepared, to have a sense of humor, to believe in ourselves, etc.
If these coping mechanisms do not work, then we usually cope by not coping. We simply ignore the adversity and through this, we eventually harbor bitterness. So although we might be working in a new job, any thoughts or feelings that are associated with our old job triggers feelings of resentment.
In each of these common coping mechanisms, there are limitations. Fortunately, the gospel offers a better way. Through the gospel, adversities are used to enable us to have a deeper realization of our union with Christ through at least 3 ways:
(1) we can empathize with Jesus when he endured the worst adversities of being separated from the Father for our sin. This is what Paul means when he desires that he "may share his sufferings" (Phil 3.10).
(2) Because Jesus endured the worst adversities for us out of love, we gain a deeper appreciation of his love.
(3) as a result of #s 1 and 2, our desire is no longer about our preferences, but about his glory. This is what Paul means by "becoming like him in his death" (Phil 3.10).
Passage: Gen 1.26-28; John 17.20-21; Rev 21.3
Date: May 10, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Last week we talked about how a disruption to our routine can have profound and unanticipated ripple effects in the way that we live. This week, we will see that not being able to socialize with others can have an equally devastating impact on our lives. We will therefore address the urgency of a relational community, especially in light of our social distancing.
The format of this week's sermon will be similar:
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Being a part of a relational community is urgent because it benefits us.
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Being a part of a relational community is urgent because it is worshipful to God.
Being a part of a relational community is a prerequisite for us to fulfill any goal, accomplishment, or virtue in life. This is true for introverts and extroverts because as humans, we have been created to be relational. We see this simple truth being affirmed even by neuroscience and observing animals.
However, as we mentioned last week, as Christians, we partake in a relational community not because it is beneficial to us, but because it is ultimately worshipful to God. We see this in the way that God reveals himself in Scripture: his character is intrinsically relational (Gen 1.26-28; 5.1) and the way that he is involved in our lives is equally relational (John 17.20-21; Rev 21.3). Therefore we will spend most of the time talking about how we should be engaged in a relational community as an appropriate response to God's character and involvement in our lives. Some practical ways of doing this is by gathering with your church community as frequently as possible (Heb 3.12-13; 10.24-25). Another way is by seeing how our human-to-human relationships are intended so that we can appreciate more our own relationship with God (e.g., Col 3.13; Matt 6.12, 14-15; 18.35).
Passage: Genesis 1
Date: May 3, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
This week is the first sermon of our new series, "From Outbreak to Breakthrough." As devastating as this pandemic has been for many of us, we can also sense how God might be using this to stage breakthroughs in our own lives. This week's sermon will focus on the need for routine.
Part of what makes this outbreak difficult is that it disrupts our routine. We are creatures of habit so this disruption has profound ripple effects, causing many of us to feel lost in multiple areas of our life. The sermon will focus on 2 perspectives on why routine is so important.
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Routine is important because it is beneficial to us.
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Routine is important because it is worshipful to God.
The bulk of the sermon will focus on the 2nd perspective, but for the first, I will draw upon secular studies and personal experience on why routine is so beneficial. For the 2nd perspective, I will explain how routine is established and important at the beginning of every major era of biblical history--from creation, to the formation of Israel, to Jesus's ministry, and all the way to the birth of the church. Therefore, we see that routine is at the heart of not only how God works, but God's intrinsic character. We, being created in the image of God, must also have some sense of a routine as well. In this way, routine becomes an opportunity for us to express our love and appreciation for God's character and involvement in our lives.
Lastly, I will explain why it is important as Christians to understand the difference between the 2 perspectives (i.e., our benefit and God’s glory). If we truly submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ, then our motivation is no longer about our own benefits. Rather, our motivation is to bring glory to God. This difference is key as we cover other topics in this series and as we think about what our motivation should be in life. The power of the gospel guarantees that we will live progressively more for his glory and progressively less for ourselves.
Date: 2020 April 26
Passage: Genesis 45.25-28; 46.28-30
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
In the last sermon of the "From the Story of Joseph to the Gospel of Jesus Christ" series, we will focus more on the heart of Joseph's father--Jacob. Throughout Joseph's unpredictable life, Jacob has been mourning over the purported death of Joseph. Jacob no longer has any desire to live because he believes that his beloved son, Joseph, died (Gen 37.35); yet the very thought of Joseph being alive brings Jacob much life (Gen 45.25-28; 46.28-30).
