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SERMON SUMMARIES
Prayer
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Sunday, August 01, 2010 How can I have an intimate relationship with Jesus? One of the ways is through prayer. The problem of God’s church today is probably not the financial or gift issues, but the lacking of some basic doctrines such as studying the Bible and prayer. Prayer is the most effective way that we can draw closer to God and have a personal relationship with Him. Prayer is all about the vertical relationship with God, and not between men. Make sure that you have the pure motive in prayer and not for showing off your “hollier-than-thou.” The authentic prayer life should be first practiced in private. How should one pray? The Lord Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is a great model to learn how to pray. There are at least four things to remember: In prayer, we should first focus on praising God with a thanksgiving heart. Secondly, prayer is not our using God, but to surrender our life to His will, and His kingdom. Thirdly, we confess our sins and ask God for mercy. Fourthly, we lift our requests to God and make intercession for others’ needs, both physical and spiritual matters. It is even more important on how we live after we pray than what we have prayed. The “doxology” reminds us three basic points for living out the prayer: 1) “Kingdom” means a commitment to allow Jesus ruling our life, 2) “Power” means to depend on His strength to live a focused kingdom citizen, and 3) “Glory” means to live out everything focusing on God’s glory. We must ask the Holy Spirit for a desire to pray and to put prayer as our daily priority. It’s time to pray! |
The Parable of the Net
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Sunday, July 25, 2010 Human life appears to be constrained by many natural laws. The natural law of “sow & reap” helps us to understand about the final judgment beyond this life. There will be a final judgment because our Creator is righteous and loves justice. God is just means that the soul who sins will surely die. Because God is just, He will bless the righteous. When Jesus, God’s Son, came to the world, He also taught about the kingdom of heaven and final judgment using many parables such as the “parable of the Net.” In this parable, Jesus used the figures of speech to personify many objects: 1) Fishermen represent God; 2) The net is the church that God uses today as an instrument to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ; 3) The lake represents the world with all kinds of people; 4) “When the net was full, the fishermen pulled it up” determines the end of age; 5) Good fish are the righteous; bad ones are the wicked; 6) The basket is heaven while the fiery furnace represents hell. Based on our conscience, if there are good and evil, judgment and rewards, then there must be places called heaven and hell. The Bible said God created heaven for His children and hell for the devil and his angels. The Bible describes heaven is a place that has no more tear, no more death, no more mourning, crying or pain. It’s a beautiful place that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. Heaven is the place where God reigns forever and ever; but hell is pictured as a dark “garbage dump” where worm does not die. Hell is a fiery lake of burning sulfur that is never quenched. The people live in hell will be tormented to the point of weeping and gnashing of teeth day and night. The bottom-line question is always “Am I righteous before God?” According to God’s standards, there is no one righteous, not even one because all were born as sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We all need God’s grace and not our good works. God’s grace has been given freely through the blood of His Son to provide the forgiveness of sins, to save us from God’s wrath, and to make us becoming the righteousness of God. The bottom-line answer is always about “through faith in the person of Christ alone, one is saved.” Do you understand the meaning of the parable of the net? Will you “RSVP” to the invitation of Jesus today? |
Overcoming the Antichrist
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Sunday, July 11, 2010 Christians are waiting for the greatest, unexpected, and sudden moment when the church will be “raptured” in the air to meet Christ. After the rapture, the 7-year of tribulation will begin. At the beginning of the tribulation week, a wicked dictator called “anti-christ” will appear. In Revelation 6:1-2, he is symbolized as a rider of a white horse, imitating Christ Who will one day return on a white horse with His heavenly armies. Why do we need to learn about the “anti-christ?” So that we can identify him and would never be deceived to take his “666” mark on our hand or forehead. What does the Bible speak about his names and titles? In Daniel 7:19-25, he is “another horn” emerging from a kingdom that has 10 kings. In Thessalonians 2:3-4, “anti-christ” has a title of a man of lawlessness. In