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The Transforming Power of the Holy Spirit

The sermon exhorted the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and its work it apostles before the Sanhedrin.

Here is a summary of the sermon:

Today is Pentecost, a historic day that the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples. But what is the Holy Spirit? Is it simply a passionate, but fading emotional power in us? Today, I wish to see the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that resurrected in Apostles as they worked for the Kingdom. We will read about Peter and John before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:1-22

First, in v1-6, we see the depraved image of the Jewish leaders bringing the apostles before them at Sanhedrin. These were people that wanted to keep their worldly powers and were even selling the temple as a place for merchants. Jesus was put before the Sanhedrin for this very reason and all the sin of the world came on him at the cross. But death could not defeat the Lord, he resurrected on the third day Easter. We also must receive this power of resurrection. How can we? We must be born again of the Spirit and live by the Spirit for God’s Kingdom.

Next, in v7-12, we see clearly that the Apostles lived by the Holy Spirit, even as they appeared before Sanhedrin. It’s drastically different than when Peter denied Jesus at the cross. The disciples who thought he loved Jesus first, was utterly ruined, but was restored by the Lord. He realized deeply it is the love of the Lord coming to us first, we are living by that love. As Peter stood before Sanhedrin, he confessed that it by the name of Jesus. Faith is not anything we produce ourselves, but it is accepting the unconditional forgiveness, love, and grace of God. Some people think that since God loved us, we owe Him back a debt. However, faith is all about receiving God’s love and the Holy Spirit is given grace that transforms us. It is that transformation that produces in us new hope for God’s glory, it isn’t that we produce it ourselves. We see this in Peter who changed in Acts, now living receiving the power of the Holy Spirit and resurrection to live for God.

Finally, in v13-22, we see the Jewish leaders shocked by the courage of Peter and John. This is not courage or determination that we produce ourselves like some psychological effort. This is true courage shown by the Holy Spirit given and overflowing in the disciples. The Sanhedrin Jewish leaders spoke about using worldly power to control the people of God. Very often, the wisdom and powers of the world try to prevent God’s work. What is being “wise” in the world? It is trying to be more stable and comfortable, but what does that really get you? In actuality, living for the highs and the lows, the cross, and the resurrection, this is living dynamically that God wishes for us, to really live life. The power of the Holy Spirit is not a fading emotional power, it is a constantly transforming power that is continually with me in a dynamic walk in life of faith.

Peter healed the crippled beggar, but who was the one that was really healed? It was Peter himself, crippled by his own strength, but raised again by the love of Jesus Christ. That is the power of the Holy Spirit he lived by in Acts, and it is that same Spirit given to us on this Pentecost.

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If God is with us

If God Is With Us, Who Can Be Against Us?

The sermon was an expository message on the second half of Romans 8 exhorting the work of the Holy Spirit and marching boldly for God’s Kingdom.

Here is a summary of the sermon:

Next week is Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the early church. We will look at the second half of Romans 8, which speaks to the outlook the apostles had living the life of the Holy Spirit.

First, in Romans 8:18-27, it teaches us that the Holy Spirit was the Spirit of Christ. This was how early Christians viewed the Holy Spirit, such comfort to know Jesus Christ is with us. Christ died and resurrected, this is the glory we know will be revealed in us, that all of creation is waiting for. We weren’t random creations, but all of creation is waiting for Kingdom on earth, like childbirth in pain waiting for this glory. Augustine fled God, but came back to Him when realizing the good world He created. The visible church we are building is going towards the invisible church already in heaven. Christ’s salvation isn’t merely escapism, but it is a life depending on going towards that glory.

Next, in Romans 8:28-30, Paul gives us assurance of God’s goodness. He foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified us – it is these basics that are not difficult to accept. Why do so many have difficulty accepting? The era of enlightenment to existentialism now, makes our life view individual and also viewing God as an individual. In that way, God’s guidance for our life has been reduced to determinism as Hyper-Calvinism has done, or extreme Armenism which is a reliance on humanism. But this is has made faith incomprehensible, far from the Trinitarian faith the Bible teaches us. It is the God of love who has the weak and strong side. It is also Jesus Christ who paradoxical Logos coming as flesh into the world is a mystery that no dialectical reasoning can understand. To see God’s foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glory – we can only understand this in Jesus.