What we see in this story is one of the deepest and primal relational dynamics--that of a father and a son. We see this relational dynamic throughout Scripture (e.g., Abraham and Isaac, David and Absalom/Solomon, the Prodigal Son). In fact, it speaks powerfully to every culture and time period (e.g., even in movies, such as Star Wars, Iron Man, The Lion King). From this perspective, we see God designing human relationships and our relationship with him in such a way to express his love in the most powerful manner: God, the Father, is willing to sacrifice his precious Son to forgive and save his enemies. Moreover, because of our union with Christ, the gospel not only shows the intense love that the Father has for the Son, but the intense love that God now has for all of us who submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Passage: Gen 45.4-8
Date: April 19, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
As we continue our series on Joseph, I will remind everyone where we are in the story: Joseph has been elevated to be the second in command of all of Egypt; there is an international famine that has crippled the known world; and Joseph finally confronts his brothers, the ones who had sold Joseph into slavery.
What is remarkable in our passage is Joseph's maturation. He recognizes that all of the twists and turns of his life were determined ultimately by God, not ultimately by the evil intentions of his brothers. In this way, Joseph has a three-dimensional view on life: the way he sees life is not just between him and his circumstances, but it's him, his circumstances, and the involvement of God. This is a stark contrast to the way we first see Joseph as someone who is self-centered and immature (Gen 37). Because of this three-dimensional view on life, Joseph has no animosity toward his brothers. It is critical to note that this passage is not primarily about forgiveness or interpersonal relationships; this passage is primarily about our understanding of God's involvement in our lives.
We will look at three specific aspects of God's involvement in Joseph's life and how these relate to our own situation. God's involvement indicates that he is (1) sovereign, (2) committed to glorifying himself, and (3) loving. Even in our situation, we need to be reminded that God is in control over the unpredictable circumstances in our own lives. We might not be able to make sense of this, but we need to trust that his ways are higher than ours (Is 55.8-9). Moreover, we need to trust that through these circumstances, God will somehow glorify himself. There should be a sense of privilege and peace that he can use our finite lives to glorify him (Ps 46.10). Lastly, we reflect upon the difference that the gospel of Jesus Christ makes on all of this. God is not just another distant god who is sovereign and is more concerned about himself. Rather, through the gospel, we see that God is also loving. Not only did he pay the highest sacrifice to express his love toward us, but Jesus is the one who has experienced how oscillating and unpredictable life can be through his earthly ministry. Despite Jesus’s sufferings, he still submitted to the sovereignty and glory of God (e.g., Matt 26.36-46) and yet he was at a moment forsake by Gods love (Matt 27.46). In light of the gospel, our greatest desire should be to submit to God’s sovereignty, relish in his glory, and bask in his love for us!
Easter Sunday @ New Hope Fellowship Uptown
Title: Threatened by COVID-19: Saved by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Passages: James 4.13-16; 1 Thessalonians 5.9-11
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Good Friday @ New Hope Fellowship Uptown
Title: Exposed by COVID-19: Forgiven by the Death of Jesus Christ
Passage: 1 Timothy 1.15-16
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Passage: Genesis 40
Date: Mar 8, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
In this week's passage, we continue to see God orchestrating circumstances that are unpredictable and that might not result in the way that we think they would or should. For instance, while Joseph is in prison, both the cupbearer and the baker happen to offend Pharaoh so that they are also put into prison (40.1-7). Because Joseph has received the favor of the Lord, he is in charge of all of the prisoners. Moreover, both the cupbearer and the baker have disturbing dreams that only Joseph is able to interpret. Here, we see Joseph's remarkable maturity. He now knows that this ability is from God alone (40.8; compare this to the way handled the dreams from 37.5-11).
Joseph must have thought that eventually he would be taken out of prison through the favor of the baker and the cupbearer. But this is not how God planned to release him (40.9-23) because the cupbearer forgot about Joseph (40.23)!
Thus this week's sermon will focus on how unpredictable our lives are. Things do not transpire the way we imagine or plan. This can be very frustrating and might even lead to us not trusting in God. But through a passage like this, we are reminded that God is not only sovereign over all circumstances, but that he is committed to loving us and conforming us to become more like Jesus Christ.
