Category: Messages & Scripture

Certainty of Resurrection of Believers
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
By Wong

Previously covered: Sanctification

Theme: Practical Christian Living in relation to the Lord’s Return
Reflect our position as children of the glorious God
Living forthright Lord
We are closer to His coming than ever before

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” ~‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4:13-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Daily expectation of the early church looking for Christ’s coming in their lifetime & this expectation continued in believers till this day.
The Lord is indeed coming
Do not turn your back away from this precious blessed hope

The sequence of resurrection
The Thessalonians Christians were all convinced about the coming of Christ for them
“But what happened to the dead in Christ?”

The certainty of Christian hope
We have hope when our loved ones in Christ are taken away from us in death
If we realise the hopelessness of unbelievers, we will no longer be ashamed or inconvenient to share the Gospel
Compared to the blessedness of believers having wonderful hope of living gloriously in the kingdom of God reunited with God & loved ones

How certain is our hope? (v14)
The coming of Christ for His own is as certain as the death & resurrection of Christ Himself
Greatest miracle in our lives has already happened when we believed in Christ saving us from our spiritual death

Loving His Appearing
Belief ➡️ Behavior
Love His appearing 🔄 Love for Him
▶️ Love for Him ▶️ Precious is the Truth

Those who are asleep in Christ
Death = Asleep (for believers)
“To be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord”

The time of Resurrection
“What is going to happen to our loved ones who have gone before us in death?” (v15-17)
Raised in resurrected body immortal & incorruptible without decay

Parallel passage = 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” ~‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:51-53 ‭NIV‬‬

Church viewpoint: Pre-tribulation + Pre-millennial
Rapture: coming for the saints
2nd coming: coming with the saints

The coming of Christ for His church,
From Earth to heaven
⬆️
The Shout of Command
The Voice of the Archangel
The Trump of God
Note: Not Donald Trump

Trumpet of deliverance, grace & mercy

Meeting the Lord in the air (v17)
With the Lord forever
“… But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” ~‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:2-3 ‭NIV‬‬

Where Christ is, there will be heaven
Not important where but whom we are with

The comfort of the Lord’s Return (v18)
Assurance that those who have died in Christ have not missed the resurrection

The challenge of the Truth
The preciousness of the truth of the Lord’s return depends on our personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ
Experience Christ daily, fresh like His mercies & grace
Love sanctified lives, set apart for the holy use of God until He comes again
We need a daily experience with God
Lord’s supper taken week after week, not as a ritual, but a reminder that Christ is coming back for us

FYI: Ruminations sent out weekly before Sunday. To make use thoughts & allow Holy Spirit to help you to take part

Prayer Request: grand-niece age 5 suffered stroke & in ICU. Pray recovery, no brain damage & left side unaffected.

Ezekiel 18
By Ung

Part 1a: The Proverb of Father’s Sour Grapes (Jun 19, 2016)

Individual responsibility & righteousness

Case 1: The righteous father who does right (Ezekiel 18:5-9)
Case 2: The rebellious son of a righteous father (Ezekiel 18:10-13)
Case 3: The righteous son of a riotous father (Ezekiel 18:14-18)

1. The law governing repentance (18:19-23)
– Can a righteous son redeem his riotous father?
No (and vice versa no)
– Repentant sinner can live
– Resolves to do God’s law
– Results: he shall surely live & not die
– Safe by works? No
– God rejoices when a sinner repents

2. The law governing rebellion (apostasy) (18:24)
– The “righteous” man who turns back & continues in his past sin
– The sad condition: none of his righteous deeds will be remembered
– Consequence: the man will die – there had been no redemption
– Can a Christian lose his salvation? No. Must rise above religious ritual righteousness
– Can a Christian turn apostate? No. They gave the appearance but were never Christians.

3. The Logical Review (18:25-32)
– God’s challenge & rebuke
– God’s law concerning rebellion
– God’s law condoning the repentant sinner: just & fair
– Livid repetition & emphasis – God’s way is just & man’s way is unjust
– God’s plan

• Repent
• Remove
• Receive
• Reflect
• Recognise
• Resolve

Relevant Qs for Today

Q: What can righteousness in Ezekiel mean?
Outward ceremonial religiousness of person (not necessarily referring righteousness we receive from God)

Q: What can “die” mean?
“but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”” -‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:17

Q: Can a Christian lose his standing in Christ?
Hands grasping you. Permanently saved. You cannot be snatched out by force.