Finally, in Romans 8:31-39, we receive the grace that God is with us and nothing can be against us. Faith is receiving God’s ever-present love that is already there, we must simply not reject it in rebellion, but open up our hearts to it. It is by Jesus Christ and his cross that our doubts and condemnation end. For the life of the believer in hardship, just like Paul shared in 2 Corinthians 11, nothing can stop the ones marching towards the Kingdom. We must live a commitment towards the Kingdom, like a marriage, not dating, we have to have a firm convicted heart on our path.

The Lord told us to be born again of water and spirit. On Pentecost, let us receive the Holy Spirit and live newly for God’s Kingdom.

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forgiveness

The Law of Forgiveness

The sermon focused on the eternal blessing that living a life of forgiveness gives us.

Here is a summary of the sermon:

As Christians, we blessed that the Lord taught us how to pray in Lord’s Prayer, as we are weak and don’t even know what the pray for. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” is known as the Law of Forgiveness. Today, we will look at why the Law of Forgiveness came, how Lord able open Law forgiveness, and the transcendence of the Law forgiveness and Gospel.

First, we should understand why the Law of Forgiveness came from Jesus. Interestingly, we see symmetry in the Law of Forgiveness, just like we see in the Law. The law is about evenness, eye for an eye, however, the problem came when Jews had this self-righteous anger and condemnation of the Law. When the Jews brought the woman caught in adultery, Jesus wrote twice on the ground. Although we don’t know what Jesus wrote, we do know Jesus came to fulfill the Law, meaning Jesus was more serious about the Law than the Jews were. Just as Jesus wrote twice on the ground, Jesus gave us the symmetry of the Law in the Law of Forgiveness, exhorting us that just as we have been forgiven, to forgive others.

Next, how was Jesus able to open the Law of Forgiveness? Adam’s deliberate disobedience led to a cycle of sin and death for generations. Adam and Cain started a history of self-righteously blaming others. Instead of blaming, Jesus took on the blame for us, dying on the cross and shedding his blood. With two thieves next to him on the cross, this is representative of the world which takes and blames, while Jesus is the one who bore punishment of our sins. The Law of forgiveness was opened up because Jesus forgave first.

Finally, we want to look at the transcendence of the Law of Forgiveness. The Danish Philosopher Kierkegaard spoke of the 3 stages of life: aesthetic (surface-level), ethical (moral direction), spiritual (loving relationship with God). This speaks accurately to the existential life worldview we see in people around the world. The aesthetic life lives only for surface-level material and worldly desires which is a life of chaos. The ethical life has balance and order, but it is ultimately limited since we put parameters on things. When Peter asked how many times we should forgive, Jesus said not to put a parameter on forgiveness. As Matthew 20 shows us, grace of God is on a different level and God’s grace has no limits. Therefore, we need to see the wisdom of the spiritual life, in a loving relationship with God, we open ourselves up to God’s amazing grace. The Holy Spirit is without boundary and transforms us. Living by the Law of Forgiveness and the Gospel allows us to experience this unending eternal love and blessing of God in our life.

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3 crosses

He Was Raised To Life For Us | Resurrection & Eternal Life

The sermon focused on the deep meaning of resurrection and eternal life.

Here is a summary of the sermon:

There is a need for us to understand the resurrection more deeply and why it is important in our faith. Through three verses, we can more deeply understand our sin and death, what the resurrection of Jesus means for us, and living in the faith of eternal life.

In Romans 4:25, Paul says that Jesus Christ was delivered to death for our sins and raised to life for justification. This summarizes the Gospel, telling us why we need the cross and resurrection. The cross is not simply a historical event or something philosophical, it has implications on the sin that I personally commit. Sin has punishment, sinners inevitably cannot go to heaven, this has been the situation since fall of man in Adam. Therefore, through a new seed, God sent His son Jesus to be the new Adam, who paid the price of punishment for our sin. We must know that every time we sin, we put Jesus on the cross. This is why Jesus came and also, Paul explains that he was raised to life for our justification.