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Read Genesis 40 and share any open reactions to the passage and sermon.
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Joseph experienced unexpected circumstances in his life that made him certain that God was working in a particular way, only to have to wait longer for God's deliverance. Describe a time where you had a similar experience.
a) In what ways was it difficult for you to trust in God's character and involvement during this experience?
b) In what ways were you humbled and surprised by God's character and involvement during this experience?
c) How can that experience along with Joseph's example enable you to have greater faith in God when you go through another set of unexpected circumstances?
- Earlier this year, we mentioned how God is doing a new thing in our lives (i.e., making the gospel of Jesus Christ more prominent in our lives), but that we often fail to perceive God's work (Isa 43.19). In Gen 40.8, we see clear evidence of how Joseph has matured to become more like Christ (esp. when compared to 37.5-11).
a) Share any evidence in your life of God doing something similar.
b) Share any evidence in the life of one of your IG or Uptown members of God doing something similar.
- Spend time reflecting upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His death guarantees that God is committed to utilizing unexpected circumstances so that the gospel of Jesus Christ is more prominent in our own lives. His resurrection guarantees that we will become more Christ-like as we experience future unexpected circumstances.
Passage: Genesis 39
Date: Feb 23, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
We continue in the life of Joseph this week. God orchestrates oscillating situations in Joseph’s life in order to mature Joseph and to refine Joseph's outlook on life. First, Joseph is placed in a negative situation where he is sold as a slave (39.1). Yet, during this low point, God's presence was nonetheless with Joseph (39.2) so that Joseph began to prosper (39.3-5).
As Joseph is placed in a positive situation, it is not too long before he is once again placed at a low point (39.6-20). Potiphar's wife sexually pursues Joseph, but Joseph, because of his awareness of God's presence (39.9), refuses the wife. The wife then frames Joseph so that he is placed in prison by Potiphar. We see the pattern continue in yet another low point of Joseph's life. Even in prison, Joseph's life is marked by the presence of God (39.21-23).
What can we learn from Joseph's life in this chapter? God places us in difficult circumstances in order for us to better appreciate God's presence in our lives. This is one of the primary ways that God matures us. What we need to do is correctly interpret our lives. Instead of being so preoccupied with the circumstances, we need to take a step back and recognize what God is doing. This will lead to a teachable and worshipful heart, so that we can have joy and peace regardless of the circumstances. God guarantees that he will love us like this because of what Jesus has done for us! Moreover, we are guaranteed that we will respond progressively more obedient because Jesus’s Spirit lives inside us!
Passage: Genesis 38
Date: Feb 16, 2020
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
At this point in Genesis, we get a break from Joseph's life and a picture into Judah (one of Joseph's brothers).
Judah had three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah (38.2-5). His oldest son, Er, unfortunately dies early (32.6-7), which leaves Er's wife (Tamar) a widow. During this ancient period, it was the responsibility of the brothers (Onan and Shelah) to produce offspring with the widow. But Onan did not want to produce offspring for his deceased brother, so God also put Onan to death (32.9-10). Now that Judah had lost two of his three sons, he was protective over his third (Shelah; 38.11)). Tamar, who was the widow, was disappointed that Judah wouldn't give Shelah to her so she devised a plan. In this plan, she tricks Judah into sleeping with her so that she could have offspring (32.12-26).
Although this plan is successful in bringing Tamar offspring, it was a very deplorable act. Yet, why does the Bible include it? The Bible could have easily included other stories of Judah and Tamar or could have modified the story to make it less scandalous. Through this story, we see a pattern throughout our Bible reading plan that God is not ashamed of including our embarrassing stories (see also Gen 9; 12; 19; 20; 26; 29; 34). He understands the problem of our sin and somehow uses our weaknesses to more vividly express his love and grace.
Even in Jesus's genealogy, Matthew goes out of his way to include the name of Tamar (Matt 1.3). Thus, we see that a story like this points to the heart of God and the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, our sin is appalling and our brokenness is everywhere. Nonetheless, God chooses to meet us where we are by sending Jesus into our broken world, becoming sin itself, so that we can be made whole and intimate with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Date: 2020 Feb 2
Passage: Romans 8:1-11
Speaker: Pastor Darryl Dash
The gospel explodes a series of gospel truths in our hearts, that result in gospel implications, including living on mission.
