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
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.
Good Friday – Isaiah 53
Speaker: Pr. Michael Koh (2nd April 2021)
Topic:
Good Friday – Isaiah 53
Isaiah
53:1-12
Christ
experienced the spirit of rejection and the consequences of sin on our behalf. We
are rejected by that which we admire/which is good, and that makes rejection much
more painful.
“We do
not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough.
We want something else which can hardly be put into words — to be united with
the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in
it, to become part of it.” - C.S. Lewis
Example
- You feel so close to a movie star when you meet him in person (like you know
him), but he doesn’t know you. Something about us wanting to project ourselves
into a world we are not part of.
In the
same way, some of us find it hard to praise God or to identify with psalms of praise
to God. We seem like outsiders to the greatness of God, but Christ invited us
in at the price of own His life.
• He
was rejected but decided to take upon Himself all the rejection and indifference
- so that that gap will be broken.
•
Isaiah 53:8 – “he was cut off out of the land of the living” - He had to be cut
off from heaven to take upon Himself all of our sin and maladies, so that
beauty and God will not be indifferent to us
• God
made a breakthrough into us, to break our rejection, from God to us and cause a
covenant to be made
• Psalm
65:4 - “Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts!”
God was not satisfied in being admired, He wanted to bring us into the circle,
through a covenant with us
• In
order to draw us in, He had to carry upon Himself all our sin and conditions, the
very burden of rejection that was upon us, on the cross
What did he do to break the rejection?
• He
carried all our burdens, shame, sin. God meant every single burden and sorrow.
Only God can do that.
• Jesus
carried every single specific burden in real time, upon that cross (what we are
going through and have been going through). All the reasons we've been rejected
was carried upon Him. He invites us into the family.
• My
sin, your sin, the fullness of pain, disease and disease personality was carried
upon Him.
Let’s
take the time to thank Him for carrying upon Himself - every of our burden,
fear, rejection, and pain. He died on the cross and bore our burdens.
Many
times we pray that the terrible things we experience be taken away
• Paul
asked God to remove his thorn, but Jesus said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient
for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9)
• God
comes under the thorn with His grace, and overcomes the pain, and stops the
robbing that the devil intended, turning it into replenishing
• On
the cross, God’s grace was unleashed to us Jesus told the thief next to him
that on that day, he will be with Him in paradise.
• He
meant that on that day itself he can be brought back to the circle of God’s love,
where he’ll be completely accepted by God.
• He
had to make the covenant in His blood, the cost was His blood, so that we will
never be rejected by God
He defeated every power you are experiencing
right now, because of that we can have communion.
• John
6:32-37 – we will have to eat it and experience the good of it
• Like
looking at pictures of food we can't eat, is how Jesus doesn’t want us to know
this intellectually, but He wanted us to "eat" of Him, because He was
given for us.
• How
do we eat it? We give ourselves time to wait upon the Lord, to make every of
these promises and truths real to us. To allow that which we’ve heard to become
something we feel and a conviction that changes our lives.
Closing
As we
take communion together, I invite you to give your life to Jesus. When we say, "I’m
crucified to Christ”, we crucify our own desires and agendas. Yet not I but
Christ who lives in me.
Galatians
2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ
who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Be it a
burden He has carried or a shame you have experienced, bring it before the Lord.
Let Him drop into your heart a conviction. Pr. Michael Koh: Good Friday (Psalm
53), 2 Apr 2021
Reflection Questions
Self-Reflection
1.
Think about how Jesus has carried your every burden, fear, pain and rejection
on the cross. Take some time to thank Him for that.
2. With
that, what is God speaking to you regarding your current situations?
Group Discussion
1.
Share your personal experience of a "thorn" (suffering) that hasn't
been removed. How have you experienced God's grace in that?
2.
Reflecting on how Christ has brought us into His circle of love, are there
people that God wants your group to include into your "circle of
love"? Who are they and how can you include them?
Optional
group activity: To partake the Holy Communion together.
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