Q: Can a “Christian” apostatise?
A Christian is born again
Can an unborn Christian be unborn?
Matthew 7:21-23

Summary: Individual responsibility & righteousness

Nehemiah 13
By Wong

Reconstruction of the wall
Restoration of the people of God

Wall = physical + spiritual security
Keep enemies out + People spiritually fit
God requires His people to live holy lives

Believers experience a need to be renewed every day
Then, God supplied manna to Jewish people
Today, God gives grace to us daily

“And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.” -‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭12:43‬ ‭NIV‬

Jewish people respond fervently when God’s Word is revealed
Wrong has very serious implications
Eg. Cutting off foreigners from amongst them

Separation causes
• Intermarriage
• Intruder staying in temple

Tithes no longer functioning
Priests had to go out to work
Promise to submit to the Word
Promise to support God’s work
Promise to keep the Sabbath
God is not making people poorer but to regulate various appears

“Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.” -‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭13:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Nehemiah not looking at the present but the future

God doesn’t forget us.
But instead asks us to look towards Him.
Nehemiah obeyed God to the very end.
Whatever we do must be in serving God

Christ in the OT – Part 4
By Dr Lai

In the midst of darkness, there is a light

Latter Prophets
• Major Prophets (Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel)
• Minor Prophets (Hosea; Joel; Amos;…; Malachi)

Prophets sent by God to speak to His people
Priests representing men to speak to God

Prophets speak on
• Local situation
• Things that will happen in the future
• Given vision of the coming messiah

Snapshots on Christ given through Prophets
Israel strongest during David’s time
Broke into N & S kingdom
N & S kingdom exiled
Until today the “hottest” place on earth

Obadiah

“Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.”
‭‭Obadiah‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Christ will come as King of Jerusalem
INIR (Latin) – Jesus of Nazereth King of the Jews

Joel

““And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
‭‭Joel‬ ‭2:28‬ ‭NIV

Pour out his Spirit on all people

Jonah

“He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:39-40‬ ‭NIV‬

Amos
Seek Me & live
Acts 15:15f
Amos asked people to come back to God
God including the Gentiles in His kingdom

Hosea
Warn them to turn back before disaster
Death given a death blow by Christ

Isaiah

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Micah
““But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.””
‭‭Micah‬ ‭5:2

Nahum
“Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.”
‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭NIV‬
How beautiful is the one who brings good news

Zephaniah
“On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.””
‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3:16-17‬ NIV

Habakkuk
““See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness —”
‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭2:4‬ ‭NIV
Who will survive?
The righteous will live by faith

Jeremiah
“In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭23:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When God sees us believe in Jesus, he sees us as righteous

Lamentations
““Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me, that the Lord brought on me in the day of his fierce anger?”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Can be used to also represent Christ on the cross

Prophets after exile:
Daniel

Ezekiel
“I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭34:23-24‬ ‭NIV

Back from exile

Haggai
“I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
‭‭Haggai‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Zechariah
“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭9:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Malachi
““I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.”
‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Bible not a history book but will tell us what will happen.

World is dark but light as Christ is coming again

“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭2:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Focus on Christ: Philippians 3
By Khai

We cannot focus on 2 things at once

“It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.” ~Albert Einstein

• “Finally” (NIV: “further”)
• “Come we see”
“Lest we forget”
The focus is on Christ!
• Rejoice in the Lord – in our heart
• Joy is in God (not work, service, etc) as all else will fail
• Take eyes off Christ & sink (re: Peter
• Watch out! Beware! 3x in KJV (emphasised)
• Circumcision… Of the heart
• Worship = Service
24×7 in whatever capacity, in all you do
• V3: Trinity seen
• Jews proud people knowing chosen by God; rich heritage; both parents Jews (born with – not by action)
• Pharisees religious people who wanted to please God… but astray
• V7-8: “consider” repeatedly & came to conclusion “count them… everything… a loss… because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ”
• Justification = righteousness from Christ
• V10: I want to know Christ – It’s all about Christ
• Does Paul not know Christ after ~30years? Paul still wants to know Christ even more!
• Resurrection power (dynamite!); suffering participation; Christ-like death (baptism); resurrection
• Willing & want to participate in His suffering. Not to add to His suffering… but to know & follow Him
• To die is gain as doesn’t end with death but attaining resurrection in body, spirit & soul
• Resurrection EX-anastasis (the out- resurrection) from the dead (Greek)
• Work out our salvation – needing to do our part for the salvation God has given to us
• Beginning to end… concentration on finishing line (like Olympic 100m runners)
• Forget what is beside you or holding you back. Be like a horse with blinkers.

