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God Looks At the Heart

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In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng told the historical story of King Saul and King David. Saul started off humbly, but his pride led to using humanistic thinking, rather than the power of God. He looked at the situation around him and tried to use his own power, rather than obeying God. This was true when he failed to wait for the prophet Samuel to give offering and was true again when kept what he considered “good” things of the wicked nation of the Amalekites. Anything with a humanistic start cannot give glory to God.

Through the prophet Samuel, we can learn that deep inside of Saul’s heart was rebellion, arrogance, and self-idolatry. He asserts the biblical truth that obedience is better than sacrifice. There are layers of depth in the heart and obedience is a deeper heart of love than is sacrifice. It’s not that sacrifice is bad, but sacrifice can easily turn superficial. Obedience is simpler, but relies on God and has humbleness. Obedience is a deeper heart of love than sacrifice is.

When choosing David, his own father Jesse overlooked him, but the Lord looks at the heart. Whatever our outward image may be, we can’t hide from God, He knows our hearts clearly. Is what I am doing have a pure motivation? Do I have a humanistic motivation, or is my motivation one of overflowing in God’s love. God doesn’t look at the outward appearance, because He can use even the one without a great outward appearance to do great work. Jesus himself was born in a manager and died on the cross, yet his heart of unconditional love shined through and he gained victory on the cross.

May we also gain victory with the power of God, knowing that God looks at the heart, so let us be a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.

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From the Cave of Adullam to the Kingdom

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In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng spoke about the people that joined David in the Cave of Adullam when he was at rock bottom in his life. They were the 400 who were distressed, in debt, and discontented ones. They were people who shared in his suffering and served together. It was a suffering that only the ones that were there could understand. Church is this kind of place – not a place of elite people gathering, but the suffering ones who serve together. From this Cave of Adullam, a genuine, true, authentic heart for God’s Kingdom came.

In suffering, there are two paths we can take. The path of Saul was to become inexplicably jealous over worldly things and have crazy irrational anxiety. This is what Satan causes us to do. The path of David was to live a life of reconciliation and redemption. David tried to reconciled with Saul despite Saul trying to kill him. David also lived a live redeeming the nation of Israel to the glory of God’s Kingdom. Jesus Christ also lived a life of reconciliation and redemption. Christianity teaches us that true suffering in Christ is what actually gives us stability in our hearts to move forward, away from the inexplicable anxiety of the world.

Finally, we also see some biblical parallelism in 2 Samuel 22:1-3, where David refers to the Lord as my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. It was David’s time in the rock of the Cave of Adullam, where he truly met the Lord. While the Cave of Adullam could be viewed as the stronghold base where he started for the Kingdom, it was really the Lord who was the rock for the whole time. Truly, there is hidden beauty in the rock of the Cave of Adullam, because that is the place we can meet the Lord.

May we be the ones who suffer and serve together for God’s Kingdom and let the Lord be the rock that ultimately strengthens our lives.

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Matthew 4 – Come & Follow Me

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In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng explained how the historic first four disciples of Jesus were insignificant people evangelized in an insignificant place. Their story didn’t start out in a great way of the world, but it was this insignificant story that showed God’s amazing grace in their lives. In the same way, we ust not judge a book by its and instead see how God works through faith rather than human power.

The disciples showed their faith by leaving immediately everything of their lives. This may seem foolish, when the world tells us to live reasonably and methodically. While living that way may be smart, but there is one clear way that it isn’t always smart. And that is especially when things are at the beginning and missing opportunities because we overlook things. Instead, we should see that the Kingdom of God starts from a mustard seed and follow it. The disciples left their entire personal life worldview and embraced Jesus. In the same way, we should leave our personal life worldview and embrace what the Word of God teaches us.

Finally, Jesus not only changes our worldview, but he transforms our lives. The disciples went from fisherman to fishers of men, in only three years of time with Jesus. The Word of God surely becomes flesh in our lives and we transform. As a fruit of love, we should get a new net and boat, meaning the Word of God and serving at church.

