ORDER OF WORSHIP
ANNOUNCEMENT
Call To Worship
Psalm 121 : 1 – 2
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
詩篇 121 : 1 – 2
1 我要向山舉目。我的幫助從何而來？2 我的幫助從造天地的耶和華而來。
Worship Through Songs
Good day dear brothers and sisters in Christ—partakers of God’s unmerited grace and never-ending love in Jesus our Lord.
What does it mean to have faith in God? To live by it and not by sight? To have the assurance of things unseen: unseen as referring to things eternal and non-material; and unseen as referring to divine promises yet unfulfilled?
Many in the world today mistake faith for belief without evidence. As if the realm of faith and belief exists on a plane separate from the realm of fact and reality. Faith for them is merely a blind adherence to comforting tales devoid of any real substance—a psychological crutch for the weak. And so some mock what they do not understand, and dismiss what they claim to not see.
Yet the apostle Paul, seeing through the smokescreen, warned us in Romans chapter 1 that… “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” So that, as Psalm 14 reveals, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”, that as… “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”, sadly He finds that… “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
That is why the power of the gospel lies not merely in the conversion of people from one religious allegiance to another. Rather, it is in the infusion of the very life of God into our once dead and barren souls, spiritually bringing us to life—giving us new birth. And with the new birth comes a new mind with a new perspective; a new heart with new desires; and new eyes now open and able to see things previously unseen. In Christ, all things are made new—not always instantly, effortlessly, or dramatically, but new unmistakably.
Now, because of this new life in Christ, we can live by faith and not by sight. Now we can have the assurance that this world we live in is alive with the presence and providence of Almighty God who holds all things by the power of his Word. Now we can trust the character of our Heavenly Father—that, regardless of how things may appear now, what He decreed will come to pass, and what He promised, He will do. And thus, by faith in Christ, we can genuinely say with David in Psalm 25, “In you, YHWH, my God, I put my trust.”
‘Eternal God and Loving Heavenly Father,
We acknowledge and magnify You today. We declare your utter greatness and admit our complete dependence upon You. We live to see another sunrise only because You in your merciful providence decreed it so. You hold not only the whole world in your hands but every fiber of our being as well. You uphold us and You sustain us through the toughest storms, and for your Name’s sake delivered us from our troubles time and time again.
Father, help us to clearly see the reason for your salvation—that You might be glorified in your deliverance of us. Keep us from looking to other places and sources for help, for You alone are our help—the Maker of heaven and earth. And when things around us in this pandemic begin to improve, and we receive more and more answers to our prayers, may our hearts and our mouths boast only of You. For our deliverance is not by might, nor by power, but by the wonderful, mysterious working of your Spirit who is, even now, working through your people, accomplishing your sovereign purposes across the earth—until every people, nation, tribe, and tongue echo the praise of your glorious name. In the name of Jesus. Amen.’
Anthem
Lost In Wonder (You Chose the Cross)
Scripture Reading
Haggai 2 : 1 – 5
1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.
哈 該 書 2 : 1 – 5
1 七 月 二 十 一 日 ， 耶 和 華 的 話 臨 到 先 知 哈 該 說 ：
2 你 要 曉 諭 猶 大 省 長 撒 拉 鐵 的 兒 子 所 羅 巴 伯 和 約 撒 答 的 兒 子 大 祭 司 約 書 亞 ， 並 剩 下 的 百 姓 ， 說 ：
3 你 們 中 間 存 留 的 ， 有 誰 見 過 這 殿 從 前 的 榮 耀 呢 ？ 現 在 你 們 看 著 如 何 ？ 豈 不 在 眼 中 看 如 無 有 麼 ？
4 耶 和 華 說 ： 所 羅 巴 伯 啊 ， 雖 然 如 此 ， 你 當 剛 強 ！ 約 撒 答 的 兒 子 大 祭 司 約 書 亞 啊 ， 你 也 當 剛 強 ！ 這 地 的 百 姓 ， 你 們 都 當 剛 強 作 工 ， 因 為 我 與 你 們 同 在 。 這 是 萬 軍 之 耶 和 華 說 的 。
5 這 是 照 著 你 們 出 埃 及 我 與 你 們 立 約 的 話 。 那 時 ， 我 的 靈 住 在 你 們 中 間 ， 你 們 不 要 懼 怕 。
Sermon
Rev. Terrence Lim
林克舜牧師
Tithes And Offering
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Response Song