• V15: mature Christian should be thinking as such
• If doesn’t make sense, God will make it clear to you
• V17: Paul exhorts us to follow examples & being careful to be an example; to mentors others & be role model
• Proud of & having goals in things they should be ashamed of
• We are all aliens (Still important as we preach & want to bring people along with us or heaven)
• Eagerly awaiting the victorious one

References
Bible verse

Jesus Heals the Bleeding Woman & Paul Praising God for Pressures
By Cheah

Woman suffered bleeding for 12 years

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:43-48‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

– Not just a matter of health but society’s acceptance
– Touch different even though among crowds
– Touch of faith
– Healing happened because of faith
– If we want to see wonders we need to trust & have faith in Him
– Wanted public confession from this woman
– Important that the cure be known publicly
– Referred tenderly as “daughter”
– Had spent all her livelihood on cures

Paul Praising God for Pressures

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” (‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:3-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

– Face adversity with intensity
– V3: ALL comfort (bleeding woman who could find no comfort VS God who provides all comfort)
– Many, many “alls” in our Bible…

7 Godly Reasons for Pressure
I. Pressures let us discover the God of all comfort
II. Pressures allows us to comfort others like how God comforts us
III. Develops in us the quality of endurance
IV. Pressures mature our faith rely on God not ourselves (Our spectacular God of the impossible!)
V. Pressure cultivates in us the quality of hope
VI. Pressures spur us to prayer & recruit others to prayer
VII. Pressures leads us to thanksgiving as God listens & answers

We can come to God in all our troubles & challenges in life.

Galatians 3
By Johnny

“My word is my bond

I. God’s enduring promise: the origin
God’s promises will be kept

“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

II. God’s enduring promise: the confirmation
Covenant > agreement (irrevocable)
To be fulfilled – nothing: no one can stop

III. God’s enduring promise & explanation
As if God promised us like Abraham
God’s promise is resilient
The messainic law did not void the covenant
God’s promise is amazing
Why are gifts given? Relationship
Greatest gift of salvation

“Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Revealed Man
All of us guilty & unable to keep the law
Justified by faith, made right by God

Christlikeness by Sinnappan

Topic that bothers & haunts the speaker?!
The only way to attain Christlikeness is to keep going forward
There will be many obstacles along the way

Christlikeness = live like Jesus

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

1. Excellent relationship with men & God the father (Luke 2:52; Matthew 17:5; John 8:29)

2. Prayer Life (Luke 5:16; John 17; Luke 23)

3. Compassion – relationship & concern for others (Matthe w 9:36)

4. Devotion to the Word (Matthew 4:4; John 17:17)

5. Holy, pure & righteous (Collosians 1:21-22; Hebrews 1:9; John 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Let the Beauty of Jesus
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
All His wondrous compassion and purity
O Thou Spirit Divinr all my nature refine
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me

1 Thessalonians 3-4
By Wong
Theme: Practical Christian Living
In relation to the Lord’s return

Recap nearby chapters:
Ch 1: salvation in relation to the Lord’s coming
Ch 2: service in relation to the Lord’s coming
Ch 3: sanctification set apart to be holy in the coming of the Lord
Ch 4: certainty of resurrection
Ch 5: security of the believer in the days of the wrath of the God

The good news from Thessalonica
• Being a Christian could cost us everything
• We can trust God to do what we cannot do

1) Perfecting that which is lacking
Paul not looking at absolute perfection
But to be completely equipped to continue a journey or perform a task

The sermon on the mount is NOT an ideal list of perfection
God is absolutely perfect

2) Sanctification the will of God
• The Christian life is progressive
• It must be growing towards Christlikeness
• Set apart for holy use (more importantly set aside for God)
• Worshipping a Holy God demands the worshipper to live a holy life

3) A challenge to balanced living
• … Your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business & work with your hands
• Answer to the problem of restlessness & wanting to seek attention
• Often mistaken as being zealous for the Lord
• (Not) a compulsive urge to set other people right in their own sight & forgetting to take care of their own problems first
• We serve not only man, but God. Our occupation becomes a powerful sermon when it is done with honesty, diligence & faithfulness
• Our lives are sermons that daily draw others to Jesus or push them away from Him
• How we work is as crucial as how we pray

Summary
• A holy life – free from immorality
• A harmonious life – always increasing in brotherly love
• An honest life – living quietly, minding your own business, working with our own hands