Sermon Series - THE RETURN OF CHRIST & THE DESTINY OF BELIEVERS (Matthew 24 & 25)

https://wesleymc.org/sermon-series

Extracting key points from the sermon notes:

There are four major signs of Jesus’ return: 1. The World; 2. The Church; 3. Jerusalem; and 4. In the Sky, When Jesus prophesied about His return, He was not only telling His disciples about the future, but He included in His prophecy, exhortations on how they ought to be living and behaving as they await His return.

1.  Signs in the World (Wars, Earthquakes and Famines) - Matthew 24:6-8 

2.  Signs within the Church – Matthew 24:9-14 
2.1. Christians will face universal persecution – v9.
2.2. The Church will experience a great falling away where many will leave the Christian faith or remain lukewarm in their faith – verses 10 and 12.
2.3. Many false prophets and messiahs will arise                                                                   2.4. The Gospel will be preached to the whole world – v14.

3.  Signs from Jerusalem - Matthew 24:15-16 
4. Signs from the Sky - Matthew 24:29-30 

Jesus gives us four pictures in Matthew 24 to ready us for His return:

1. Days of Noah: Like the days of Noah when the flood came suddenly and took away many by surprise, so will Christ’s return.
2. Two Men/Women: If two people are together at the time of Christ’s return, one may be taken and the other left behind. This tells us that not all will be saved, even those who are close to a believer.
3. Thief Breaking in: Jesus’ return will be sudden and unpredictable. This picture reminds us to value our souls and be ever watchful and ready.
4. Two Servants: We are to be like the faithful servant going about his duties whilst expecting his master’s return, and not like the careless, cruel and carousing servant who gets cut to pieces when his master returns unexpectedly.

Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids - Matthew 25:1-13

1. The Lord will come without warning.
2. Some things just cannot be borrowed.
3. Some things can’t be put off till the last minute.
4. Lost opportunities can’t be regained.

Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25:14-30

1. There is a coming Day of Judgment. 

 2. There is Judgment on works.
We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8,9) but our faith must be authenticated by works (James 2:14-17,Eph 2:10). We demonstrate our love and faith by our deeds.

3. Our faithfulness to God is contingent on our view of God.                                                      Our views of God may be incomplete if we only think of God as love and compassion. God is love and also wrath for those who sin wilfully. We must have full counsel of God to respond rightly and avoid being lulled into a false sense of security.

The Sheep & the Goats - Matthew 25:31-46

This is a description of the last judgment. As citizens of the kingdom, we are told by Jesus that careless living places us in danger of hell. We have to love God' people and reflect His love to the “least of these”.

Key thoughts:

1. Be alert to what's happening around us.  
 2.  Start living for God.                                                                                                                3. Share the good news.  
4. Seek to be transformed to be more like Christ.                                                                                               
5. Serve God with the gifts He has given.     
 6. Love my neighbours

 

Cleft for Me

Cleft for Me SATB:  https://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10420833

The music that accompanies the lyrics is amazing.

There are times I feel like I would like to hide, to take cover, to run away from the challenging unpleasant situations.

God is the Rock. Never changing. Steadfast. Always there for me.

If not for God's saving grace, I wd have been dead. Even more so, after surviving a major surgery.

I bring nothing in my hand to this life but God is faithful and He provides.

When I feel helpless, I know His grace is more than sufficient for me.

And I know that every breath that I take is a fleeting breath. My body grows frail. 

All I have to do is to cling on to the cross, to God. He has a hiding place for me, in His presence. In this life and the next.

Off to France!

One day, at one of the watering hole gatherings, the usually cool and calm cat was excitedly sharing what she saw from her owner's  Lonely Planet Guide to France. She swooned over the charm of the country while her long tail swished from left to right. She went on and on about the lush plains, the lovely temperate weather and the perpetual romance in the air and the best tasting wines in the whole wide world. She caught the other three staring at her with jaws open-wide and immediately collected herself.

Then in her normal hoity-toity voice, she declared that she would visit France regardless and that since  her owners would be travelling, they would not miss her too.

This was exactly the point in time when the monkey jumped up and down, having suddenly realised what it means when France has the best tasting wines in the whole wide world.

{Narrator: (smiles to herself) yes... sometimes the monkey can be a little bun and slow too... and it is not the koala's influence... it is just who she is...}

"Me! Me! I wanna go to!" The cat looked at the monkey disdainfully and  said "Sure. Come along" in her usual cool and calm manner while secretly happy for some company on the trip.

The pig and the koala just turned and blinked at each other, expressing that they had no desire to be travelling anywhere.

The cat and the monkey then sat down to make travelling plans and decided to leave that very night in the luggage of the cat's owners. They promised to send picturesque postcards to the pig and the koala whenever they could and bade farewell.

Dabbling in story-telling

Inspired by the recent introduction of little animals into my life, I have decided to write a story about their encounters... be forewarned it may come in many little installments...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Once upon a time, there were four animals... a cat (meeeeoow), a monkey (ee ee ee, scratch scratch), a pig 

(oink oink) and a koala (huh? Oh me... )

{Narrator (looks at the koala and rolls her eyes: yes... you koala... yes... you are bun and slow as usual.}

By some strange coincidence, their paths crossed and the four of them met and got along well with one another.

The domesticated animals, the cat and the pig, would introduce farm life to the wild animals, the monkey and the koala. The monkey and the koala ooh-ed and aah-ed at the comfort of being cared for by loving owners, at the thought of having warm beds and yummy food provided and most of all, being patted and tickled on the belly.

Conversely, the monkey and the koala would tell the cat and the pig what it is like to have twinkling stars as their canopy and rustling crisp leaves as their beds and most of all, the freedom of choosing what they like to eat for their meal.