Some questions:
How would you summarize the gospel?
What makes it challenging to summarize the gospel in a few words?
Martin Luther said, "The truth of the Gospel is the principal article of all Christian doctrine . . . Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.” Do you agree with him? What are some ways we can do this?
The gospel removes condemnation (Romans 8:1-4). How would we live if we really believed this was true?
The gospel changes our thinking (Romans 8:5-8). Can you give an example of this from your life?
The gospel reassures us of God's love (Romans 8:14-17). How does this change how we live?
What is the connection between the truths Paul teaches in Romans 8 with Paul's passion for mission in Romans 9 to 11?
How can we apply the truths of Romans 8 and 9 to our lives?
Passage: Genesis 37
Date: Jan 26, 2019
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
As our church discerns God's vision for 2020 and beyond, we will reflect upon the story of Joseph through the first sermon series of the year. The first sermon will explore Joseph's character before Joseph matures in his relationship with God. We see that Joseph has been given the favor of his father and incredible visions, but that Joseph does not yet have the character to handle such blessings. Therefore, Joseph comes across as arrogant to his family to the point where his brothers plot to murder him. The brothers eventually sell Joseph into slavery, lying to their father that Joseph was slaughtered by a wild beast.
What can we learn from this fascinating story? First is that God has given all of us abilities and blessings. But we lack the character to utilize these abilities and blessings in a way that is loving to others and pleasing to God. We can be selfish, lazy, or--in the case of Joseph--arrogant.
Second, the way God matures us is similar to what we learned last week. God places us in difficult circumstances in order to show us two very important lessons: (a) our abilities come from God alone and (b) more than the success that our abilities bring, our greatest joy is to be simply in God's presence. Throughout the rest of Joseph's story, we will see these two lessons develop in clearer and more vivid ways.
Lastly, I will share some thoughts on how a reflection on Joseph's story leads us to a richer appreciation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Passage: Isaiah 43.18-25
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Title: That's so 2010s
The 2020 vision for Light Presbyterian Church is based on Isaiah 43.18-21. So this week's sermon will be based on this passage (along with verses 22-25). I will focus on 2 appropriate responses to this passage.
First, our hearts should be excited about what God can and will do in our lives. God tells the people not to dwell on the former things because he is about to do something that is beyond their imagination (43.18-20). As miraculous as God has been in the past, God still has more in store for his people. For the people of Isaiah, they were dwelling on the miracles of the Exodus where God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. The people were discouraged because their present circumstances were very difficult as they were exiled by the Persians. One way of looking at this promise of a new thing being fulfilled is when God eventually liberated his people from the Persians. But a better way of looking at this promise being fulfilled is through the death, resurrection, and the return of Jesus Christ. This gives us hope that despite our difficult circumstances and our tendency to dwell on the past in an unhealthy way, God is doing a new thing through Jesus.
Second, our hearts should be humbled because this exciting thing that God has prepared is not because of how good we are, but because of how faithful and loving God is. In fact, the passage continues by highlighting how sinful the people are (vv. 22-25). Once again, we need to be reminded of the definition of sin. It's not that the people were murdering or stealing that made them sinful. It was their tendency to distort, suppress, and/or reject God's involvement and character in their lives. From this standpoint, we are equally sinful. But thankfully, God's promise to do a new thing is not based on how good we are, but simply based on his promise and love: he is doing this for his own glory, so that we can further declare his praise (vv. 21, 25).
To conclude, we will ask God to fill our hearts with hope and anticipation—that regardless of what we're going through, that we will remember God's character and involvement in our lives. We will also ask God to humble us—that we will grow in our repentant mentality and in our desire to seek his glory rather than our own comfort.
Passage: 1 Cor 15.12-58
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
Title: The Importance, Historicity, and Resurrection of the Gospel (2 of 2)
In the last message of the series on 1 Corinthians, we will unpack Paul's writings on the resurrection (1 Cor 15.12-58). Many Christians today have very vague ideas on what the resurrection is. Paul lays out three main points.
First, if there were no resurrection, then there would be no true hope in life. We would still be stuck in our sin (15.12-19). Therefore, it is not enough for us to understand that Christ died; we need to also reflect upon his resurrection. It is only in his resurrection that we can have true hope because his resurrection means that his power can triumph over anything—including sin and death.
