ORDER OF WORSHIP
Call To Worship
Psalm 107 : 1, 8
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind.
詩篇 107 : 1, 8
1「你們要稱謝耶和華，因他本為善，他的慈愛永遠長存！」8 但願人因耶和華的慈愛和他向人所行的奇事都稱讚他！
Worship Through Songs
Good day People of God, beloved of the Lord. We welcome another week in the joy from God that is our strength.
Speaking about worshiping our awesome and beautiful God, J.D. Greear wrote, “True worship begins with fear. It doesn’t end there, but that’s where it starts. God’s tender mercy As Israel trembled before God’s awesome size and absolute holiness, a voice spoke to them from the mountain, giving them these tender words:
“You have seen . . . how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself . . . [You are] my treasured possession . . . I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of . . . slavery. (Exodus 19: 4– 5; 20: 2)”
… I love that word treasure. God calls them His “treasured” possession. To treasure something means that you’d give up just about anything for it. If I found out my children had contracted some rare disease, and their only hope was an expensive medicine that insurance would not pay for, I would sell everything I had to get that medicine for them. Why? Because I treasure them. The Mighty God of the universe, the God who has everything and lacks nothing, calls a helpless, guilty people His “treasure.” He heard their cries, entered their pain, and rescued them. There is only one word I can think of to describe a God so absolutely perfect that one sin in His presence leads to immediately annihilation yet so tender in His compassion that He enters into our pain rescue us: beautiful.”
It is utterly amazing, almost unbelievable, to think that God Almighty, Most High and Most Holy, should set his affection on, or even just be mindful of, ‘nobodies’ like us—that we, who have altogether become worthless to him because of our sin, should be recipients of the Lord’s tender mercies and redeeming love. A love that is not mere sentiment or good intentions alone but love that painfully pledged its covenant with the out-poured blood of the Lamb of God on the cross. What is man that you are mindful of him? the Psalmist asked—and, taking the query a whole level deeper and a lot more personal, we may add, What are sinful men, that you should give your Son to save us so? Indeed, why would our Lord Jesus Christ give up his throne in heaven for a cross in Golgotha; and give up unbroken blissful communion with the Father for utter rejection, and the brimming cup of holy wrath that our sins rightfully deserve?
Child of God, if there be any doubts in your mind regarding the love of God, remember the cross where Jesus died—for it was not the nails that held him there, but love. Also remember the kind of death—lonely, extended, shameful and excruciating—that He went through to bring you back to God. Remember who it is that died that day—the Eternal Son of God through whom all things, including you, were made and who sustains all things in the universe, you included. Finally, remember how He won over sin and death, and rose again forever victorious—just as He promised; and that because of this, we can take all his other promises at his word, for nothing ever can make him break them, forget them, or take them back—absolutely nothing!
‘Since we have a great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God who has passed through the heavens from death into new life with God, let us hold tightly to our faith. For Jesus is not some high priest who has no sympathy for our weaknesses and flaws. He has already been tested in every way that we are tested; but He emerged victorious, without failing God. So let us step boldly to the throne of grace, where we can find mercy and grace to help when we need it most.’
Hebrews 4:14-16
Let us do exactly that today—draw near, in Jesus’ Name, and rest, not just at the foot of the throne of Almighty God, but in the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father.
‘Almighty God and Loving Heavenly Father. Our King and our Abba. We come to You today, humbled, grateful and in awe of who You are and what You do. We remember O Lord that the glory, the power, and the honor are yours, and yours alone. Thus, we lay aside any pretense or delusions of importance or worthiness before You as we ask You to help us truly understand what it means to say ‘without You, we can do nothing’. Yet in our ‘nothingness’, you reach out to us and lift us from the pit and crowned us with love and compassion. You raise us up, lift our heads, look into our eyes, and speak forgiveness and acceptance into our lives. You do all these things not because in ourselves we deserve them, but because of Christ and his finished work on the cross. Help us then to be gracious, merciful and loving to others, as You are to us—that we may reach out to bring mercy, healing, restoration and reconciliation to those around us, especially to those who need them most. In your grace, by your power, and in Christ’s Name. Amen.
Anthem
Love Will Be Our Home
Scripture Reading
Matthew 9 : 9 – 13
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
馬 太 福 音 9 : 9 – 13
9 耶 穌 從 那 裡 往 前 走 ， 看 見 一 個 人 名 叫 馬 太 ， 坐 在 稅 關 上 ， 就 對 他 說 ： 你 跟 從 我 來 。 他 就 起 來 跟 從 了 耶 穌 。
10 耶 穌 在 屋 裡 坐 席 的 時 候 ， 有 好 些 稅 吏 和 罪 人 來 ， 與 耶 穌 和 他 的 門 徒 一 同 坐 席 。
11 法 利 賽 人 看 見 ， 就 對 耶 穌 的 門 徒 說 ： 你 們 的 先 生 為 甚 麼 和 稅 吏 並 罪 人 一 同 吃 飯 呢 ？
12 耶 穌 聽 見 ， 就 說 ： 康 健 的 人 用 不 著 醫 生 ， 有 病 的 人 才 用 得 著 。
13 經 上 說 ： 我 喜 愛 憐 恤 ， 不 喜 愛 祭 祀 。 這 句 話 的 意 思 ， 你 們 且 去 揣 摩 。 我 來 本 不 是 召 義 人 ， 乃 是 召 罪 人 。
Sermon
Dr. Ricky Recodo:
中文翻譯:
Tithes And Offering
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Response Song
