Sunday, January 26, 2014

20140126 A people of God's presence

Sermon: A people of God's presence
26 January 2014
Wesley Methodist Church Singapore
Rev Wendy Watson.

Bible text John 20:19-23

Followed with Acts 1:1-8

Rev Wendy Watson fainted during communion watch night service
was very ill
vomiting
sick.

But also a time of blessing:
experienced
attentive husband
church pastors
laity.

Experienced
prayer in action:
felt lifted up
protected by a shield
presence of God.

There is something about prayer that can be experienced in the body of Christ.

We are a people "of God's presence".
We are walking temples of God.

Sermon outline
4 P's
1. PARACLETE
2. PROMISED
3. POSITION
4. POWER


1. PARACLETE
   Name of the Holy Spirit.
    Jesus infused the disciples as he said
   "Receive the Holy Spirit".
      Everything Jesus did was linked to the Holy Spirit.
      From His
       conception (Matt 1:18)
       baptism (Matt 3:16)
       temptation (Matt 4:1)
       his ministry (Luke 4:14, 18).

So too we need power of Holy Spirit.
Without which we can not be patient.
Without which we can not know God's presence.

2. PROMISED
  (Joel 2/ Acts 2)
 Holy Spirit was promised
And did pour out on God's people.


3. POSITION
We must position our heart.
We must position ourselves geographically.

We house the Holy Spirit.
We are temples of Holy Spirit.
We are hosts of Holy Spirit.
We must nurture Holy Spirit.

Set aside time for for worship
set aside place for worship.


4. POWER
There is Power and Authority from the Holy Spirit.

We are authorized and empowered to say "Rise up, in Jesus Name".

We are authorized and empowered to
preach
heal
in Jesus's name.

Just as police might say "Stop in the name of the law"
We can say "Stop, in the Name of Jesus".

Empowerment by Holy Spirit enables you to do what God wants you to do.


MJC is not a bible study.
But it is positioning as Body of Christ.
To Meditate on The Word.

MJC provides opportunity
 to dialogue with God
to meet the Living God
to meet the risen Christ.

To hear Him say,
"I love you,"
"You have a special purpose life."

To prepare for this it will be good to position yourself
set aside
 a special sacred place:
      physical,
    and also in your heart.

To get Holy Spirit all you need to do is ask.

Put aside striving to do things in our own human strength.
You can not achieve it.
Put that aside.
Do all in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

20140114 Jonah.1


Storm watch: Sketchnotes unpacked
Wesley Methodist Church
Sunday 19 January 2014
Rev Joel Yong

NUS majored in Geography and Englush Literature

Storm watch: Storm likely to take place
Storm warning: Storm will take place


No one likes storms
Uncontrollable 

Jonah 1: two responses to storm 
1 Fear
2 Humilty


Good friend Zul
In army
Storm warning and lightning alert
Went to call in the troops
Struck and killed by lightning.

God uses the pulpit of storms to speak to us.



Jonah told to arise and go
Jonah told to speak against Nineveh.

No "if"s no "buts"

When God gives us an instruction he expects us to obey.


Holding father's hand protects child from running into trolley-storm

When we lulled by familiar territory insist on letting go of God's hand we depend on our own human strength and are at risk of a big storm.

The gentile sailors were alert, and called out to their gods.


The gentile sailors rowed hard but acknowledged they could not reach the land in thieir own strength.

But Jonah, prophet of God went to sleep.
To escape.
In denial.
To hide his sin.

The gentile sailors wake Jonah and call him to pray.


Lot fell in Jonah.
Running away physically from God.
Pushed into a corner.
Challenged by the sailors.
Reaches breaking point.
Confesses.
I ran away from God.
Toss me into the sea.

There was conversion at the point of submission.
The ship out on stormy waters became a place of worship.

Take home message
Submission and surrender.
Storms will quell.
Look for the sovreign God.



All the four gospels quote Jesus:
"He who finds his life will lose it: he who loses his life will find it."

SURRENDER
Though the storms of life may blow, you will find peace.

Address: 10 Marina Bay
Marina Bay Sands
At ground level
Carbon monoxide pollution
Taxi engine emission 
Smokers
Noise pollution...

But move up to a higher plane
57th floor
Peace and tranquility
Move up to a higher plane.


Rocky vs Sandy
Storms WILL come

Hear God's word and obey.
Only then can you fulfil God's purpose in your life.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

10140112 Barnabas







Barnabas was an encourager
Barnabas was a mentor

Go and do likewise!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

20140105 Arise and Shine

Heading

Sketchnotes unpacked
5 January 2014

Wesley Methodist Church
Ps Jeremy Ong
Text: Isaiah 60:1-6
Sermon: Arise and Shine

Is 60:1-4

Is 60: 5-6

Introduction
How has the past year been for you?
Was 2013  
a good year?
a difficult year?

full of victories?
full of failures?

