ANNOUNCEMENT
ORDER OF WORSHIP
Call To Worship
Psalm 146 : 1 – 2
1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. 2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
詩篇 146 : 1 – 2
1 你們要讚美耶和華！我的心哪，你要讚美耶和華！ 2 我一生要讚美耶和華，我還活的時候要歌頌我的神。
Worship Through Songs
Good day children of the Living God—citizens of heaven and heirs of the glorious resurrection promise in Jesus Christ.
Resurrection Sunday is the most important Christian holiday. Christianity rises or falls with the fact of Jesus’ Resurrection. No other claim is so central and foundational to our faith than that Jesus rose from the dead as He said He would. No degree of sincere belief can carry the Christian Faith, if Jesus, in actual historical fact, did not rise from the dead. Without the resurrection, our faith shrivels to nothing more than mere religious sentimentality and ethical philosophy. Believers all over the world and across the centuries have staked everything upon this one hope— convinced that no matter what befalls them in this life, the living, victorious Jesus has already secured a magnificent ending for their stories that is well worth the persecution and suffering: a glorious eternity in the presence of God.
The apostles themselves, who knew Jesus better than any other, were, according to tradition, mostly martyred. They died believing in the risen Christ. Sean Mcdowell, in his book The Fate of the Apostles, wrote, “The willingness of the apostles to suffer and die for their faith contributes significantly to resurrection research … the apostles sincerely believed it. They were not liars. As Blaise Pascal once said: “I only believe histories whose witnesses are ready to be put to death”. The apostles proclaimed the risen Jesus to skeptical and antagonistic audiences with full knowledge they would likely suffer and die for their beliefs. All the apostles suffered and were “ready to be put to death,” and we have good reason to believe some of them actually faced execution. There is no evidence they ever wavered. Their convictions were not based on secondhand testimony, but personal experience with the risen Jesus, whom they truly believed was the risen Messiah, banking their lives on it. It is difficult to imagine what more a group of ancient witnesses could have done to show greater depth of sincerity and commitment to the truth.”
This same sincere commitment and overwhelming drive made the apostle Paul—one of those martyred—in his letter to the Philippians, declare, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
As we celebrate the atoning death and victorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and consider what it all means, may we live in the shadow of two pivotal promises that He gave his followers—one, made on the night before his crucifixion, and the other, after He has risen from the dead—“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” …and… “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
May the Living Word of God, our risen Lord Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, make these promises take root and bear fruit in our lives as we, like the great cloud of witnesses around us, press on in Christ-driven passion and Godly confidence toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus—to him be the glory forever!
‘Eternal God and Loving Heavenly Father, we exalt and magnify You today. For your great power and might, we fall down in reverence. For your amazing mercy and kindness, we draw near in worship.
Lord, we ask for the wisdom we need to look to You for strength rather than relying on ourselves. We know we need to rest in Your strength and allow it to move through us. Our strength becomes depleted at times. Our strength runs out. But we want to live with the insight and wisdom that will enable us to rise up and live out our full destiny and purpose, Father. We want to know what it is to live victoriously in times of desperation or in seasons of doubt—like the times we are facing now. We want to overcome the obstacles the enemy hurls at us. Show us how we can do this in a way that honors You and enables us to get to know You at a deeper level than ever before. We love and adore You.
In Jesus’ name, we pray this prayer, asking to know You more through knowing Christ, the Wisdom and Power of God—who alone is our Light, our Strength, our Song. Amen.’ [adapted from Tony Evans]
Anthem
O Blessed Dawn of Easter’s Day
Scripture Reading
Matthew 16 : 13 – 17 (ESV)
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
馬 太 福 音 16 : 13 – 17 (CUV)
13 耶 穌 到 了 該 撒 利 亞 腓 立 比 的 境 內 ， 就 問 門 徒 說 ： 人 說 我 （ 有 古 卷 沒 有 我 字 ） 人 子 是 誰 ？
14 他 們 說 ： 有 人 說 是 施 洗 的 約 翰 ； 有 人 說 是 以 利 亞 ； 又 有 人 說 是 耶 利 米 或 是 先 知 裡 的 一 位 。
15 耶 穌 說 ： 你 們 說 我 是 誰 ？
16 西 門 彼 得 回 答 說 ： 你 是 基 督 ， 是 永 生 神 的 兒 子 。
17 耶 穌 對 他 說 ： 西 門 巴 約 拿 ， 你 是 有 福 的 ！ 因 為 這 不 是 屬 血 肉 的 指 示 你 的 ， 乃 是 我 在 天 上 的 父 指 示 的 。
Sermon
Rev. Vicente Sia
謝國智牧師
Baptism
Communion
Song of Reflection
English:
中文:
Tithes And Offering
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Benediction Song
