PRESENT ON GOOD FRIDAY (John 19:16–42)

 Sermon by Rev Tan-Yeo Lay Suan

Good Friday is not a memorial service for a one-time savior. It is not just a 2,000 year-old story that has no impact for us today.

What appeared on the surface on Good Friday as a bad case of misunderstanding and attack by the religious leaders on Jesus, was actually also a cosmic battle between good and evil. This battle has been ongoing and the battleground is the human heart. God's eternal enemy is behind this battle and among those who were present. The 3 groups of people include:

1. Those who readily succumbed to be Satan's instruments of darkness: the devil was certainly present in the events of Good Friday to halt the mission of Christ to stop him from completing the ultimate action that will free human hearts from sin, from judgment, from knowing the transformation that God can bring about. What was a simple arrest of a radical rabbi needing floggingin just a few hours escalated to become the arrest of a seditious man needing to be crucified (a punishment reserved for the vilest criminals). But is it all Satan's fault and intentions? It is important to recognize that no one is a passive bystander watching the battle from a safe distance.

Today the battle continues to be waged within each one of us before it is waged in communities, or even churches. This is a battle that we are to defend territory that has been won by the Lord and which can be in danger of being lost. This happens when followers of Jesus

• allow Satan to dislodge us from the place of victory. Through his obedience, Jesus has already wrench Satan from his advantaged position: he can no longer bring charges against us, expose our debt of sin, or keep us living in shame and doubt. We simply need to stand knowing that we fight from a position of victory. We must refuse to be held ransom by the devil's lies any more and take the victory by faith.
• refuse participation in the struggle to make sure that good prevails in our often bad world. It is common for believers to think that following Jesus is all in the "hereafter, after life"and while on this side of heaven, we get immunized from bad things in the world. But following Jesus takes us into uncomfortable situations. It's about growing in mastery over those inclinations within us that might choose evil rather than good if left unchecked. Without our active choices, the default is to let the enemy continue to hold sway over us. This is first. Then after that is defeated in our own lives, we then carry the presence of the Kingdom of God right into our world and the situations that we are confronted with. Then the horrors of our world like Auschwitz can be thwarted. 

2. Those whose hearts were miraculously touched by Jesus in his final hours of weakness. Malchus was the last recipient of the miraculous healing of Jesus. The enemy that he was to arrest had become his benefactor, his ear was reattached. It didn't make sense. He just knew from then on, that he has no longer any drive to please the master who had sent him. Now he wants to listen out for this new master. The one prisoner who was crucified with him was amazed how this innocent good man continued to pray for his tormentors that they will receive God's forgiveness. Both man just felt the depth of the love of God in Jesus and they could not resist the miracle that was taking place in their hearts.

Reflection: Have you experienced the ultimate goodness of God to you? When was the worst time of your life when you knew the Lord answered a particular prayer and eased the situation? Have you heard the voice of the Holy Spirit saying, "Ït is I who have done it!" Have you let the Holy Spirit continue to stir your life and complete what he has started in your? Or have you nipped that stirring in the bud refusing to acknowledge God's touch on your life?

3. Those who faithfully followed in the quiet watching the unravelling of the purpose of God in sending Jesus to the world. Mary had known the prophecy regarding her son, that at some point in her life, a sword would pierce her soul. That she experienced as she saw her son made a spectacle in the public and crucified to die like a criminal. Jesus words, "Woman, behold your Son" I believe, was an invitation to Mary to yield their special earthly relationship as mother and son  to something higher and holier i.e. to let Jesus become her savior. Mary came to a fuller appreciation of what the cross meant. She surrendered to take her place among his worshipers, not a special place, or on a pedestal, but a place where she knows having Jesus as her savior is better than having Jesus as her son.

Reflection: Are you special? Jesus says we are and yet those who follow him must allow Jesus to increase in their lives and they decrease.  Have you observe how the Lord invites you to a deeper understanding of who he is? Have you desired to grow in your worship and surrender to his Lordship? Or are you still at that point of life when you can only see yourself and God's purpose is never your preoccupation?

More aged than sin is the supreme and consistent love of God in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. At the cross, we come to grips with the extent that our God would go/sacrifice in the battle for the souls of men and women.