Revelation 13:1-2, he is the beast who comes out of the sea having 7 heads and 10 horns. “Anti-christ” has a charisma and oral skill to deceive the whole world with false prosperity and peace. His plan is to persuade and dominate the apostate church that Jesus called a “harlot” for a short time before setting up his own one-world religious system. He will control the world by establishing the one-world government and economy systems. No one can buy or sell without his implanted “electronic” mark under the skin of the hand or forehead. Along with false prophets, he has the power to do miracles, signs and wonders to deceive everyone. His main purpose is to acquire power and turn people away from God, directing worship toward himself just as satan always desires to have. We must put all the puzzles together to identify the right “anti-christ.” The 7 kings point to the old Roman empire. “The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king” is the “anti-christ” who will reactivate the evil/satanic Roman kingdom. No one can make war against him and win. The only way that you can be victorious over this beast is if you are on the side of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Which side are you on now? |
The Church Rapture
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Sunday, July 04, 2010 Let’s first review some of the truths leading to the great tribulation: 1) The mystery of the seventy-weeks in Daniel 9:23-27 is the “backbone;” 2) The first 69-weeks were already fulfilled; 3) There is a “gap” between the 69th and 70th weeks until a certain number of gentiles come to God (Romans 11:25); and 4) There are at least 4 hints that will occur before the 70th week (Matthew 24:3-8). These are the increase in knowledge; the fig tree; the appearances of false christs; and the intensities of wars and disasters. Many Bible scholars believe that there will be another phenomenon that will happen right before the “seven year of tribulation” called the church rapture. The strongest fact supporting the Pre-tribulation is if the events prophesized in the book of Revelation will occur chronologically. So how will the rapture of the church happen? 1) The dead in Christ will be raised first then the living saints to meet Him in the air. We will be raised with a glorified and incorruptible body that nothing can constraint us any more. 2) The rapture will happen unexpectedly. 3) The rapture will occur suddenly that there is no time to repent. 4) Jesus only receives His church during the rapture; the rest will be left behind. So the most important question is not when the rapture will occur, but are you a part of His church? You may ask how do I know? Has Jesus Christ shed His blood to cleanse all your sins? For anyone who admits himself a sinner, repents, and accepts Christ as his Savior then that person is a part of Jesus’ church. Is Jesus Christ your only Lord and Savior because He will not raise a monster? Let’s making sure that you become a part of His church by Jesus’ blood alone and not just a name on the church member list. You can become His church today if you do not procrastinate any longer. Only you, yourself, can determine your future if you can be raised to meet Christ in the air or left behind. |
Be Faithful Unto the End
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Sunday, June 27, 2010 Have you done a spiritual check-up lately? How would you define “faithfulness?” Note that it has the word “faith” in it. Faithfulness begins with the faith in God Who is faithful in keeping His promises. To be faithful, we must learn to control our fleshly desires by depending on the Holy Spirit to help. The Spirit will nurture and remind us with God’s word and our responsibilities/commitments to His church. The Spirit also helps us to develop a spiritual self-disciplined lifestyle. What can we learn about discipline in a life of an athlete? An athlete routinely works out each day to keep himself in perfect condition for competitions. What are something we should discipline to do the same for our spiritual body? 1) Abide in Christ through daily devotion of meditating on the Word and prayer. The verb “meditate” means to ponder or to study on how to apply the learned truths into our life. According to John the apostle, by meditating and obeying the Word of God, we will avoid sinning. 2) Discipline ourselves in weekly worship and serving others. We must remember that we can be faithful because our God is faithful to His promises about the eternal rewards. Jesus once promised to the Smyrna church: “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Jesus was pleased with the Smyrna church because of their sufferings for His name’s sake. They were even willing to be poor and not bowed down to idols. Jesus encouraged them to be faithful because the testing time had a limit and then they would receive the crown of the eternal life. This is the best reward a Christian can obtain at the end of this age! Chase it! |
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