Too Wonderful For Me
TITLE: Too Wonderful For Me TEXT: Psalm 139 SUBJECT LINE: God knows me intimately and that is… 1. Intimidating when I know who God is. SUBPOINTS SLIDE: God’s intimate knowledge of me is intimidating because God is… 1a. All-knowing - His knowledge of me is invasive (vs 1-6) 1b. All-present - His presence with me is inescapable (vs 7-12) SCRIPTURE SLIDE: Amos 9:1-4 1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: “Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape. 2 “If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. 3 If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search them out and take them; and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them. 4 And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.” 1c. The sovereign creator - He made me intricately (vs 13-18) QUOTE SLIDE: The third stanza brings together and carries forward the thought of the first two: God not only sees the invisible and penetrates the inaccessible, but is operative there, the author of every detail of my being. - Derek Kidner 2. Wonderful for I know God is with me. SUBPOINTS SLIDE: When I am with my wonderful God, it creates in me… 2a. Affection and Awe for God (vs 17-18) 2b. Anger when God’s name is taken in vain (vs 19-22) 2c. Urgency for God to search, know and lead me (vs 23-24)
The Favour of the Lord
Andrew Chia | Psalm 30
The Stronghold of My Life
Daniel Manickam | Psalm 27
A Quiet Confidence
Andrew Chia | Psalm 131
Finishing the Ministry Year Right
TITLE: Finishing the Ministry Year Right TEXT: Romans 16:25-27 Finishing the Ministry Year Right: 1. ALL GLORY TO GOD… V.25a 2. …WHO SECURES US BY THE POWER OF HIS GOSPEL… V.25b-26 Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 8:31-38 - What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are secure by the power of His Gospel… 2A. Christ has been made known & personal to me! - V.25b-26a 2B. God has accomplished His greatest purpose in me! - V.26b 3. … ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD! - V.27
Final Words
TITLE: Final Words TEXT: Romans 16:17-23 Final words…There’s: 1. A WARNING: FALSE TEACHERS ARE DANGEROUS - V.17-19 2. A PROMISE: THE GOD OF PEACE IS VICTORIOUS - V.20a 3 A PRAYER: THE GRACE OF JESUS BE WITH US - V.20B-23
Greet One Another
Greet One Another -- 3 Preliminary Observations #1: THIS IS A GREETING PASSAGE #2: THIS IS PAUL’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE GREETING PASSAGE #3: PAUL IS AFFECTIONATELY PERSONAL -- In Christ, Affectionately GREET: 1) Dedicated Workers (v1-5a) Grey Barnhouse: “Never was there a greater burden carried by such tender hands. The theological history of the church through the centuries was in the manuscript which she brought with her. The Reformation was in that baggage. The blessing of multitudes in our day was carried in those parchments.” John Piper: “A choice lies before you: Either waste your life or live with risk. Either sit on the sidelines or get in the game. After all, life was no cakewalk for Jesus, and he didn’t promise it would be any easier for his followers. We shouldn’t be surprised by resistance and persecution. Yet most of us play it safe. We pursue comfort. We spend ourselves to get more stuff. And we prefer to be entertained.” In Christ, Affectionately GREET: 2) Dear Friends (v5b-9) In Christ, Affectionately GREET: 3) FELLOW SAINTS (v10-11) Gal 3:23 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” John Piper: The foundation of Paul’s profound affection for these people is that he knows that he stood with them on the precipice of the wrath of God called hell, where he and they deserve to be today, and that he and they were snatched to safety by the Son of God as he went over that precipice. And they stand trembling, happy, hugging on solid ground, namely, in Christ. That’s why he says in Christ and in the Lord eight times. That’s where Paul lives with them. We were in as much danger as we could possibly be in—together. And now, we are as safe in Christ as we can possibly be—together. This was so real for Paul he could still smell the flames. He could feel still feel the ice in this thighs as he looked over the edge of the abyss into the wrath of God. And now, rescued by Christ, and living in Christ, nobody looks the same anymore. Everybody here in Christ is blood-bought and safe. If we don’t feel a kind of trembling, deep affection for each other in Christ, it’s probably because we don’t feel very deserving of hell and we don’t feel amazed at our rescue. And, therefore, the safety we enjoy together doesn’t feel very precious. In Christ, Affectionately GREET: 4) Newfound Family (v12-16) Mark 10:29-30 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
Strive With Us In Prayer
TITLE: Strive with us in prayer TEXT: Romans 15:30-33 John Piper “Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for.” An urgent invitation: 1. COME…STRIVE WITH US IN PRAYER - V.30 2. COME…SEE HOW GOD ANSWERS PRAYER - V.31-33 God answers prayer! 2A. According to His will - V.32 2B. In His own purposeful way - V.31-32
The Providence of God & the Plan for Ministry
TITLE: The providence of God & the plan for ministry TEXT: Romans 15:22-29 Three questions to help us follow Paul’s example of ministry to our church, to our city & to our world: 1. WHO’S ORDERING MY STEPS? - V.22 Romans 15:20-21 - “…thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” The Heidelberg Catechism on “PROVIDENCE” Question: “What do you understand by the providence of God?” Answer: “The almighty, everywhere present power of God, whereby, as it were, by his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.” 2. WHAT’S MY PLAN FOR MUTUAL MINISTRY? - V.23-24 John MacArthur – “Contrary to how it may seem on first thought, sensible and careful planning by God’s people does not necessarily indicate lack of trust in His providence.“ So what’s your plan for mutual ministry? A few practical steps: Plan for…. - The Hope Kids Relaunch information session: Sunday June 5th [after the morning service] - The Church-wide prayer meeting: Sunday June 5th, 7pm - Meals for the City: Saturday June 11th - Hope Essentials: August 27 - “Times of Refreshing” drop in bible study: Every Tuesday night 3. WHAT AM I DOING RIGHT NOW? - V.25-29
Ambition
TITLE: Ambition OUTLINE: Romans 15:14-21 OUTLINE: Three lessons from Paul's ambition to preach the gospel… in our ambition we should: 1. Serve others so they can grow in holiness & worship. (vs 14-16) Subpoint Slide: A couple practical ways we serve others: WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT (vs 14) REMINDERS OF TRUTH (vs 15) 2. Acknowledge the grace & power of God in our lives. (vs 15, 17-19) Scripture Slide: 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Subpoint Slide: A few practical ways to glorify God in our ambition: WORK HARD STAY FOCUSED DEPEND ON THE LORD 3. Spread the name of Christ everywhere & beyond. (vs 19-21)