• JESUS: He drank to the dregs the cup of suffering. The cup in the biblical world would convey the  benefits that God provides (Ps 16:5; 116:3; 1 Cor 10:16). But it can also represent the judgment of God upon sin (Is 51:17, 22; Jer 25:15,16; Eze 23:31-34; Mk 14:36). God hands down the cup of destruction and punishment to Jesus, a cup that the disciples could not share till after he has taken it first. Jesus experienced the worst of God's anger when he uttered "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" For a consistently obedient son who had never disobeyed the Father, who had known God's delight in and presence with him, bearing the full weight of the Father's anger against sin was to swing to the other extreme of facing something he had not known from before: God's anger. Jesus expressed the torment of taking on the judgment of God in that cry. The torment was not only physical but also mental, emotional and spiritual that men and women may be spared this same torment of being eternally separated from God.
• FATHER: In the second part of John 3:16, "that he gave his only begotten son" was the pain of the Father in heaven who had provided for the rescue of so many sons of his people and yet, He bore a sacrifice for which he made no plans to bring in a substitute (no one deserving). By not intervening at the Cross, the Father God actually carried out the sacrifice that Abraham almost did with Isaac. How could that act not caused the Father great suffering. In this act too, the Trinity took the risk of being dismembered for the first time.
• HOLY SPIRIT: Although he appears to be absent in this whole event leading up to the cross, yet Heb 9:14 reminds us that the Holy Spirit contributed much in the ministry of the cross in empowering Jesus to endure the cup of suffering and to triumph faithfully. The Holy Spirit gave as much as was needed to overcome the pain of both the Father and the Son.

In all, the extent of the love of God is revealed in full. We will close with the song, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" We are not any different from the human beings that needed Jesus on that first Good Friday. Have you experienced the tremblings of those

• whose sins (though many) have been forgiven and who know the victory of Jesus in the face of temptations?
• who knew that the Lord had been good to them time and time again (It is the Lord who has done this) and respond with allowing God to take the miraculous change all the way in their lives?
• who continually allow Christ to be Lord more and more so, trembling with growing reverence,  and worship of God?

ABSENT ON EASTER (JOHN 20:19-31)

Sermon by Dr Andrew Peh on Easter Sunday 2011

GODISNOWHERE
GODISNOWHERE

Sceptics have often discounted Jesus' absence with 3 theories:

1. Wrong Tomb Theory: The women went to the wrong tomb and so did the disciples. This is easily debunked, because they could have solved this by asking Joseph of Arimathea who was the owner of the tomb.
2. Hallucination Theory: All the witnesses who purport to have seen the resurrected Jesus were so distraught that they all hallucinated about Jesus being alive again etc.
3. Swoon Theory: Jesus only fainted and was not dead when they laid him in the tomb. The cool air of the tomb resuscitated his spirits. This theory is doubtful because Jesus was severely whipped and hung on the cross for 6 hours. He was wrapped in aloes and frankinscence which totalled 70 lbs (pounds). It is hard for him to unwrap himself from these wrappings and burial cloths, to be able to then pile them nicely in the tomb. Moveover, it would take at least 10 men to roll the stone away and this cannot happen without substantial noise which would definitely have alerted the soldiers.
4. Theft Theory: The disciples came and make off with his body in the night. This is doubtful too as they would have to be able to file past the well trained Roman guards to get to his body in the first place.

These theories are just symptomatic of our time: we want to exclude Jesus from our lives.

All the gospel writers spend substantial amount of time to describe their encounters with the resurrected Christ: the proclamation of the angel at the tomb, to Mary Magdalene; the Upper Room encounter when he breathed his Holy Spirit on them; the record of Thomas tangibly seeing the wounds of the resurrected Christ and his immediate response of worship.

These testimonies demonstrate:

1. Believers have Final Victory over death and sin.

James DeLoach, quoted in "When God Was Taken Captive" W. Aldrich, Multnomah, 1989, p. 24.

"I am not a connoisseur of great art, but from time to time a painting or picture will really speak a clear, strong message to me. Some time ago I saw a picture of an old burned-out mountain shack. All that remained was the chimney...the charred debris of what had been that family's sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying. Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life. Those words were, "Hush child, God ain't dead!"

"That vivid picture of that burned-out mountain shack, that old man, the weeping child, and those words "God ain't dead" keep returning to my mind. Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope! I need reminders that there is hope in this world. In the midst of all of life's troubles and failures, I need mental pictures to remind me that all is not lost as long as God is alive and in control of His world."