What characterized 2013 for you?
Births? Deaths?
Bonus? Sack?

Context
 For Israel, this text (Is 60:1-6)
comes upon a drastic past
Assysria, Babylon had assaulted Jerusalem and burned down their walls
The exiles returned to Jerusalem
see ruins
thick darkness
destroyed capital

 
Exhortation
 Yet against this bleak backdrop
darkness
desolation
destruction
dismay
The prophet Isaiah brings a word of hope from God
"Arise and Shine
FOR the glory of the Lord will come upon you"

What a promise!

APPLICATION
Whatever has happened in 2013 leave it behind
Failure, success
Crisis,  whatever
all that is PAST

eg Bowling
Every game is a new start
no matter how the previous game went
Dont let the memory of the past weigh you down.

Philippians 3:13 (NIV)

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead...




Remember
thelight that has come for us is Jesus.
He is the light of the world
He will shine though your darkness


Now we are in the church season of Epiphany, the climax of the the Christmas season.
It relates to the manifestation, appearance, revelation of Jesus Christ.
It is known as the "Three king's day" in Europe eg "Dia de los Tres Reyes"
The Magi were the first Gentiles to see Jesus.
Epiphany is thus also a call to evangelism.


When Pastor Jeremy joined poly, of the 18 classmates he was the only believer.
He had the opportunity to invite them to a Christian concert.
Catching up with some of them any years later, he discovers 4 of them are now believers.
What part did he play, he does not know.
Only he did take that opportunity to share "the light".
Even now he continues to meet up with the others and take the opportunity to share "the light".

You may find the place you are in is filled with darkness
Workplace?
Home?
Classroom?
Dark places full of sin:

But God has placed you there to be a light

Be like the Magi
Arise
Go
Shine light in dark places in society.


Our church Wesley Methodist Church Singapore is not that unified.
It is quite fragmented
May 2014 be a year of unity.

One way of promoting unity is for each of us to participate in the MJC
Meeting Jesus in the Gospels Campaign


When we do come together
God will be glorified

We will draw others to God

We will shine, for the glory of God
Let us have unity
as we gather around the Communion Table




Wednesday, January 1, 2014

20131231 What are you trusting in?

Like locusts...

Sketchnote: Sermon: Rev Wendy Watson
Watch night service: 
Count down to 2014?

What are you counting on?


Bible Text: Nahum 3:14-17
Graphic warning indeed!

And Nineveh was annihilated
What are your dreams for 2014?
Church filled till overflowing?
Well behaved children?
Well behaved spouse?

January is named after Janus,
Roman God of the doorway.
Janus is depicted as having two faces,
one facing backwards, the other forwards.

Ancient Romans reflected on the year gone by
and looked to the year ahead.

They looked backwards with pride
assured of their military prowess
of their able governance.
They looked forwards,
counting on prowess and governance
to keep, if not to expand their empire,
conquering lands, increasing slaves, land money.
Yet the Roman empire was to crumble.


Assyria likewise was powerful
and expected the next year to be better.
Nahum the prophet had a warning for them (Nineveh).
After they had repented (Re: Jonah) they backslid.

God say "I have had enough of you
Do as you have done before.
Depend on
your stocks (water)
 defences
merchants.

Even if you multiply like swarming locusts you will not escape destruction."

If you reject God
and worship mammon, money, sex
YOU ARE DOOMED.

And Nineveh was destroyed and obliterated for 2500 years.

Sermon illustration:

FDW (Foreign Domestic Worker)
Husband passed away 11 years ago.
Came to work in Singapore to earn money to raise her 3 sons
and put them through school.

Her dream:
"Next year I will be 50 years old.
My dream: for my 3 sons and myself to eat together with me as a family."

She added:
"If this is granted in this life , 'Thanks God!'  "

And then she added:
"Even if this is not granted in this life, 'Thanks God!'
I know someday we will sit together to eat: if not here on earth, at least in heaven "

(Such faith!)

Jesus stood at the doorway:
He stood at the doorway between heaven and earth when he came down to be born in a manger:
Looking backwards he could see the glory and harmony of unity with the Father.
Looking forwards he could see the agony of the cross.

Jesus stood at the doorway between Earth and Sheol:
Looking backwards he could see the many lives he had touched while here on earth.
Looking forwards he could see the many who would come into the kingdom until he comes again.

For you, as you look back,
 how has 2013 been for you?
work?
responsibility?
high points?
low points?
ups?
downs?
roller coaster?
joys?
sorrows?
pains?
disappointments
successes?
struggling?

What are you trusting in?
What are you counting on?
Jesus is the way
Jesus is the door

Will you place your trust in Jesus?
If you do,
you are assured of a place at the heavenly banquet table.