Go and Make Disciples (Matthew 28:19)
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Eternal Life (Heaven) is a Free Gift from God
The Narrow Way (Matthew 7:13-20)
Speaker: I-Ching Thomas
Topic:
The Narrow Way (Matthew 7:13-20)
Date:
2 May 2021
Matthew 7:13-14
·
“Enter by
the narrow gate,” Jesus recommends. Now the time for decision has come. Pick a
side. Will it be the kingdom of Satan or the kingdom of God? The prevailing
culture or the Christian counter-culture?
·
Jesus
cuts across our convenient syncretism. He will not allow us the comfortable
solutions we prefer. Instead, He insists that ultimately, there is only choice
because there are only two possibilities to choose from.
·
For
example, in Psalm 1, those who delight in God’s law prosper but the way of the
wicked leads to destruction.
The Wide Gate
·
Is the
road of tolerance and permissiveness.
·
Has no
boundaries of thought, conduct, morals and ethics.
·
Travellers
follow their own inclination and desires.
·
Don’t
have to leave anything behind eg. sins, self-righteousness, pride, hatred
·
Many have
chosen it because it is easy, convenient and simple.
·
Jesus taught that the easy way entered by the wide gate leads to destruction.
“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle
slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without
signposts.” – C.S. Lewis
The Narrow Gate
·
One has
to look for it and find it.
·
Must make
the necessary changes and adjustments to go through.
·
Have to
leave everything behind eg. our sins, selfish ambitions, greed, hatred.
·
First
deny oneself.
·
Very few
have chosen it or found it because it is not as easy as the broad road.
·
By
contrast, the hard way entered by the narrow gate leads to life
·
Jesus
wants us to live out what He taught. Jesus is laying
out the best possible way to live for all of us, all of the time—not
easier, not more comfortable, not necessarily with an immediate benefit or pay
off, but overall a better way to live because it is
what God had intended life for us to be. But we have to choose to walk through
the narrow gate towards the narrow path.
Matthew 7:15-20
·
One of
the main challenges after a person chooses to follow Jesus is that they are at
risk of being lured away by false beliefs, false teachings and false prophets.
·
It is
mistakenly believed that conversion alone is sufficient.
·
Jesus’ words are not only warning us of enemies of the faith from
the outside.
·
Jesus’ words are also warnings to us who claim to be Jesus’
followers.
·
A false
teacher will claim to be a teacher of the truth. The wolf would dress up in
sheep’s clothing to impress gullible Christians. They may conceal their true
identity beneath the cloak of Christian piety or impressive rhetoric.
·
But Jesus warns us to be on our guard. Pray for discernment and
do not be dazzled by a person’s outward clothing, charisma, charm,
qualifications and so on.
·
We must
look beneath the appearance to the reality.
·
Jesus says to evaluate prophets by their fruits.
Three kinds of fruits to look out for by which false prophets
reveal their true identity:
The person’s character and conduct –
·
The fruit
of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control) versus the acts or works of the flesh.
The soundness of the person’s actual teaching –
·
The tree
is known by its fruit. The good man out of his own treasure brings forth good;
the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. If a person’s heart is
revealed in his words as the tree is known by its fruit, we have a
responsibility to test a teacher by his teaching. In addition to the moral test
is the doctrinal test.
The person’s influence –
·
What
effect does their teaching have on their followers? Sometimes the falsity of
false teachings is not immediately obvious when we look at the person’s
behaviour and teachings. Unfortunately, it becomes apparent only in disastrous
results. Does the person’s teaching promote ungodliness and cause bitterness or
divisions? Or does it by contrast, produce faith, love, godliness and unity?
Fruits take time to grow and ripen. We
have to be patient to examine it closely. It is not always possible to
recognise a tree and its fruits from a distance. Sometimes, even up close, we
may at first miss the symptoms of disease in a tree or the internal rottenness
of a fruit. This is where we pray and ask God for discernment. Ask the Holy
Spirit to show us. As a community, we discern together.
Conclusion
Pick your side today.
·
The
easier way that leads to destruction or the harder, narrower way but will lead to
life.
·
Choose the way of Jesus because His way will lead to life.
Take Jesus’ warnings seriously.
·
Cults and
false teachings would not take root and flourish as rampantly if we pay
attention to proper discipleship.
·
We need
to take heed and take action.
·
Beware of
being misled by false prophets and beware that you don’t end up as a false
teacher or false prophet yourself.
·
We do
that by being intentional in our growth as followers of
Jesus.
·
The
Apostle Paul says the goal of our new life as followers of Christ is a slow
change until Christ is formed in us. (Galatians
4:19)
·
But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against
such things there is no law. (Galatians
5:22-23)
·
Following
Jesus and growing as a disciple takes time, sacrifice and discipline.
·
We must
want to be a true follower of Jesus, and we must be determined about it.