The empty cross and tomb have decidedly transformed Christian funerals. Paul rejoices in 1 Corinthians 15:55, Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Yes, while we will weep and cry at the loss of our loved ones, there is this inherent quality: death is swallowed up in victory: that there is hope. Michael Card shared that very well in his song: Love Crucified Arose:

Love Crucified Arose
Long ago He blessed the earth
Born older than the years
And in the stall the cross He saw
Through the first of many tears
A life of homeless wandering
Cast out in sorrow's way
The Shepherd seeking for the lost
His life the price He paid

Chorus
Love crucified arose
The risen One in splendor
Jehovah's sole Defender
Has won the victory
Love crucified arose
And the grave became a place of hope
For the heart that sin and sorrow broke
Is beating once again

Throughout Your life You've felt the weight
Of what You'd come to give
To drink for us that crimson cup
So we might really live
At last the time love and die
The dark appointed day
That one forsaken moment when
Your Father turned His face away
Repeat Chorus

The grave becomes a place of hope so each year when Ps Andrew revises his own funeral worship order (on his birthday), he will plan it in the light of the Resurrection of Christ.

He also shared a relatively new praise hymn written by the great Stuart Townend, the British musician who wrote the favorite praise chorus: In Christ Alone. This new praise hymn is entitled There Is A Hope. The lyrics are rich, both spiritually and theologically. Here they are:There Is A Hope by Stuart Townend and Mark Edwards Copyright (c) 2007 Thankyou Music.

There Is A Hope by Stuart Townend

There is a hope that burns within my heart,
That gives me strength for ev'ry passing day;
a glimpse of glory now revealed in meager part,
Yet drives all doubt away:
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiv'n;
and Christ in me, the hope of heav'n!
My highest calling and my deepest joy,
to make His will my home.


There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Savior there!
Through present sufferings, future's fear,
He whispers, "Courage!" in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.


There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
and every longing satisfied,then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home.

Jesus' absence from the tomb brings us into this joy and glory.

Reflection Questions:

1. Where are some of my present sufferings or my future fears?
2. How may the absence of Christ from the tomb give me hope in these situations?

WOUNDS OF DENIAL (John 18:15-27)

The Docetists - heretics who rejected the traditional understanding of the Incarnation. The Docetists taught that in the incarnation, the second Person of the Trinity did not take upon himself human flesh: he only appeared to have become a human being. The Docetists therefore affirmed the deity of the incarnate Son, but rejected his humanity. Because they believed that God could not suffer, the Docetists also rejected the claim that the Son suffered for humanity on the cross. It is to combat this false teaching that the Apostle Creed was born to bear witness that believers believe in the deity and the humanity of Christ. That he indeed can be wounded, not just physically, but inwardly as well.

John 18 is a chapter shrouded in darkness, Judas had come with a bunch of people in the cover of the night to arrest Jesus with a kiss. Disappointed with the Kingdom Jesus had come to bring, he was willing to betray him. In addition, despite his many protestations of his loyalty to Jesus, Peter was to fail the Lord in the High Priest's house. All the disciples deserted the Lord, all equally cupable to inflict wounds of betrayal on Jesus. In particular, the betrayal from Peter was hard as he had made promises to the Lord that he will stand firm even if everyone should fall away. So Peter's denial was to hurt Jesus so much more. Would you inflict wounds on Jesus?

Palm Sunday reminds us of the fickleness of man. The crowds that welcome Jesus into the city who utter "Save, help us!" was to be replaced by the same crowd who would later shout, "crucify him."

We are quick to say we will not deny Jesus. But we actually do the opposite when we:

• are fearful to offer a meal prayer with our colleagues at lunch
• driving on the expressway and are filled with a spirit that is not of God
• worship and preach only about Jesus' resurrection but neglect the fellowship of his sufferings (Phil 3:10-11).
• emphasize his divinity and reject his death. "While i  understand that each Sunday is a mini-Easter of sorts, but the choice of the songs reflects (to me) a deficient Christian hymnody and a somewhat lopsided triumphalistic emphasis on the resurrection that relegates the passion, suffering and death of Jesus to a footnote!" We must remember not to eclipse the sufferings of Jesus, his crucifixion and his death and simply focus on his triumph, his resurrection in our observance of Lent. There can be no resurrection
• without the passion and suffering of Jesus,
• without the death of Jesus
• without Good Friday.

