Title: Overcoming trials through the life of David
Scripture: 1 Sam 17:45-51
Speaker: Ps Nakajima

The giant Goliath can represent our relationship with people, or financial problems.

David was a man who dreamt. It wasn't the army of Israel who won, but the shepherd boy. David looked to God and believed that God was with him. Likewise, we need to look at Jesus on the cross and believe that He is with us. We have to experience victory to have the faith.

The dream in our heart is like an engine that can move the giant in our lives. Dream is more powerful than trials in our lives.

We cannot make this happen, but God can. In your suffering, problems, trials, the hidden treasure from God is prayer.

Be glad! The way that we can trust God is that we believe that everything we're experiencing God will change it to be something good.

Please be a man or woman of dream. God will give you victory when you face the reality of life. Ask God for what you cannot do yourself. You will be the one to influence the society.

Title: Protecting your church
Scripture: John 17:20-26 (MSG)
Speaker: Ps Melvyn Mak

Usually what God wants is not what we want to do.

God wants us to protect the unity of the church.

In New Testament, the word unity is mentioned more than Heaven or Hell. Unity is the soul of the community.

Trinity is God's example of perfect unity. There is such one-ness in this unity.

Unity is so important that in the midst of Jesus' struggles, He still prayed for our unity.

God commissions you.
Eph 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

How to protect unity in God's church?

1. Strive for community lifestyle - realise your role

We should focus on the common.
Rom 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

God made us different because God desires unity, not uniformity.

But if we concentrate on our differences, there will be strife.

Therefore, we should have the common goal to love one another, fulfil God's commission.

God provides a 3 steps method towards achieving unity.
-1- talk to brother
-2- bring to leaders
-3- bring to the church
Matt 18:15-17 "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Submit to your church leader - resolve to respect

No submission --> chaos
There are 4 kinds of authority: family, church, government, authorities in the workplace. Nobody has any authority except those that God has instituted. So we need to obey, or there may be judgement.
Rom 13:1-2 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Heb 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Obey and submission are very different:
obey - outward response
submission - inward attitude

Mark 6:2-5 (NKJV) And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
They lost respect and honour for Jesus. Thus, Jesus could not do any signs of wonders or miracles there. Blessings from God doesn't flow.

And when we don't understand, we shouldn't criticise.
Jude 1:19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
1 Thes 5:12-13 (MSG) And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love! Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part.

3. Surrender to Christ's love - relinquish our rights

During the time for the Tower of Babel, the people came together.
Gen 11:4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
The people had the unity to want to stay together but this is false unity as it is not aligned to God's command to man. They do not multiply or fill the earth.

You need to align to God's heartbeat.
In John 17, the phrase "that the world may know" repeats, and this emphasizes God's heartbeat.

Don't condemn. God has only given us the power to love.

When a person's love is so stirred that he weeps for others, he is willing to be used. There is no birth without labour. A heart grieves by man's sins; tears that will bring forth salvation.
Phil 2:5-8 (MSG) Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death--and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.

Title: Restoring broken fellowship
Scripture: 2 Cor 5:14-21 (MSG)
Speaker: Ps Melvyn Mak

God has called all of us into the business of reconciliation.
Phil 2:1-2 (TEV) Your life in Christ makes you strong, and his love comforts you. You have fellowship with the Spirit, and you have kindness and compassion for one another. I urge you, then, to make me completely happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and being one in soul and mind.

This is also a mark of maturity.
Paul was shocked over the lack of maturity of the Corinthian christians (1 Cor 6:5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?)
Paul sees this as very important:
1 Cor 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

God wants to bless us.
Matt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
And God intends us to be peace-makers, not peace-lovers, or peaceable people. It is not to avoid conflict, as you may have to get involved. Sometimes conflict arises to bring peace and this is only done in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christians are not meant to be door-mats, we need to stand up for our ground. But the final aim is to bring forth reconciliation.

SO, how do we restore broken fellowship?

(1) Present your problem to God (vertical action)

(a) Talk to God first
-God will change your heart or the other person's heart.
-We should follow the example of King David. When he was angry, he ventilate vertically in his psalms.

(b) Take the initiative
-This takes priority even over group worship.
Matt 5:23-24 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."
-Plan a peace conference immediately, so that we don't do spiritual damage.
Job 5:2 (TEV) To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.
Job 18:4 (TEV) You are only hurting yourself with your anger. Will the earth be deserted because you are angry? Will God move mountains to satisfy you?

(2) Pursue peace with others (horizontal action)

(a) Hear their feelings
Phil 2:4 (TEV) And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own.
-The 'look out' in Greek here actually means 'microscopic n telescopic level'
-Learn to hear with sympathy, not focus on the conclusion or or be quick to provide them with the solution. Don't let them overlook, but rather let them download.
Ps 73:21-22 (TEV) When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was as stupid as an animal; I did not understand you.

Prov 19:11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
-Patience comes from wisdom, and wisdom from listening others. This form of listening tells the person that you care.
-People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
-Patience comes with bearing with the offense.

(b) Humble yourself
-Confess our part of the conflict.
Matt 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Sometimes we have blindspots and we don't know our own weakness. It is good then to go to a 3rd party to seek evaluation.
-Humility comes with a price of letting go of our pride.


(c) Heal with your words
-Don't attack the person, attack the problem.
-Sound answer is better than a sarcastic one.
Prov 15:1 (MSG) A gentle response defuses anger,
but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.
-How we say things is more important that what we say.
Prov 16:21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
and pleasant words promote instruction.
-Nagging doesn't work. You can't win people by using abrasion.
-The arsenals of destroying relationship: harmful words
Eph 4:29 (TEV) Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.

(3) Point people to Christ
-This is the only way to bring real peace to people.
-The world always wanted peace. Only 8% of 3000 of the world's recorded history (ie 286 years) of peace. Over 8000 peace treaties signed and were broken. Peace is an important mark in time in history when the people start to re-load their weapons.
-Christ is peace.
Eph 2:14 For He (Jesus) himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.
Isa 52:7 (TEV) How wonderful it is to see a messenger coming across the mountains, bringing good news, the news of peace! He announces victory and says to Zion, "Your God is king!"

A brief introduction to this special blog

It is created with the aim in mind of sharing the sermons that I hear in church every weekend, not only to my christian friends here in Spore, but also with those who are overseas. You need not be a member of my church to read this because I believe that the Word of God is free for all who wants to read. As 1 Tim 4:13 says, "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture..." This blog will fulfil that part, and hope to bear fruits in your life on the remaining part of the verse in 'preaching and teaching' the Word of God to others.

The title of this blog will change, in accordance to the theme of the sermon, but every time I will type it out again in each blog entry. Any of you wants to leave any comments or feedback, you may email me.