Gen 20
Genesis 20:2 Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
1. Abraham falls into the same sin again.
– If we do not guard our hearts, we may fall into a sin that we once were delivered from.
2. Even when Sarah is pregnant, Abraham does not protect his wife.
Add a comment September 18, 2007
Genesis 19
Observation 1: Sodom’s wickedness
Gen 19:5 and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.”
The men actually wanted to have relations with other men? Read some commentaries and Sodomy means sexual intercourse that is not the union of the genital organs of a man and a woman. The term is most frequently applied to anal intercourse between two men or to sexual relations between people and animals. (That’s why Sodomy takes after the word Sodom)
Observation 2: Lot was willing to prostitute his 2 daughters.
Gen 19:8 “Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.”
I really can’t understand why in the world would Lot do that to his daughters. What he did to his daughters was unpardonable. As good as Lot may be, he still has a sinful nature as all Man do.
Observation 3: Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt
Gen 19:26 But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
She disobeyed the angel’s commands not to look back. She was yearning to return to her home, her wealth, her friends and her other material possessions.
Since we have already been saved, let us not look back towards the things of the world but put our hearts and souls into following Jesus.
Luke 14:26-27 If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
Add a comment September 17, 2007
Believe in Him
read Genesis 12. =)
In this chapter, we can see that Abram did not trust God to deliver him from harm. He took matters into his own hands and decided to lie to the Egyptians that Sarai was his sister so as to prevent getting killed. (Genesis 12:13 Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.)
In the end, this caused the Pharoah to sin and he ordered Abram and Sarai to leave. We can see here that the “punishment” to them was not that great. The pharoah could have killed them both or made them slaves but all he simply did was to tell them to leave. If Abram had not lied to him in the first place, he most probably would not be killed either.
Many times God also tests our faith in Him, whether or not we believe that He will provide for us. Even if there seems to be no way out, we should not sin against the Lord but instead believe that He will help us. (:
God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.
By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today.
God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way
Add a comment September 13, 2007
God’s promise
read Genesis 9 today.
Genesis 9:13-15 says“I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when i bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and i will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.” (NASB)
many times when we see a rainbow, we only think of how beautiful it is. we look at its physical appearance and exclaim at its beauty. however, there is much more to the rainbow than its physical appearance.
it is actually a covenant between God and us. that He will never again flood the whole earth and destroy all of us. ( i pondered over this before. haven’t there been floods that killed people? but in this verse it says, ALL flesh. so i believe what it means is that there will not be a flood that wipes out the WHOLE earth)
it is by His grace that we will not be subjected to another flood of that kind. God never ever forgets the promises He makes to us.
what about us? do we sometimes forget the promises we make to God?
Add a comment September 11, 2007
Salt
Salt for the World
In verse 13 we read, “You are the salt of the earth,” and in the Greek it is “You and you alone are the salt of the earth. Why did Jesus say that to this small group of uneducated, poor, humble, Galilean disciples? He was telling them that although the world of men is rotting, they as Christians were to function like salt in the world. Why? They alone were different from the world. Like the world, they had also been dead, but from their depravity and spiritual death they had been delivered by the power of God and made alive by their relationship with Christ.
This is true of all Christians. In Ephesians 2:3-4 we read, “Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. . .” And in 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
All Christians, then, are the salt of the earth. Why? We have been given new birth and a new nature–the divine nature–through union with Christ. Therefore, we must also live for the benefit of this rotting and rotten world.
The Distinctiveness of Salt
In this short statement Jesus was also warning his disciples to avoid two errors. First, he was saying that Christians must not forsake the world and go into monasteries. Why? Salt will do no good to meat unless it is rubbed into it. Only then will it function as an antiseptic. We are to be in the world so that the world may benefit by our difference from the world. And second, he was saying that Christians must also avoid the error of being one with the world and embracing its values and ways.
These warnings are applicable to us today. I have seen many modern evangelicals discovering materialism all of a sudden. In fact, many preachers are preaching that rather than looking forward to a heaven “paved with gold,” they want some gold and goodies and symbols of luxury now. But when they say these things, what are they doing? Denying the distinctiveness of the salt of the earth.