Let's not deny Jesus in all we do and sing. Ray Boltz has a song where he muses on the suffering wounds of Jesus:

If Jesus suffers on Calvary's tree, can he still feel the nails every time we sin? The events of the passion week is not to be repeated but the song writer writes about the gravity of sin and one's desire to make changes in response so as not to cheapen his sufferings and what he has done for us at Calvary.

Let us live each day under the shadow of the cross.

Reflection Questions:

1. How have I been fickle in my devotion to the Lord Jesus?
2. How have I continually wound Jesus in my relationship with him?
3. What are the changes that I will make in response to the sufferings of Jesus?

DISCIPLINE 1 Thess 1:2-3

Sermon by Romans Wong (BB Enrolment Sunday)

The Objective of the Boys' Brigade is the advancement of Christ's kingdom among boys and the promotion of the habits of obedience, reverence, discipline, self respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness.

Discipline is a form of training to become better by following a set of standards he/she believes in. Discipline can only happen between two persons when it is not forced and both parties have agreed to be in such a relationship and share the same convictions about the usefulness of discipline.

God disciplines us personally, purposefully and prudently so that we may be filled with his wisdom and become his children and bring him glory. Many situations in our lives therefore do not happen by chance. But it is God who has engineered those events to train us. He tailors the situation to each of our needs.

Why do we fail to notice God's discipline?
1. We are not conscious of the presence of God in the busyness of our lives.
2. We choose the easy way out, every time the Lord wants to discipline us.

Discipline in the Bible has emphasis on the relationship between the one being disciplined and the One who disciplines.

Heb 12:5-11
"⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,    “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,  and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
 ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. "

The Lord disciplines the one he loves. The relationship between the Father and the Son makes discipline sensible. Discipline is an important means for us to deepen our relationship with God.

When we reject discipline we are saying to the Disciplinarian, "Lay your hands off me."  Paul shares with us that there are people who reject God's discipline in Rom 1:28 "²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. " Do you want God to lay his hands off you or do you want God to transform you so that you can become a better person for His glory? When he does that then it's a sad situation because that itself will be the way God shows his wrath upon us.

Prov 29 is a chapter that talks about discipline - choosing God's ways rather than our ways. In verses 15 & 17 are the words:

 ¹⁵ A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
   but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.
 ¹⁷ Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
   they will bring you the delights you desire.

It is tough to try to discipline ourselves and those under us. But don't give up. It is inconvenient to discipline. Do we postpone discipline now simply because they look cute at this point? What if the army boy was your son, your brother, it is no longer fun to see this article.

Sir William Alexander Smith (October 27, 1854 - May 10, 1914), the founder of the Boys' Brigade 

observed how restless asnd bored children were during the Sunday school classes especially the senior boys. He believed that the methods and discipline he had used at the Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers could be more effective and appropriate when dealing with them and so the birth of the Boys' brigade. He believed that to grow God fearing adults, we have got to start when they are young persons. He wanted the boys to look to Jesus as their hero and draw inspiration from Christ how to be a godly man. BB companies have always been connected to the church so that they can come in touch with many good male models. The Role of the BB is to build a Christianity that can become a part of young people's lives.

Officers, rather than abusing your power, discipline yourselves  to let God work in your lives so that you will impact the boys when you love and care for them. Parents don't give up on dsciplining your children. Let's take courage from Paul's admonition in Rom 5:1-5 says, " ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. "

Reflection Questions

1. Why do I shun the discipline of my parents, my school teachers? Why do I shun the discipline of God?
2. Why do I fear disciplining my children? Is it because of the hardship involved in exercising the discipline? Or am I just plain lazy?  See 1 Sam 3:13-14.
3. What are some fruits of righteousness that has been borne out of discipline in your life? Who are some of the people who have impacted you. Give thanks to the Lord for them.
4. Can you become more involved in the Boys' Brigade? How can you impact the boys with your life?

WOUNDS OF SCORN (Matthew 27:39-42; Isaiah 53:2,3)

    Sermon by Rev Helen Hoe

When Jesus grew up, the bible described him as  “increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man.” There was no hint that Jesus was despised and rejected. But that was the pre-ministry days. It was when He began His mission that men turned away from Him.  