Second is that the resurrection of Christ guarantees that everything else will be resurrected as well (15.20-49). This means that we will all receive new bodies that are imperishable (15.35-49). After we are resurrected, the rest of creation will also be made new (15.24-28). Thus, there is a particular order in the way the resurrection works, which is why Jesus is "the firstfruits" (15.23).
Third, the resurrection means that today, we do not need to fear death or sin (15.50-58). Sin is truly the biggest threat and problem in life, even worse than the prospect of World War III. But because Jesus has been resurrected, we are guaranteed that he has conquered the biggest threat and problem on our behalf, so we can even boast to death that victory is ultimately ours because of Christ.
Passage: Colossians 1:3-12
Speaker: Elder Yong Kim
Although we open with the above passage we will not be doing an exposition of the passage but leap from this passage to the three core and foundational disciplines that will help us to grow in faith.
It isn’t that these disciplines guarantee our growth - for we depend on God’s Grace to do so - but these disciplines position us to be in the right place to receive His grace.
These disciplines include:
- Personal Devotion - which include meditation on Scripture, study of Scripture? Prayer and fasting.
- Corporate Worship. Worshipping within an imperfect and broken body. How do we experience God’s presence and grace when we worship together. And what did Jesus mean when he told the Samaritan woman that a tune is coming and has come when God is looking for those to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
- Public service and witness.
- Public service is not just restricted to serving within the church, but in all communities where God has placed you. What does that service look like?
- Where do you serve? How does evangelism help your growth?
This point passage is 1 Peter 3:15
Title: Gender, Social Life, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Passage: 1 Cor 11.2-34
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
The passage for this week might be one of the more controversial passages in the Bible because of Paul's writings on men and women (11.2-16). Unfortunately, it has been controversial for the wrong reasons. Many people point to this passage to either treat women unfairly or ridicule the authority of Paul.
In the sermon, I will briefly explain the ancient practice of head covering, but focus more on the purpose of this passage. In the gospel, the hierarchy of our socio-biological relationships is altered (11.11-12; see especially Gal 3.28 and Eph 5.21). This passage should be controversial, but for the right reason! I'll explain why the passage is not as "politically correct" as Paul's other writings (e.g., Gal 3.28 and Eph 5.21) and why Paul's old-fashioned understanding of gender is actually right by our modern scientific standards! But the point is that the gospel changes our relationships.
This same point is seen in Paul's teaching on the Lord's Supper (11.17-34). Many people were not seeing the purpose of eating together as they were eating out of hunger or drinking to get drunk (11.21). Paul once again reminds the people that the gospel changes even the way that we eat together. We must do it out of remembrance of Jesus's death and resurrection (11.23-26). In our own setting, we should look at fellowship time and eating in a way that has been impacted by the gospel. Instead of merely trying to fulfill our social needs, we should look at it as an opportunity to respond to the gospel by loving others.
Title: His Spirit and Body
Passage: 1 Cor 12
Date: Dec 1, 2019
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
What does it mean when someone submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (12.3)? This passage talks about 3 blessings or privileges.
The first is that anyone who submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is spiritual because the person has the gift of the Holy Spirit (12.3). So far in this letter, the Spirit primarily provides us with the power and wisdom of God. For many of us, this is a wonderful reminder of God's everlasting presence in our lives, even in the face of difficult circumstances
Second is that those who submit to Jesus's Lordship are all part of the one body of Christ (12.4-20). Though all of us might have different personalities and abilities, we all share the same identity of being part of Jesus's one body. This is a great honor to not only be saved by Jesus, but to be intimately considered as part of his body.
Third is that those who submit to the Lordship of Jesus are needed and honored by their church community (12.21-26). because they all have various gifts of God (12.27-31). God designed salvation so that we are engaged in a community. As much as we can be benefitted by others, we also have the privilege of benefitting others with the unique gifts that God has given us.
This sermon will then encourage those who have not yet submitted to Jesus's Lordship to do so, while also challenging others to reflect if they are truly living in submission to the Lordship of Christ. For those who are living in this submission, this message will encourage them to seek and utilize their God-given gifts.
