ORDER OF WORSHIP
Call To Worship
Psalm 103 : 1 – 2
1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
詩篇 103 : 1 – 2
1我的心哪，你要稱頌耶和華；凡在我裡面的，也要稱頌他的聖名！2 我的心哪，你要稱頌耶和華，不可忘記他的一切恩惠。
Worship Through Songs
Good day precious flock of our Good Shepherd—recipients of unfathomable grace and inexhaustible mercy.
This world we live in is broken. Human history is marked with the affliction of much that is decaying, dysfunctional and destructive in the world. Yet according to the Biblical story, it was not always so. God made all things good and made humans very good. The original goodness was marred by our fall from grace when our forebears chose to reject God’s will and delusively imposed themselves as masters of their own lives. And we have sadly followed their path ever since. Our rebellion broke this world and released a cursed Pandora’s box of evil and suffering upon it and ourselves. Paradise was lost.
God, being holy and just, cannot therefore tolerate sin, and if He exercised his divine prerogative and brought down unmitigated justice upon us, then He would be right, and good, in doing so. But as the Bible so wonderfully declares in different times and different ways, ‘the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.’ [Psalm 103] But, ‘Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’[Lamentations 3] For, ‘Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry for ever but delight to show mercy.’ [Micah 7] Indeed, ‘If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.’ [Psalm 130]
Thus, the Biblical story flows from beginning to end highlighting, by the dark backdrop of sin’s utter dreadfulness, the magnificent magnanimity of God. Salvation history finds its triumphant climax in the death and resurrection of the God-Incarnate Jesus Christ. Christ, whose blood not only covers, but takes all our sin away. Christ, whose death conquered death itself and whose resurrection established the foundation of Paradise recovered. Christ, the image of the invisible merciful God whose compassion never fail and whose faithfulness exceeds the heavens’ heights. Yes, though our sins may be many, yet in Christ his mercy is so much more. Praise the Lord!
‘King of the Universe and merciful Heavenly Father,
We exalt You this day. We declare your worthiness to receive honor and power and wisdom and might. You are the High and Lofty One who inhabits Eternity, yet You are our dear Abba, who embraces us with tenderness and kindness.
Your Word said that rare is the man who would die for another—though perhaps for someone good and worthy, others would probably dare to die. Yet, wonder of wonders, You demonstrated your own love for unworthy sinners such as us by sending Jesus, your Son, to lay down his life to ransom ours. When we were totally of no worth to You, You gave your best and highest and purest.
What can we say in honor of such graciousness? What can we do in light of such mercy? Teach us to consider our lives as not our own—to remember that we have been bought with the precious blood of Christ—that we may learn to live our lives for your honor and pleasure. Teach us also to number our days—to remember that life is short and limited—that we may learn to spend our days wisely invested in eternal things, and not on the trivial distractions of the world. Give us the power to understand the width and the length; the height and the depth of your love for us in Jesus, that we may live life secured and immersed; infused and enabled by this love that never changes, never gives up, and never runs out.
We praise You once more, for your mercy and for your grace. Grant us the heart to extend to others what You have so generously extended to us.
For the sake of Christ. Amen.’
Anthem
Oh, the Glory of Your Presence
Scripture Reading
Matthew 18 : 21 – 35 (ESV)
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
馬 太 福 音 18 : 21 – 35 (ESV)
21 那 時 ， 彼 得 進 前 來 ， 對 耶 穌 說 ： 主 阿 ， 我 弟 兄 得 罪 我 ， 我 當 饒 恕 他 幾 次 呢 ？ 到 七 次 可 以 麼 ？
22 耶 穌 說 ： 我 對 你 說 ， 不 是 到 七 次 ， 乃 是 到 七 十 個 七 次 。
23 天 國 好 像 一 個 王 要 和 他 僕 人 算 賬 。
24 才 算 的 時 候 ， 有 人 帶 了 一 個 欠 一 千 萬 銀 子 的 來 。
25 因 為 他 沒 有 甚 麼 償 還 之 物 ， 主 人 吩 咐 把 他 和 他 妻 子 兒 女 ， 並 一 切 所 有 的 都 賣 了 償 還 。
26 那 僕 人 就 俯 伏 拜 他 ， 說 ： 主 阿 ， 寬 容 我 ， 將 來 我 都 要 還 清 。
27 那 僕 人 的 主 人 就 動 了 慈 心 ， 把 他 釋 放 了 ， 並 且 免 了 他 的 債 。
28 那 僕 人 出 來 ， 遇 見 他 的 一 個 同 伴 欠 他 十 兩 銀 子 ， 便 揪 著 他 ， 掐 住 他 的 喉 嚨 ， 說 ： 你 把 所 欠 的 還 我 ！
29 他 的 同 伴 就 俯 伏 央 求 他 ， 說 ： 寬 容 我 罷 ， 將 來 我 必 還 清 。
30 他 不 肯 ， 竟 去 把 他 下 在 監 裡 ， 等 他 還 了 所 欠 的 債 。
31 眾 同 伴 看 見 他 所 做 的 事 就 甚 憂 愁 ， 去 把 這 事 都 告 訴 了 主 人 。
32 於 是 主 人 叫 了 他 來 ， 對 他 說 ： 你 這 惡 奴 才 ！ 你 央 求 我 ， 我 就 把 你 所 欠 的 都 免 了 ，
33 你 不 應 當 憐 恤 你 的 同 伴 ， 像 我 憐 恤 你 麼 ？
34 主 人 就 大 怒 ， 把 他 交 給 掌 刑 的 ， 等 他 還 清 了 所 欠 的 債 。
35 你 們 各 人 若 不 從 心 裡 饒 恕 你 的 弟 兄 ， 我 天 父 也 要 這 樣 待 你 們 了 。
Sermon
Dr. Gerardo Lisbe, Jr.
中文翻譯
Tithes And Offering
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Response Song
