ORDER OF WORSHIP
Call To Worship
Psalm 98 : 4 – 6
4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
詩篇 98 : 4 – 6
4 全地都要向耶和華歡樂，要發起大聲歡呼歌頌！5 要用琴歌頌耶和華，用琴和詩歌的聲音歌頌他，6 用號和角聲在大君王耶和華面前歡呼！
Worship Through Songs
Good day dear people of God—beloved and treasured of the Lord.
In one of Jesus’ parables of the Kingdom, He likened it to a pearl of extraordinary exquisiteness and tremendous value. Commenting on this parable, John MacArthur Jr. wrote…
“In Jesus’ time, pearls were the equivalent of diamonds today. Well-formed pearls were as valuable as any precious gem. Pearls also made wealth very portable. If you had fine pearls, you owned a fortune. Free divers (working without scuba masks, wet suits, proper weights, or breathing apparatus) would gather them from dangerous depths in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean. Many died in such dives. Pearl divers would tie rocks to their bodies, take one long, deep breath, jump off the side of a boat, and scour the bottom mud for oysters.
A single pearl of perfection, size, and beauty could be of immense value. When Jesus said, “Do not . . . cast your pearls before swine” (Matt. 7:6), He was painting an absurd word picture to illustrate the folly of attempting to reason with people who clearly have nothing but contempt for the truth. Who would ever expect the lowest of unclean brute beasts to appreciate something as valuable as pearls?
This merchant sought fine pearls to sell because they were a reliable investment; they increased in value as time went by. As is true today, wise investors would diversify: put some money in the ground, some in pearls, some in real estate. The one thing smart investors did not typically do was put everything into one commodity.
In light of that, it is significant that in both of these parables [the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price] the main characters did precisely what most savvy investment advisors would strongly warn us against. The first man sold everything and bought one field. The second man sold everything and bought one pearl.”
As Jesus’ disciples and subjects of the Kingdom of God, we are to pray for its coming, rejoice in its arrival, and give up everything for its sake. Why? Because at the heart of the Kingdom, is the great King himself—Jesus Christ. He is the King who gives sight to the blind, life to the dead, and freedom for the captives. He is the God who condescends; the Master who serves; and the Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. As J.I. Packer wrote, “The kingdom arrived with Jesus; indeed, one might say that as Son of God incarnate, Jesus is the kingdom of God in person. His rule over Christians is regal in the full-blooded biblical sense, personal, direct, and absolute. His claims are the claims of God, overriding those of man. Yet his rule is not tyranny, for King Jesus is his people’s servant, their shepherd and champion, ordering all things for their protection and enrichment. “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).”
Let us then celebrate the good King and his great Kingdom as we pray with much sincerity and expectation ‘let your kingdom come’, and let it begin in us.
‘O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.’*
In your name and for your glory, amen.
*[Thomas Chisholm]
Anthem
Be Unto Your Name
Scripture Reading
Matthew 13 : 44 – 46 (ESV)
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
馬 太 福 音 13 : 44 – 46 (CUV)
44 天 國 好 像 寶 貝 藏 在 地 裡 ， 人 遇 見 了 就 把 他 藏 起 來 ， 歡 歡 喜 喜 的 去 變 賣 一 切 所 有 的 ， 買 這 塊 地 。
45 天 國 又 好 像 買 賣 人 尋 找 好 珠 子 ，
46 遇 見 一 顆 重 價 的 珠 子 ， 就 去 變 賣 他 一 切 所 有 的 ， 買 了 這 顆 珠 子 。
Sermon
Rev. Alvin Rival
林國安傳道
Tithes And Offering
If you are led by the Lord to give for the purpose He has placed in your heart as a way of sharing your blessings or giving thanks to the Lord, kindly click here for more information.
Response Song