Like these disciples, may we go immediately, change our worldviews, and transform in God’s glory.

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The Three Temptations

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In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng explained each of the three temptations that Jesus experienced and related it to our lives. The first temptation is the temptation of material, visible, physical things. We demand our physical needs are solved before believing in God. Rather, we should know that we need things beyond the physical, and to see the spiritual needs in the Word of God.

The second temptation was the temptation of the mind and control, to live a relationship with God on our own terms how we want to control it and what favors us. However, we do not go to God on the basis of what we think, but we go to God for who He is and that is what a relationship with God is. Therefore, we do not test God, but just simply be in a relationship of faith with him.

The final temptation was the temptation of our dreams and visions in life. The world tempts us by giving us opportunities in the world, to follow the world ways instead of God. In this way, our spiritual direction is drawn to the world. Instead, Jesus overcame the temptation by submitting to God completely. More than pursuing our own dreams, it’s having faith that God knows us better than ourselves and will allow us to fulfill a great glory in His dream of the Kingdom.

May we all be people of faith, surrendering to God completely just like our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Put the Word into Practice

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The sermon delivered by Pastor Walker Tzeng, was on Matthew 7:24-29 entitled “Put the Word into practice in your house.” The message focused on building the church on the rock. Pastor Tzeng referenced Peter’s confession of Jesus Christ in Matthew 7, while saying that Gratia Church should focus on putting the Word into practice on campus. The hope is to build a church that bears fruit for God’s Kingdom.

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Spiritual Family

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The sermon delivered by Pastor Walker Tzeng, was on Mark 20:20-35 entitled “Spiritual Family”

In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng spoke about the line Jesus draws when it comes to what a spiritual family is. Jesus is clear that a spiritual family is the one who does the will of the Father. It’s that Jesus himself is doing God’s Will, even though the Pharisee tried to accuse him of using the power of Beelzebub. However, it’s clear that all good things come from God, so the Lord performing miraculous signs is obviously from God.

Jesus’ physical family opposition is a bit different than the Jewish leaders, they simply think Jesus is “out of his mind”. This is the same accusation that many of us can get from our own families as we do God’s Will. It is because family values can clash against God’s Will. Family values may come from the world and Jesus draws a strict line, saying it’s only about doing God’s Will. Anything deviating from God’s Will is sinful and part of the world.

That being said, God did place us in our families, allowing us to be born into our families for a reason. Also, our families are blessed through us. Therefore, we must pray for our physical families to also be spiritual family as well. It is that the bond of the Holy Spirit is much more powerful than the bond of blood relations. Therefore, we must build our families to be united in the Holy Spirit to do God’s Will.

Also, we must remember that ultimately, we are building a spiritual family in the church. May we remember this live for God’s Kingdom together.

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Acts 3 – Look At Us

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The sermon delivered by Pastor Walker Tzeng, was on Acts 3:1-10 entitled “Look at us!”

In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng examined the difference between the disciples and the crippled beggar in front of the temple. The crippled beggar is the one who looks at the hand, reliant on money, and whose very being is confined in the world. The disciples were exactly like the crippled beggar before, confined in the upper room in fear from the world.

However, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and their very being was shifted towards God’s Kingdom, no longer confined in the world. That is why they were able to say “Look at us!” to the crippled beggar. They were able to be like that through the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in their lives. While we are not individually strong, God has called us as a church to strengthen one another to be a part of God’s Kingdom.

May Gratia Church be full of the Holy Spirit as a body of Christ.

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The Early Church

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The sermon delivered by Pastor Walker Tzeng, was on Acts 2:42-47 entitled “The Early Church”.

In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng explained about the characteristics of the early church which started on Pentecost as the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples. Prior to Pentecost, the disciples were gripped in fear and locked in the upper room of Mark. It was the Holy Spirit which empowered the disciples to go out to the world.

