ORDER OF WORSHIP
ANNOUNCEMENT
Call To Worship
Psalm 100: 1 – 5
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
詩篇 100 : 1 – 5
1 普天下當向耶和華歡呼！2 你們當樂意侍奉耶和華，當來向他歌唱！3 你們當曉得耶和華是神，我們是他造的，也是屬他的，我們是他的民，也是他草場的羊。4 當稱謝進入他的門，當讚美進入他的院，當感謝他，稱頌他的名！5 因為耶和華本為善，他的慈愛存到永遠，他的信實直到萬代。
Worship Through Songs
Good day beloved family of God—purchased by the blood of the Lamb and clothed in the righteousness of God’s perfect Son.
Jesus Christ stands unique among all the great men of history. In terms of a lasting and continuing impact—both on societies at large, as well as on individual lives—no other figure can even come close. As the piece ‘The Incomparable Christ’ concluded, “This man stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed by God, acknowledged by angels, adored by his people, and feared by demons as the risen Lord and Savior”. There has never been anyone like him nor will there ever be. He stands supremely and majestically alone.
Yet, as Dane Ortlund in his book Gentle and Lowly, aptly pointed out, “When we take the Gospels as a whole and consider the composite picture given to us of who Jesus is, what stands out most strongly?
Yes, he is the fulfillment of the Old Testament hopes and longings (Matt. 5:17). Yes, he is one whose holiness causes even his friends to fall down in fear, aware of their sinfulness (Luke 5:8). Yes, he is a mighty teacher, one whose authority outstripped even that of the religious PhDs of the day (Mark 1:22). To diminish any of these is to step outside of vital historic orthodoxy. But the dominant note left ringing in our ears after reading the Gospels, the most vivid and arresting element of the portrait, is the way the Holy Son of God moves toward, touches, heals, embraces, and forgives those who least deserve it yet truly desire it …
And what did he do when he saw the unclean? What was his first impulse when he came across prostitutes and lepers? He moved toward them. Pity flooded his heart, the longing of true compassion. He spent time with them. He touched them. We all can testify to the humaneness of touch. A warm hug does something warm words of greeting alone cannot. But there is something deeper in Christ’s touch of compassion. He was reversing the Jewish system. When Jesus, the Clean One, touched an unclean sinner, Christ did not become unclean. The sinner became clean … Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry was one of giving back to undeserving sinners their humanity.”
As Graham Kendrick’s song Meekness and Majesty beautifully conveys,
Wisdom unsearchable,
God the invisible,
Love indestructible
In frailty appears.
Lord of infinity,
Stooping so tenderly,
Lifts our humanity
To the heights of His throne.
It is truly amazing to consider the heights from which our Lord Jesus Christ stooped down to rescue us. That though He was rich, for our sakes, He became ‘poor’ so that through his ‘poverty’, we might become rich towards God. For He who knew no sin, became sin for us, that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Losing his life to seek and save the lost, the Paragon of Purity drank the dregs of our degradation—so that, receiving the wrath that we rightfully deserved, He lavished on us the love we certainly did not.
God’s infinite power and utter holiness may cause us to tremble and cower in fear, yet his glory displayed in the face of Jesus Christ—full of grace and mercy—infuses our reverence with rapturous adoration and child-like affection, overwhelming our hearts with gratitude and worship for the God-Man who loved us and humbly gave his life for us.
“Lord God, just as Your beloved Son served us, I want to do the same for others. The more I grasp my new identity and dignity in Christ, the more free I become to serve others even when they do not reciprocate, and the less I am in the bondage of being defined by people’s opinions and expectations. As I let You (and not people) define me, I am liberated to serve them, because I know who I am in Christ and have nothing to prove. May I grow in my spiritual apprehension of my identity in Christ, and may I invite the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit to make it possible to be truly other-centered. Teach me to develop a vision for what You are doing in the lives of others, and give me joy in helping them mature and reach their potential.”*
That I may serve You by serving them. That in forgetting myself, and being mindful only of You, I will, not only enjoy a secure sense of identity, but in true and cheerful humility, reach out to the lost, broken, and weary—just as You did…just as You continue to do. For Jesus’ sake, amen. *[Kenneth Boa]
Anthem
Above All
Scripture Reading
James 2 : 14 – 26
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
雅 各 書 2 : 14 – 26
14 我 的 弟 兄 們 ， 若 有 人 說 自 己 有 信 心 ， 卻 沒 有 行 為 ， 有 甚 麼 益 處 呢 ？ 這 信 心 能 救 他 麼 ？
15 若 是 弟 兄 或 是 姐 妹 ， 赤 身 露 體 ， 又 缺 了 日 用 的 飲 食 ；
16 你 們 中 間 有 人 對 他 們 說 ： 「 平 平 安 安 的 去 罷 ！ 願 你 們 穿 得 暖 ， 吃 得 飽 」 ； 卻 不 給 他 們 身 體 所 需 用 的 ， 這 有 甚 麼 益 處 呢 ？
17 這 樣 ， 信 心 若 沒 有 行 為 就 是 死 的 。
18 必 有 人 說 ： 「 你 有 信 心 ， 我 有 行 為 ； 你 將 你 沒 有 行 為 的 信 心 指 給 我 看 ， 我 便 藉 著 我 的 行 為 ， 將 我 的 信 心 指 給 你 看 。 」
19 你 信 神 只 有 一 位 ， 你 信 的 不 錯 ； 鬼 魔 也 信 ， 卻 是 戰 驚 。
20 虛 浮 的 人 哪 ， 你 願 意 知 道 沒 有 行 為 的 信 心 是 死 的 麼 ？
21 我 們 的 祖 宗 亞 伯 拉 罕 把 他 兒 子 以 撒 獻 在 壇 上 ， 豈 不 是 因 行 為 稱 義 麼 ？
22 可 見 ， 信 心 是 與 他 的 行 為 並 行 ， 而 且 信 心 因 著 行 為 才 得 成 全 。
23 這 就 應 驗 經 上 所 說 ： 「 亞 伯 拉 罕 信 神 ， 這 就 算 為 他 的 義 。 」 他 又 得 稱 為 神 的 朋 友 。
24 這 樣 看 來 ， 人 稱 義 是 因 著 行 為 ， 不 是 單 因 著 信 。
25 妓 女 喇 合 接 待 使 者 ， 又 放 他 們 從 別 的 路 上 出 去 ， 不 也 是 一 樣 因 行 為 稱 義 麼 ？
26 身 體 沒 有 靈 魂 是 死 的 ， 信 心 沒 有 行 為 也 是 死 的 。
Sermon
Dr. Ricky Recodo
中文翻譯
Tithes And Offering
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Response Song