Passage: 1 Cor 10.1-11.1
Date: Nov 24, 2019
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
(This sermon is part 3 of a mini-series)
Paul concludes the teaching on pleasing people (1 Cor 8.1-11.1) by warning people of the example of Israel. Israel's story is our story. How God moved in the life of Israel has been written down to be an example for us (10.6, 11). One of the humbling realities of Israel is that many people experienced the same miracles of God (10.1-4), yet only a few of them were pleasing to God (10.5). Most of them were "overthrown" (10.5)!
So as we conclude this mini-series, I want to give everyone an opportunity to respond to the Spirit. Are we truly responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Or are we, like most of Israel, not living lives that are pleasing to him? There are 5 specific questions that Paul would want us to reflect upon in this regard:
(1) How have we been moved by Jesus, who forsook his rights in order to save those who are weak (i.e, us; based on 8.1-9.17 and part 1 of this mini-series)?
(2) How have we been moved by Jesus, who passionately overcame all obstacles in order to win us (based on 9.18-27 and part 2 of this mini-series)?
(3) Are we growing in our awareness of the idols of our lives (based on 10.7 and Exod 32)? Is this causing us to have a more repentant mentality, leading us to have a more profound appreciation for the power of the gospel that can free us from idolatry? (Here, it is important to define what idolatry is. Idolatry is when your heart clings to or relies upon anything other than God himself. By this definition, almost anything can be an idol--entertainment, wealth, academic success, relationships, etc.)
(4) Are we growing in our sexual purity (based on 10.8 and Num 25)? Is this causing us to have a deeper recognition that we are one with Christ and the Spirit, purchased by Jesus's blood so that our body is a temple (based on 6.12-20 and previous sermon)?
(5) Are we growing in our submission to the lordship of Jesus (based on 10.9-11 and Num 21.1-9)? Even though circumstances are not pointing toward our preferences, are we still trusting in him?
Passage: 1 Cor 9.19-27
Date: Nov 17, 2019
Speaker: Rev. Jason Yuh
(This sermon is the second of a 3 part mini series.) Last week we talked about how one of the ways to respond to the gospel is by forsaking your right in order to love those who are weak. Jesus is the exemplar of that as he forsook his glory in order to save us, who are weak.
This week, we see that another way of responding to the gospel is by being passionate and zealous. Paul actively seeks after all sorts of people by becoming like them in order to "win" some of them for the gospel (9.19-23). Whether they are Jews, those under the law, or those who are weak, Paul does whatever it takes to advance the gospel in their lives. Similarly, Paul regards himself as a serious athlete who lives a life of self-control and discipline in order to advance the gospel (9.24-27).
The reason why Paul is so passionate is because this is precisely how Jesus sought after us. Jesus became just like one of us in order to save us. He not only took on the lowly form of a human (Phil 2.7), but he even became sin itself (2 Cor 5.21) in order to bring the gospel to us. Jesus also epitomized the life of discipline and self-control in order to save us.
Therefore, if we truly believe in the gospel, then it must compel us to live according to Jesus's spirit: to be passionate for his gospel by actively seeking others and living a life of discipline.
Passage: 1 Cor 8.1-9.18
Date: Nov 10, 2019
Speaker: Pastor Jason Yuh
(This sermon will be the first of a 3 part mini series.)
Paul moves onto the next hot topic that has been on the mind of Corinthians. Are the Corinthians allowed to eat whatever they want, including food that was sacrificed to idols? This was a controversial topic since food sacrificed to idols was very prevalent. At the same time, most people understood that idols did not really exist and that there was freedom in life because of the gospel (8.1-6).
However, even if we have certain rights or freedoms, Paul says that it is better to forsake them out of love for others, especially those who are "weaker" in their faith (8.7-13). This is the way Paul has been living: he hasn't married or accepted any money for his labors (9.1-18). Essentially, we should do whatever we can to advance the gospel in the lives around us.
In this way, this topic is very relevant for many of us. We also have many freedoms and rights. For instance, how should we spend our money? What kind of car should we buy? In these decisions, are we exercising these freedoms and rights in a selfish way or in a way to advance the gospel in the lives around us? Are we being sensitive to those who are "weaker"?
The key is to know that Jesus himself did not use his own freedoms and rights in order to save us. With great sensitivity toward our weakness, he loved us. If we truly understand this, then it should compel us to love others and to be sensitive to those who are weak in the same way, even if it requires sacrifice on our part.