The blessing of the Holy Spirit has come to us all through Jesus Christ. Prior to Jesus, the Holy Spirit was only with a few people very hundred years and also in the temple as well. After Jesus, we understand that we ourselves are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, dwells in the church, and dwells in the body of Christ. Therefore, the church is important because it is the place where the people of the Holy Spirit are gathered.

The characteristic of the early church is that they focused on the Word, had fellowship, prayed, and shared everything, overcoming possessions. Our church must be a church that focuses on the Word, which is why we focus on Bible Study. We also must have good fellowship, developing a holy culture, not a culture of the world. Also, we live praying and sharing with one another.

Finally, the Bible teaches us that the early church spent time together in the temple courts and in each other’s homes. Our church must be one who people center their lives and grow as people in community. We don’t live lonely by ourselves, but we live among others. From the outside, it may look strange as if church should just be one activity among many. But we see the original image of the early church where the disciples centered their lives around the church.

May Gratia Church also be a church that models itself after the early church and live for God’s Kingdom.

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When The Day of Pentecost Came

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The sermon delivered by Pastor Walker Tzeng, was on Acts 2:1-41 entitled “When the day of Pentecost came”.

In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng delivered a message in preparation for Pentecost, explicating the meaning of it. The Shavuot celebrates the barley harvest after the Passover, while the Pentecost literally means 50th and is the festival celebrating the first fruits of the wheat harvest. The deep meaning correlates with the Jesus Christ who died for us on the cross and then 50 days after Easter was the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down with wind and tongues of fire. The kernel of wheat that died, produced many seeds which finally ripened as a fruit, when the 120 disciples received the Holy Spirit.

In his sermon, Peter explains that the coming of the Holy Spirit was prophesied since the Old Testament by the prophet Joel. Of course, the Holy Spirit existed in the Old Testament, but only a few prophets received it every hundred years. But through the precious blood of the Lord, he was resurrected and we all enjoy the Holy Spirit. The church started on the Pentecost with the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit.

We also must reflect on receiving the Holy Spirit in our lives and living for God’s Will. Coming to church is not just about staying the same, but it is about changing our lives to be fruits before God. As we approach the Pentecost, we must self-reflect deeply on receiving the Holy Spirit and being a fruit before God.

The Pentecost was amazing, because it showed the amazing power of resurrection and the Holy Spirit which came down. From the one who died for us all Jesus Christ, it became 120, and then 3000. It shows us that the power of the Holy Spirit works so powerfully and not just in a 1 to 1 way. If we are the kernel of wheat that also serves, loves, and self-sacrifices like the Lord, then God will help our church grow not just 1, 2, 3 people, but it will be 120 and 3000.

May we prepare our hearts for the Pentecost and truly rely on the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our church.

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I Have Seen The Lord

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The sermon delivered by Pastor Walker Tzeng, was on John 20:1-18 entitled “I have seen the Lord”.

In the sermon, Pastor Tzeng explained about the love of Mary, John, and Peter being a witness to the empty tomb. It speaks to our love of God that keeps us going and allows us even to overcome hard times in faith. Love overcomes death and is a witness to the miracle of the empty tomb.

That being said, it’s important for love to grow deeper and beyond the empty tomb, it must see the risen Lord. What teaches us about the risen Lord? John pointed towards the Scripture. When we become deeper in the word, it burns in our heart and begins to transform our life.

Mary’s love was soaked in the sorrow of death, but she had her tears wiped away while having a conversation with the resurrected Lord. Although she didn’t recognize him at first, her eyes opened to the Lord, her tears became joy and she shouted, “Rabonni!” Easter is about witnessing the resurrected Lord. Not only being a witness, but our lives being transformed as well.

Jesus told Mary to not hold on and then he spoke about returning back to the Father. The resurrection is closely connected with the ascension, which is a complete transcendent change. In our life, we should also experience this transcendent change of God taking us to unimaginable places for His Will and Kingdom.

Mary testified, “I have seen the Lord!” This Easter, may our lives be a witness to the Lord who resurrects in our life and may we transform more greatly for God’s glory.

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