·
We have
to work with the Holy Spirit towards growing in
knowledge and intimacy with Christ.
The desire to follow Jesus without action is insufficient.
·
Decide to devote ourselves to becoming like Christ in real practical
ways in our lives.
·
Look at His life and be willing to work with Him in His words as He
transforms us to be more like Him.
·
From Scripture, we observe Jesus’ interaction with His disciples.
Principles that can help us practically today to live out a life
of discipleship:
Interaction with God’s Word –
·
We study,
reflect and meditate on our own as well as in small groups.
·
Resources
such as Study Bible, references, well-written Christian books are available
today to help us develop a biblical worldview.
·
Interacting with God’s Word regularly is equivalent to sitting at
Jesus’ feet to learn from Him.
·
A growing
knowledge of the Word of God will protect us from
deceptions or false teaching, and also guard ourselves from teaching false
beliefs as well.
Examine the world critically –
·
In Acts
17, Luke writes about the Bereans who listened to Paul and Silas preach and
then they would go home and check with Scripture to see if what they taught is
true.
·
Likewise,
all of us must be like the Bereans.
·
Make it a habit to examine and question the values and ideas of the
world in relative to what the Scripture teaches.
·
God’s truth builds up God’s church.
·
Each one
of us is to take Christ’s warning seriously.
Breaking the Bondage of Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)
Speaker: Mrs. Ang Siew Khim
Topic: Breaking the Bondage of Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)
Date: 11 April 2021
Three areas that we always worry about:
Basic essentials of life, such as food, drink and clothing (v.25);
Physical make-up (v.27);
The Future and its troubles (v.34)
Definition of “WORRY”: anxiety, distress, being troubles; persistent mental uneasiness, nagging concern
Five reasons NOT to worry:
Life is more than food and clothes;
We are more valuable than the plants and birds that are taken care of by God;
Worry cannot change a single thing in our life;
Worry is bad for health;
Extreme worry becomes FEAR, which is a spirit of bondage that requires deliverance
Reasons to STOP WORRYING:
Worry is SIN! – it is a lack of Trust in God (v.26,30). We need to stop worrying to show that we believe Him;
Worry causes sickness – A mindset of constant worry will lead to physical and mental illness, such as depression, schizophrenia, high blood pressure, etc.;
It is borrowing trouble from the future (v.34);
It is brooding over what may NEVER happen;
We are creating for ourselves AND OTHERS trouble and misery;
Weight that kills prematurely and shorten our life;
Mental and physical suicide [*Suicide should never even be a thing to think about as it is a sin. Murder is a sin, despite killing others or killing yourself. Murder may deprive one’s salvation! If you face problems or difficulties, bring it to the Lord and seek help from others (pastor, counsellor, friend, etc.). There are always solutions to your problems!];
Waste of time that should be spent more profitably (Philippians 4:8);
Worry is a ROBBER of one’s FAITH, PEACE and TRUST;
WORRIER is a stumbling block to others;
A disgrace to God, implying that He cannot be trusted;
Anticipation of trouble(s) that may not happen;
Worry is torment over something that will likely be a blessing;
Worry is mental cruelty to ourselves;
Don’t be like the people of the world, concerning necessities of life, future and its challenges. A worrying living is a living as if we have NO heavenly Father. WE ARE DIFFERENT, WE ARE SPECIAL.
Extreme Worry is the same as FEAR: worry 🡪 obsession 🡪 oppression
When a spirit of fear torments, it even causes physical pain
Extreme worry and fear bring about sicknesses, such as emotional depression, biochemical change and physical disorders including headache, neck and shoulder pain, insomnia, panic attacks, etc.
TURN YOUR WORRIES INTO POSITIVE PRAYERS! Make the devil worry instead!!
Biblical Evidences where God cares for us
Genesis 12:1-3 God provided Abraham food, raiment and most of all safety
The angel told Hagar that God had heard Ishmael crying and that God would help them. The angel showed Hagar where water was, and after drinking the water, Ishmael got better
Joseph’s life – God was with him throughout the ups and downs
God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt
King Saul was going to kill David if it was the last thing he ever did. David stayed one step ahead of Saul because David listened to God. David was under the protection of the Lord
Three idols the world serves
Baal: the false gods with ceremonies of occultism, satan-worship;
Molech: the god that demands child sacrifices, sexual immorality, perversion;
Mammon: the god of materialism, money, greed, pride, pleasure
1 John 2:15-17 (English Standard Version)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Conclusion: Worldly troubles are temporary and just a part of our lives. Tomorrow may have challenges but God will enable us. Thoughtful preparation for the future is not condemned BUT fretting about it is condemned. Our final Goal and Focus should be on the KINGDOM OF GOD and its righteousness. Whatever success and talent God has given to us, it is for us to make use for the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. [v.33 (King James Version) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.] We are in challenging times where the antichrist system has already started. We need the DISCERNMENT of the HOLY SPIRIT, not to see with our eyes, but be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 6:34 (King James Version)
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Easter Message – Jesus is Risen! (Matthew 28:1-17)
Speaker: Pr Michael Koh
Topic:
Easter Message – Jesus is Risen! (Matthew 28:1-17)
Date:
4 April 2021
Matthew 28:1-6
·
The day of Resurrection was the most
earth-shattering event that had taken place. The power of the devil had been
completely destroyed and broken.