Passage: 1 Cor 7.10-40
Date: Nov 3, 2019
Speaker: Pastor Jason Yuh
Paul addresses a question that the Corinthians had concerning marriage and sex. Is it better to abstain from marriage and sex (7.1) or is it better to marry? Just like in our context, these questions were complicated for Paul and the Corinthians. For instance, some of the Corinthians were new Christians so their spouse were not saved; does this mean that they should divorce (7.10-16)? And based on the previous passage/sermon (6.12-20), isn't it better to abstain from sexual relations (7.1)?
Paul offers three principles that are not only relevant to the question of whether or not we should marry, but to other questions that relate to major life decisions (e.g., picking a vocation, moving, etc.). Generally, we should remain in the calling that God has given (7.17) for the following three blessings that come from the gospel of Jesus Christ.
(1) One of the blessings of the gospel is that we are guaranteed that God will be working through our circumstances for our good and for his glory (Rom 8.28). The example that Paul gives is the Christian who has an unbelieving spouse. Paul commands them not to divorce (7.10-16), but instead to remain married because they do not know if God will save their spouse through them (7.16). For us, we should be at peace in our current situation because God might be working in ways that are beyond our comprehension.
(2) Another blessing of the gospel is that God has given us a new identity that will always give us a sense of joy and peace. Thus, we should be content in the calling that God has given because our identity is ultimately bound in what Christ has done (7.17-24). In Paul's day, it was significant for someone to be circumcised or to be a free person. These statuses determined one's place in society. Yet Paul reminds them that their identity is ultimately rooted in the fact that they have been bought by the blood of Christ (7.23). As much as we might be influenced by our own social statuses (e.g., job title, academic degree, etc.), we must be reminded of our most basic identity in Christ.
(3) The last blessing of the gospel is that God has given us the privilege to take part in his mission that will have eternal consequences. Therefore, we should not be too concerned with our calling since our earthly living is temporary (7.25-35). Rather than being preoccupied with our earthly and temporary status, we should be more concerned with the fact that this "world is passing away" (7.35). This is very challenging for our context. Living in the GTA can be comfortable, making it natural for us to think about our earthly lives instead of thinking about God's overall plan for the world.
Passage: 1 Cor 6.12-20
Title: Sex & Drugs & the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Speaker: Pastor Jason Yuh
How should the gospel of Jesus Christ impact the way we view our body or sex? Paul begins by describing the mindset of the people. Their lifestyle is based on what is “lawful” or “permissible” (6.12-13). They think that they can indulge in whatever they want, as long as they are not doing anything against the law (e.g., sexual immorality). This mindset is actually common to many of us. We do not question the way spend our time, money, and attention as long as we are not committing any kind of violation.
In order to correct their mindset, Paul focuses on 3 things that God has done (or will do). It is important to recognize that Paul does not immediately focus on what the people need to do, but, rather, what God has already done (or will do) for them. Everything must be a response to God's actions (i.e., the gospel of Jesus Christ).
The first action of God is that he will judge the way we conduct ourselves: "God will do away with" (NASB) physical things; physical things are "for the Lord" (1.13). The point is that everything--including sex--belongs to God. Instead of asking what we can get away with or how can I maximize my own pleasure, we should be asking, how can we maximize God's glory (6.20)?
Second, God will redeem our physical bodies (6.14; we'll talk more about this in ch. 15). If this is the case, then we can't neglect to take care of our own physical bodies. The gospel is not only about the spiritual, but it also addresses the physical. This is why our actual body is now the temple of God (6.19). Therefore, we should make effort to present our physical bodies to be pure before God, just like we do for our spiritual well being.
Third, God has united us to himself through Jesus Christ (6.15-17). There are many devastating consequences of sexual immorality, even though we might not visibly or immediately notice these consequences. For instance, Paul says those who engage in sexual immorality become united with their counterpart. However, in the gospel, we have already been united to God (6.17). God's very own Spirit is within us (6.19). This amazing blessing required the costly price of the precious blood of Jesus Christ (6.20). Therefore, we are not our own (6.19). If we truly submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we can no longer live according to our own standards.
In light of these three actions of God (judging, redeeming, and uniting), Paul is exhorting the people to change their mindset. Rather than doing what is permissible, the only adequate response is to glorify God in our bodies (6.20).