1 Corinthians 15 is the chapter on resurrection, the first part testifying to the fact of resurrection, and the second part explaining our faith must at least reach the level of believing in resurrection of the dead. However, the third part is key, explaining what resurrection of Jesus means for us. Resurrection isn’t simply dying, coming back to life, then later dying again. Resurrection is following Jesus who ascended to heaven. While so many rulers were stuck in the power of death, Jesus went beyond death and this is the faith and power of resurrection we believe in.

As Galatians 2:20 explains, we are bound in Christ, this is our faith. Our loving relationship with Jesus is the connecting point to overcome the power of death. The Bible gives this deep message when Mary, the woman of love, was the first to the tomb, first to see the resurrection and even the disciple of love, John was the first disciple to see the beyond death empty tomb. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15, the eternal life we believe in is not simply life on earth in a different form, it’s something completely beyond conception, this is power of resurrection Jesus gave us. Since we are bound in Christ, we can experience eternity now, it is eternity where the infinite goes beyond the finite. As the German theologian Schleiermacher explained, we have a teleological dependence on our infinite creator, not living a static life, but going towards Him.

This is why we must worship God and live for His Kingdom. The power of resurrection is that we are bound in the eternal will of God, so let us live depending on God and striving for the Great Commission in everything we do.

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A Runaway Slave Became A Great Bishop

The sermon focused on Paul’s exhortation to Philemon and to all of us to carry each other burdens and live a life in grace.

Here is a summary of the sermon:

We will be studying the Book of Philemon over two sermons, it is a short but meaningful letter from the Apostle Paul. We will look at it in three parts: first the background, then the purpose of the letter, and finally Paul’s interpretation of meaning.

First, in v 1-7, the background to the letter is that Paul is writing a personal letter from prison to a wealthy believer named Philemon, who Paul personally raised in faith. However, who is delivering this letter to Philemon? It is his runaway slave named Onesimus, who also stole from Philemon in the process of running away. In this era, slavery was common place and with the authority of the Roman Empire, they needed to keep order, including strict punishments for runaway slaves. Although we can’t imagine it now, runaway slaves were considered great sinners back then. Philemon must have had mixed feeling, angry at first seeing Onesimus, but excited to read the letter from Apostle Paul. The greatness of Paul was that even though he was a teacher and Apostle to Philemon, he wrote this letter with deep feeling of fellowship and harmony with Philemon. We too, must treat each other in fellowship with the love of Jesus Christ, that is the Kingdom of God.

Next, v8-14, why is Paul writing this letter? He is appealing to Philemon on the basis of love to accept Onesimus. As his teacher, he could order Philemon to do what he should do, but instead the basis of love is what Jesus Christ taught us. Paul is putting down everything, lowering himself to save this one soul Onesimus. Onesimus was probably a useful person to Paul who was old and sick in prison. However, it is Paul who embraced this great sinner, a runaway slave, just Paul himself was a great sinner and embraced by Jesus. Later, Onesimus became a great Bishop of Ephesus, truly used by God for the Kingdom. God doesn’t look at our past, so we also shouldn’t look at the past of the brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead, we should know that God has a plan and uses us all greatly for the Kingdom.

Finally, in v15, Paul interprets the situation to Philemon, saying that perhaps Onesimus ran away for a while so he could be back with you eternally. In faith, we wonder why the people who are around us, our brothers and sisters, spouse, co-workers, leaders are with us. God has his mysterious providence and reason that we do not know. How do Christians look at God’s Providence? There is God’s level which He determines and since He is eternal, we cannot comprehend or fathom. Then, there is our level in this finite world, where God has given us freewill by His love. How do the two levels cohere? Our faith has an “in spite of” aspect, that in spite of all man’s freewill, sin, depravity, broken relationship, there is mystery of God’s providence in everything. Harmony in the world is like the theory of economics, where each person’s selfishness somehow reaches a rational equilibrium of the buyer-seller marketplace. Harmony in God’s love is like Greek “eros” love, where each of us a passionately drawn to God, so it drives all of us brothers and sisters together as one too. It’s a mystery how it all works together, but that is the beautiful harmony in God’s love.

Whoever God has placed with us, especially now when we are all stuck at home, remember that this is the mystery and harmony of God’s providence. Let us not treat each other like master-slave, but treat each other on the basis of love and in this way seeing God’s glory and Kingdom.

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