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. 

Judge Not? (Matthew 7:1-6)

Elder Saw Lip Hean

18-04-2021

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

1. Three areas that we always worry about:

1. Basic essentials of life, such as food, drink and clothing (v.25);

2. Physical make-up (v.27);

3. The Future and its troubles (v.34)

2. Definition of “WORRY”: anxiety, distress, being troubles; persistent mental uneasiness, nagging concern

3. Five reasons NOT to worry:

1. Life is more than food and clothes;

2. We are more valuable than the plants and birds that are taken care of by God;

3. Worry cannot change a single thing in our life;

4. Worry is bad for health;

5. Extreme worry becomes FEAR, which is a spirit of bondage that requires deliverance

4. Reasons to STOP WORRYING:

1. 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;

2. Worry causes sickness – A mindset of constant worry will lead to physical and mental illness, such as depression, schizophrenia, high blood pressure, etc.;

3. It is borrowing trouble from the future (v.34);

4. It is brooding over what may NEVER happen;

5. We are creating for ourselves AND OTHERS trouble and misery;

6. Weight that kills prematurely and shorten our life;

7. 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!];

8. Waste of time that should be spent more profitably (Philippians 4:8);

9. Worry is a ROBBER of one’s FAITH, PEACE and TRUST;

10. WORRIER is a stumbling block to others;

11. A disgrace to God, implying that He cannot be trusted;

12. Anticipation of trouble(s) that may not happen;

13. Worry is torment over something that will likely be a blessing;

14. Worry is mental cruelty to ourselves;

15. 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.

5. Extreme Worry is the same as FEAR: worry 🡪 obsession 🡪 oppression

1. When a spirit of fear torments, it even causes physical pain

2. 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.

3. TURN YOUR WORRIES INTO POSITIVE PRAYERS! Make the devil worry instead!!

6. Biblical Evidences where God cares for us

1. Genesis 12:1-3 God provided Abraham food, raiment and most of all safety

2. 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

3. Joseph’s life – God was with him throughout the ups and downs

4. God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt

5. 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

 

7. Three idols the world serves

1. Baal: the false gods with ceremonies of occultism, satan-worship;

2. Molech: the god that demands child sacrifices, sexual immorality, perversion;

3. 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.