ORDER OF WORSHIP
ANNOUNCEMENT
- Online Election: We will have an online deacon and deaconess election this coming November. Please read the guide and watch the how to video.
Call To Worship
Psalm 27 : 4
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.
詩篇 27 : 4
有一件事，我曾求耶和華，我仍要尋求，就是一生一世住在耶和華的殿中，瞻仰他的榮美，在他的殿裡求問。
Worship Through Songs
Good day saints of the living God—justified, sanctified, and sustained by the grace of our Heavenly Father through Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is a humorous quote that is attributed to the prolific 19th century evangelist D.L. Moody that ironically reveals a very prevalent tendency of many people to devalue a salvation that does not depend on their own merit. It goes, “I’m glad we are saved by grace and not by good works. Because I don’t want to sit in heaven and listen to everybody brag for eternity on how they got there.” Imagine for a moment that salvation was based on good works and human merit, then who is to say that we have done enough to earn it? Or that the things we have done that we assume should count in our favor, were actually done in a manner, motive and spirit that is perfectly acceptable to the thrice-Holy God who discerns the thoughts and intentions of our hearts? Or that at the end of the day, we who are but dust—completely dependent on God for life and breath and everything else—can be brazen enough to claim any achievement for our own when in fact all of our days and all of our strength are but gracious gifts from Heaven’s generous hand?
Jesus told a story in Luke 18 underscoring the only proper posture a sinner must take before God. “Imagine two men walking up a road, going to the temple to pray. One of them is a Pharisee and the other is a despised tax collector. Once inside the temple, the Pharisee stands up and prays this prayer in honor of himself: “God, how I thank You that I am not on the same level as other people—crooks, cheaters, the sexually immoral—like this tax collector over here. Just look at me! I fast not once but twice a week, and I faithfully pay my tithes on every penny of income.” Over in the corner, the tax collector begins to pray, but he won’t even lift his eyes to heaven. He pounds on his chest in sorrow and says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
Jesus then said that it was the tax collector who was forgiven and justified before the Lord, and not the Pharisee. For in acknowledging his guilt and unworthiness, he forsook any hope in his own goodness and threw himself under the mercy of the One he has egregiously offended. In contrast to the Pharisee who so verbosely catalogued the reasons why God should be impressed by him, the tax collector came clinging only to the hope that God’s goodness is big enough to cover a sinner like him. And while the outwardly ‘righteous’ went home still deluded of his own acceptability before God, it was the sinner who admitted that he has absolutely nothing with which to bargain before the Sovereign Lord of the universe–who threw himself at Mercy’s feet—that received pardon, restoration and acceptance before God.
In the same way, may we come to God as the tax collector came—not impressed by our own merit and goodness; but overflowing with awe and wonder of the only One who is truly good, and whose good heart is big enough to have room for sinners like us. All in Jesus’ name.
‘Lord God, You know us from the inside out, and there are no thoughts we can have that are not fully evident to You. Nor can we escape Your manifest presence; You are always with us. The realization of these truths would be overwhelming to us if it were not for the righteousness of Christ that was credited to us when we received the gift of new life through trust in His Person and work. In Him, we no longer need to hide from You or try to cover up our faults. Thank You for the holy relief of being able to approach Your throne of grace with confidence and open access in times of need. You have loved us with an everlasting love, and in Christ, nothing can separate us from that love because it is uncaused and unmerited by us. We thank You for the assurance that Your penetrating gaze purifies us as it invites us to live in the reality of our new identity in Your Son.’ *
In whose name we pray. Amen
* adapted from [Kenneth Boa]
Anthem
Indescribable
Scripture Reading
Matthew 20 : 1 – 16 (NKJV)
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’
8 “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For[d] many are called, but few chosen.”
馬 太 福 音 20 : 1 – 16
1 因 為 天 國 好 像 家 主 清 早 去 雇 人 進 他 的 葡 萄 園 做 工 ，
2 和 工 人 講 定 一 天 一 錢 銀 子 ， 就 打 發 他 們 進 葡 萄 園 去 。
3 約 在 巳 初 出 去 ， 看 見 市 上 還 有 閒 站 的 人 ，
4 就 對 他 們 說 ： 你 們 也 進 葡 萄 園 去 ， 所 當 給 的 ， 我 必 給 你 們 。 他 們 也 進 去 了 。
5 約 在 午 正 和 申 初 又 出 去 ， 也 是 這 樣 行 。
6 約 在 酉 初 出 去 ， 看 見 還 有 人 站 在 那 裡 ， 就 問 他 們 說 ： 你 們 為 甚 麼 整 天 在 這 裡 閒 站 呢 ？
7 他 們 說 ： 因 為 沒 有 人 雇 我 們 。 他 說 ： 你 們 也 進 葡 萄 園 去 。
8 到 了 晚 上 ， 園 主 對 管 事 的 說 ： 叫 工 人 都 來 ， 給 他 們 工 錢 ， 從 後 來 的 起 ， 到 先 來 的 為 止 。
9 約 在 酉 初 雇 的 人 來 了 ， 各 人 得 了 一 錢 銀 子 。
10 及 至 那 先 雇 的 來 了 ， 他 們 以 為 必 要 多 得 ； 誰 知 也 是 各 得 一 錢 。
11 他 們 得 了 ， 就 埋 怨 家 主 說 ：
12 我 們 整 天 勞 苦 受 熱 ， 那 後 來 的 只 做 了 一 小 時 ， 你 竟 叫 他 們 和 我 們 一 樣 麼 ？
13 家 主 回 答 其 中 的 一 人 說 ： 朋 友 ， 我 不 虧 負 你 ， 你 與 我 講 定 的 不 是 一 錢 銀 子 麼 ？
14 拿 你 的 走 罷 ！ 我 給 那 後 來 的 和 給 你 一 樣 ， 這 是 我 願 意 的 。
15 我 的 東 西 難 道 不 可 隨 我 的 意 思 用 麼 ？ 因 為 我 作 好 人 ， 你 就 紅 了 眼 麼 ？
16 這 樣 ， 那 在 後 的 ， 將 要 在 前 ； 在 前 的 ， 將 要 在 後 了 。 （ 有 古 卷 在 此 有 ： 因 為 被 召 的 人 多 ， 選 上 的 人 少 。 ）
Sermon
Rev. Stephen G. Tan
中文翻譯
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,
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Response Song
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