They would arrange to meet at some watering hole when time permits and exchange stories of what has happened to them.

{Narrator winks at the audience:  and this begins the stories of what happens to these four little animals.}

Gems from JWC Retreat

JWC had its choir retreat today and Wei Hua shared some thoughts on the WHYS as we serve together in the choir.



W - Who do we want to see when we turn up for JWC?

It could be our friends but it should be our best friend, Jesus.
When we sing in the choir, we must know that it is not for us to perform. It is to offer to God all that we are and all that we have. We may not be as strong, but God uses those who are weak.

H - How do we prepare how to sing?
We should be prepared to sing heartily and happily.                                                                                       We must remember we are meeting God. We should be dressed appropriately and pay our due respect to God (Col 3:23)

Y - Yearn to want to serve. 

When we turn up for choir, we must be prepared to do our best. We must be prepared to turn up on time, to dress appropriately, to know our music well as we want to meet the Lord in the choir. It is important to know the words we sing. Every breath that we have is from the Lord so let's use our  breath for the Lord

S - Say a short prayer. Ps 121. 

Pray before singing: " Lord, will you help me."
Ex 20:11 The Sabbath is a holy day.  Let's honour the Sabbath as the Lord's Day as we serve Him on this day.  We  must also learn to  pray every moment. 

  

She reminded us that we are like a AAA battery.

Admit we are weak but willing so we need to depend on God's strength
Act on it. We have to prepare in advance (e.g. clothes to wear, to turn up on time, to practise our music) and act accordingly.   
Attach to the power to the Lord. We can't do it by ourselves, God will help us to sing. We must be willing to do  our best and sing in unity. 

The ladies also honed their vocal skills from Zinnia in a separate session after lunch.

It was an important reminder to me  to use my breath to serve the Lord and put aside our differences to be united as one voice to present our choral offering as a fragrant incense in worshipping the Almighty God who is worthy of our adoration and praise.

Soli Deo Gloria! 

It's been a while...

Realised that my last post was in Apr 2011 here... it has indeed been a while... a long while...

Much has happened since then. 

What brings me back here? 

Well, perhaps I remember this space where I used to record some musings which is somewhat different from what I record on Facebook.

Perhaps the most significant event that struck me most recently which demands some deeper reflection would be the 3rd church camp "Inside & Outside" (Acts 2:42-47) from 5-8 Jun 2014. Some of the things the speaker Rev Edmund Chan said has resonated within me since then.

1. Your foundation is unseen but becomes evident in times of crisis. (cf. Parable of the Wise Man and the Foolish Man Matt 7:24-27)

I recall the various crises I had experienced. One very recent traumatising one was when Violet was diagnosed with AVM last July. The Almighty God, the same God who cradled me in His arms, saw us through challenging moments where the circumstances which we experienced seemed contrary to the prayers we have been fervently pleading with God for. An example would be the prayer for a smooth angiogram, for a clear mapping of the arteries. What happened was the process was not smooth - Violet had a violent allergic reaction to the contrast used and the arteries could not be mapped out at all. Why? Why? Why? We asked in bewilderment. 

But Romans 8:28 comes to mind ~

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

And Proverbs 3:5-6 always come to mind ~

"5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight."

We did not understand why and the circumstances were not encouraging but everything was in God's hands. Prayer warriors gathered round, sometimes beseeching with tears falling gently, sometimes in torrents. Violet appeared calm in the midst of it all. Her foundation was evident in this crisis and it greatly encouraged me. 

God, the miracle-making God, in His own time, transformed the AVM into an AVF which could be surgically excised. Violet is still living with the residual effects of the surgery and she still experiences discomfort and altered sensations. But looking at her, one could not tell. Her foundation has been built on the Word and it shows. And it is admirable.

2. Be the salt and the light (Matt 5:13-16)

Salt has a distinctive identity. We have to stand apart as Christ's own. Do I have such a distinctive identity? I recall a conversation I had with a student towards the end of last semester. I mentioned that I am a Christian and he said "no wonder". I wonder what that means...

As light, we have to show the way. We are to draw people to God. In my sphere of influence, am I building up the body of Christ? Am I intentionally pointing people to Jesus? Am I M.A.D. (making a difference)? 

3. There is an urgency to be united as a church family (Gal 5:1-26)

It is truly not easy to be the salt and the light. Satan is a master at sowing discord. 

The lack of humility, the lack of patience and the lack of security tear unity apart. 

We cannot walk with God while holding hands with the Devil.

We need to walk in love and keep in step with the Holy Spirit. 

With God's help, we will be victorious, not only in our church family but also in our family.

4. We are witnesses (Rom 1:16)

Divine appointments require active obedience.

God sends people down our paths. We should make the best of such opportunities to make Him known.

"I have something to share with you." " Can I pray for you?" " Is there anything preventing you from receiving Christ?"

It is not going to be easy but as Zech 4:6 records ~

"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts."

It is best accomplished by His Spirit.

With God's help, I will endeavour to know Him and make Him known.

To conclude, someone said - God "broke" you because He wants to use you. 

Use me Lord - take me, mould me, fill me. 

 

Korea Trip 9 -16 Apr (2)

The trip continued with a visit to Mt Sorak, with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. It was bliss, a moment of pure of contentment.



We also made our way to YongPyong Resort where I stepped on slushy snow 1450m above sea level.



A ferry ride to Nami Island brought us near to more mesmerizing views of nature.

Finally, the tour ended in Seoul and what I liked most in Seoul was a visit to the Philatelic Musuem, a haven for stamp lovers, a haven from the typical sights and bustling sounds of a city.