·
Christ has gotten us this victory that is
seen in every person’s life living in the past, present and future. There is
nothing more devastating yet joyful and victorious that had taken place before
or after.
·
But there was a sense of sadness and
hopelessness as Mary Magdalene and the other Mary approached the tomb.
·
On
the day of His resurrection, Jesus was missing. The Jesus
that they had loved and lived with for the past three years was not there.
·
His resurrection seemed to have no effect on
the people closest to the tomb. The resurrection should make an impact on every
person’s life because it is the love of God triumphant over every evil. The resurrection
was an immediate event that had taken place but the effects of His resurrection
were not immediate and often delayed.
·
Perhaps you’re experiencing an Easter where
it feels like He is missing. His presence is not that strong in your life. The
miracles don’t seem to be there.
·
The place that you’re looking for hope is not
from here. The resurrection life of Jesus doesn’t come out of the life that is
here, and it is not a continuation of the life of the flesh.
·
That’s why the angel of the Lord said, “Do
not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been
crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the
place where He was lying.”
·
They would see nothing. And they were
supposed to see nothing. The angel, whose face was like lightning, was trying
to tell them that if you look for the place that is of this earth, you will
find nothing.
·
In order for us to experience the
resurrection by faith that would have an impact upon us, God allows all our
expectations, thoughts and plausible theories on things, to come to this place
where there is no hope there.
·
God
brings us to the end of ourselves so that we experience nothing, just
like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and the guards did.
·
Sometimes the way in which we see Jesus can
be in the flesh. We look to the majority and the safety in numbers and to
technology to tell us what is the true and logical conclusion to our rational
ideas.
·
Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. What’s needed is the
conviction of the Holy Spirit. God sends the Spirit of His Son into our hearts
and seals us.
·
The resurrection of Jesus Christ and His
power is received not by proofs and certainly not by using the logic of this
world.
Matthew 28:7-10
·
The women believed because fear and great joy
came upon them.
·
As they ran to report to His disciples, Jesus
met them and they worshiped Him because they knew that He was God.
·
Jesus was now having a supernatural body and
the dimension of His resurrection and reality was no longer earthly. He was no
longer bound by His body or time. Something more has to happen between
Jerusalem and the sea of Galilee.
·
In the Scriptures, hope is not sentiment or
optimism. Hope is not just hopefulness. Hope does not depend on being in the
majority opinion. Hope does not depend upon the flesh.
·
Hope has to do with substance that God has
eternally ordained and created in the future but which comes to the present
time before it happens, like an anchor for the soul.
·
What was needed was for the disciples to wait
upon God and set their hearts on Him and to seek Him in their hearts in the
midst of uncertainty.
·
In
order for Him to be seen, you have to use the eyes (lens) and hearing of faith.
·
By
His grace, God gives us good hope.
Matthew 28:11-15
·
The guards were frightened but at the same
time, they also denied the experience for money. What their eyes saw was so
awesome, powerful and frightening but it was not enough and it caused them to
sink back into corruption and bribery.
Matthew 28:16-17
·
What the eleven disciples had seen,
experienced, touched and came face to face with was the fact that Jesus clearly
died and was now in their midst and filled with glory. The proof of His
resurrection was right in front of them. But some still doubted.
·
Therein lies the mystery of why the
resurrection can be such a powerful, all comprehensive and pervasive event.
Yet, at the same time, people could actually doubt, take bribes and deny the
experience.
·
In the midst of uncertainty, some people can
experience nothing of the resurrection.
·
A lot of it has to do with how we see things.
Conclusion
·
The resurrection today is for you and me to
experience. The resurrection has to do with the fact that when Jesus died on
the cross, He carried upon Himself your old person and He cut you down so that
when you become a Christian, you don’t become an improved version of yourself
and you don’t live your Christian life by the old person. Jesus in person is alive in you and you are
dead.
·
It
is also not about bringing back Old Testament traditions. (Colossians 2:20-3:3) The revelation of the New Covenant has to do with
the fact that you died to all that and you become
a new person because that person that you are, is Christ in you the hope of
glory.
·
The real life is in Christ. As you
live by faith in the Word of God and in the love of God, you live a
supernatural life because Christ lives in you.
·
Christ is risen. And He is not
missing.
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