I recently visited China and talked with university professors there. They were all atheists interested in American values. They all want to be materialistic and are working very hard to be exactly like the Americans. Today’s church is doing the same thing by trying to be like the world in its value and fashion. But that is an error, because the ways of the world are evil. We must be as different as salt is different from dead meat. We must be different from the rotting world. We must be in the world but not of the world. Why? So that the world may be helped by us. We must be different and must glory in our difference.
When Jesus said, “You alone are the salt of the earth,” this was a high compliment and great encouragement from the lips of the Sovereign Lord of the universe. This statement gives every Christian great dignity and self-esteem. Thus, I feel sorry for you if you are trying to be like the world in speech, in dress, in value, and in fashion. By trying to conform to the pattern of the world, you are declaring that you are darkness, that you are rotting and that you are not a Christian.
The Purpose of Salt
Jesus did not tell his disciples, “You are the sugar of the world,” but “You are the salt.” Let us, then, examine what the purpose of salt is and how Christians function as salt.
First, salt functions as a preservative. It is an antiseptic which performs the negative function of preventing spoiling meat from becoming even more rotten and corrupt. In tropical countries where there is no refrigeration, people rub salt into meat to keep it from going bad. In the same way, when Christians come in close contact with the sinful people of the world, the world is kept from progressing further into unspeakable foulness. Christians benefit secular society. Without their presence, the world would degenerate at an even faster rate. As a moral antiseptic, Christians keep the corruption of society at bay by opposing moral decay by their lives and their words.
Now we must realize that, like salt, Christians might irritate the wound at first. Remember, Christians are not sugar; they are salt. But I say, welcome the irritation that Christians bring about. Welcome the discomfort that the salt of the earth initially creates, because salt will greatly benefit you.
Second, salt is necessary for flavor. Without Christians and the gospel they proclaim and practice, this world would be more insipid. There is no true flavor found in the world. There is no true joy found in this world. Only the company of Christians gives flavor and joy to the world. We can prove this by examining the worldly parties and good times. What are they like? Boring, tasteless, and insipid. As Christians, we have the function to provide flavor and taste to the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. The world is without hope, and only the Christian, by his proclamation and practice, will point the world to hope in Jesus Christ.
Third, salt is white, symbolizing purity. Christians are to be in the world and yet live pure, different lives. As I said before, Christians should glory in their difference. They are citizens of heaven who are living in this rotting world for its benefit. As such, they must constantly resist the temptation of being like the world and must be like the Lord Jesus Christ. They must oppose the rotting and foul values of the world, and proclaim and practice biblical lifestyles. As we read in James 4:4, “Friendship [or conformity] with the world is hatred toward God.” As the salt of the earth, we must be holy, pure and different from the world. In Romans 12:2 Paul says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world” and in James 1:27 we read that we must keep ourselves “from being polluted by the world.” In 1 Peter 4:4 we read that the world thinks it strange “that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation.” Salt is pure.
Fourth, salt also was used as a fertilizer. Christians must function in a way that promotes the growth of that which is good in the world. They must oppose evil and promote good. In God’s common grace, there is much good in his world, and Christians must support and promote that which is useful to mankind. For example, Christians must engage in political life to promote policies that are helpful to families. Historically, Christians have championed many causes that promoted the good of humanity. They have suppressed evil and caused good to grow and flourish.
Fifth, salt causes people to become thirsty. In the same way, Christians should cause people to thirst for Jesus Christ and his gospel. If we live as Christians daily for God’s glory alone in the midst of the world, the world will observe us and desire to know about Jesus Christ. Now, I don’t mean all the people of the world will do this, but God’s elect will. Through us God will generate within them a thirst for the living God, and they will come to us and ask, “Why are you different? Why are you so full of hope and peace and joy even in the midst of troubles?” When they do this, you then can tell them about Jesus Christ.
So we must ask ourselves: Are we functioning as salt in our society? Are we causing people to thirst for Jesus Christ? In John 7:37, Jesus declared at the Feast, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” It is the church’s business to produce in the hearts of unbelievers great thirst for Jesus Christ.