The sufferings Jesus endured:
John 1:11

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

Mathew 27:39-42

³⁹And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

 ⁴¹In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying,  ⁴²He saved others; He cannot save Himself He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

Isaiah painted a picture of Jesus:
Isaiah 53:2-3
He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
    ³He was despised and forsaken of men,
         A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
         And like one from whom men hide their face.  He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.     

 Applications:

(a) Dealing with the wounds

Have you been down this road of being scorned? when you did something good, tried to walk the path of obedience, but was mocked instead. At one point or other we have experienced being put down. Sometimes you feel ostracize by a group, maybe friends or peers; in your growing up years or even now, you felt so small, so inferior...

Some just brushed it off and moved on. Others are still living with the hurts. And the wound cuts deeper when they came from people closest to you (spouse or parent).

Bishop Kroeber says: "One of the marks of a true mature Christian is the willingness to take risks, get wounded, work through the healing process and then become vulnerable again."

Are you willing to surrender your wound to Jesus? To take the risk of loving and being wounded in the process?

(b) Dealing with the People who Wounded us

How then do we relate to the people who mock us and hurt us?

Identifying with people

Jesus was mocked and taunted. If it was me, I’ll be tempted to come down. But Christ know his mission, he came to reconcile us to God. To do that, he identifies with us, Incarnation is the ultimate identification with man.

That is why despite the wound of scorn that they inflicted on him, he prayed: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

When we are being hurt, usually we think of our pain first. But Jesus thought of us. He took pity on us who did not get it.

Jesus knew that men do not fall at His feet and worship Him until they have had a radical change of heart that comes through a spiritual birth. "Unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." The cross of Jesus Christ is always a scandal to the unregenerate man. Jesus knows, that is why he prayed; Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing

In some of the ministries experiences that I had, that I heard, there are always people whose weaknesses bring much pain to our lives.

2 Temptations:

1.      Leave for another pasture : Today Christians are too quick to leave their church, organization, small grup, friend or spouse when the going gets tough. People would rather split and start afresh elsewhere rather than go through the frustrations of working through the issues/problems. 

2.      The other temptation is to disregard them, write them off. Some leaders gave their members this message: “if you do not agree on the direction we are taking, you are welcome to find another group”.

But we cannot do that if we are the family we claim to be. Can you tell your family members that they are not welcomed because they regularly get upset with what’s happening in the family? I suppose this happens today, but that is not the Christian understanding of family

Would you surrender that right to be angry with these people, and pray that God will bring about a change in heart in their lives?

c) When we are not the victims but the Perpetrator

We are not always like Jesus on the cross, sometimes we are at the opposite side, more like the chief priests, the soldiers, the passing crowd…

We may think, "no lah, since when do I mock at people?"

But the area of your strength is often the area of your danger zone: pride. For eg: people who sees big picture, how do you regard those who never sees the forest but the trees or worse, only the leaves and branches?

I have to confess that God dealt with this area in my life recently “spiritual pride”. 

Are there people in your lives that :

-         we look down, belittle?

-         People we do not take their words seriously, start to switch off when they talked?

-         You roll your eyes and think, why can’t they get it?

-         When we talked down, every point we want to rebutt?

The bible said: "And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him."

Because there was nothing outwardly beautiful or compelling about the Messiah, mankind's reaction was to withdraw from Him, to despise Him, and hold Him in low esteem. This shows that men value physical beauty and charisma far more than God does, and when we don't see it, we reject the ones God accepts and invalidate what Christ has done for us on the cross.

Reflection Questions

1.       Have you experienced the wound of scorn? Being put down? being belittled for who you are? You felt so small, so inferior, would you surrender your pain and receive restoration? The mark of a true mature Christian is the willingness to take risks, get wounded, work through the healing process and then become vulnerable again.  Are you willing to tell God: yes I’m willing to take the risk of loving and being wounded in the process.

2.      Are there people in your lives that keep putting you down? People whose words always upset or hurt you – would you pray “God, help me to forgive them, bring about a transformation in their lives so that they truly know God.  

3.      Would you also pray humble yourselves in the presence of God, ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart, is there spiritual pride in you? Are there any areas that you show contempt to fellow believers, whether outwardly or in your heart? As the Holy Spirit brings conviction to our hearts, let's confess and repent, and plead for His forgiveness.