Worldliness Destroys Saltiness
Then Jesus said that if salt lost its saltiness, it would become useless and worthless. Can people lose their saltiness? Yes. How? Through worldliness. When we conform to the pattern of the world, when we embrace the rotten values of the world, when we become materialistic, sensual and pleasure-seeking, we lose our saltiness. We become like the world–rotting, rotten, and foul.
We must realize that we are to be in the world but not of the world. Although we are in the world, we must focus on Jesus Christ and his teachings. We are to be different, and if we are not, we will become fools. We will become useless to God, useless to our families, useless to society–yea, useless to the world. And the day will come when saltless professors of Christ will be cast out by the Lord Jesus Christ.
We read about this in Matthew 8:11-12: “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness. where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And in 2 Timothy 4:10 Paul, with great grief, speaks about his fellow worker Demas, “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.”
Yes, one day the Lord Jesus Christ will say to such people, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” One day he will speak to them, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” That day is coming!
1 comment March 7, 2007
Money
Ecclesiastes 5:10 “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.”
1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Riches are meaningless!
1 Timothy 6:7 “For we have brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”
All that we have now does not belong to us…
Yet, money has been made so important in this world.
What we have to do simply is to surrender, submit & obey.
Our lives will be made so much more simple!
Indeed the simplest things are made complicated by humans…
Add a comment March 6, 2007
Sanctification Week Service (31Jan)
1. Sanctification
John 17:15-19 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
– only if you lead a sanctified life will you be in the world and not of the world
– spirit of God is the spirit of truth
– sanctification is progressive
– justified: when we are saved by the blood of Jesus
– one salvation, many heart conversions
Why do we need to be sanctified?
– will of God
1 Thessalonians 4:3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
Exodus 19:4 You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
– we all have holy discontent
– however we need to go deep first before looking far and asking big
1 Thessalonians 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
– live godly, self-controlled, upright lives
– can say no to ungodliness and worldly passions more easily as time goes by
– need to have self-control in thought/ temperament/ speech/ conduct
– must be eager to do what is good
– dare to confront, speak the truth and offend
– will be worthwhile eventually
– God can change circumstances
2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
– purify ourselves
– we have the responsibility to cleanse/ purify ourselves
– both the work of God and man
2. Forgiveness is not equal to freedom– cannot experience the joy of being set free
– own up to our problem
– do not blame others
2 Cor 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
3. Grace and truth
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
– Jesus: God’s word in the flesh
– we need God’s grace to do what God’s truth demands
– can hear Him the most in His presence
Jehovah Mekoddishkem: the Lord who sanctifies
Leviticus 20:8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
(:
1 comment January 31, 2007
God is good!
Got news from Macritchie Reservoir, NEWater and CJS today (:
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Add a comment January 24, 2007
becoming a christian means that we will have to face spiritual warfare… why then do people become christians?
why will people want to go to war?
simply because God loves us. the things that He has done for us are countless. the miracles that He has worked in our lives are just so amazing. the love that we have for Him far exceeds the fear of facing spiritual warfare.
God is Love. (:
thanking God every day for all that He has given me…
some people may say… i feel perfectly happy at the moment. i have a good family, good frens, coping well with my studies. i dont lack anything…
but with God… you will get SO MUCH more. why settle for less when u can get more, for free? if you have experienced the love of God, nothing will feel obligatory, nothing will be like rules… they become habits and you will feel happy performing them… (eg. reading the bible daily)
why do people want to spread the word of God? let’s imagine. if u had had a very sumptuous meal, you would tell everyone that that particular place where u had the meal serves good food right? if u had a very good holiday overseas, you would tell everyone to go there right? the same with the word of God. it is so amazing that you just want to tell everyone. (:
some people say… go church to get brainwashed…let’s think… are people that easy to brainwash? dont they have a mind of their own? its only when people truly experience/encounter and are touched by God do they believe in Him… so for us to believe in Him, He must be real!
Add a comment January 18, 2007
wonders of God's love 