“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.“
Hebrews 4:14
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SOME EXCERPTS AND LESSONS FROM TODAY’S MESSAGE
MORNING SERMON
FOCUS: “REJOICING IN HOPE””
Text: [Romans 12:12]
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
- A RIGHT VIEW OF THE PRESENT WORLD
- GOD’s PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE WORLD
- ANTICIPATION OF THE WORLD TO COME
– There is an intimate connection from verse 9 towards the end of this chapter. It leads from one point to another.
– As Christians, how do we view our life here on earth?
– We cannot rejoice in hope if we don’t understand the ‘present’ world that we live in: it is evil.
– It is the age that tries to build a culture void of God. A God-denying age.
– This age (present world) starts with the fall of man and ends with the return of Christ.
– The “world to come” starts with the return of Christ; ref. Eph 2:1-2
– Christ came to redeem this world through His blood and not through the gradual improvement of this world.
– God will purge this world of evil and all its effects. Judgment will come to this world; ref. Acts 17:31
– 2 Cor 11:24-29; Paul’s afflictions show that Paul was not rejoicing in the world, Paul was rather ‘rejoicing in hope’
– 2 Cor 4:17; Paul is comparing the affliction in the present time with the eternity to come. Understanding the doctrine leads us to “rejoice”
– The Christian man is saved from the world. The Christian knows he is serving the Lord while waiting for the Lord.
– Tribulation, Hope, and Prayer – we all experience these things. They always go together. Are these things happening to our lives?
Therefore:
a. We cannot rejoice in hope if we put our hope in this world”
b. We cannot rejoice in hope if we don’t understand our blessed hope.”
c. The Christian man knows he is serving the Lord while waiting for the Lord.”
AFTERNOON SERMON
FOCUS: “THE SORROW OF CHRIST AT THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE”
TEXT: [Matthew 26:36-46]
“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
- THE NATURE OF THE SORROW OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
- THE CAUSE OF CHRIST’S SORROW
- THE LORD’S NEED OF FRIENDS
– Christ was sorrowful during this time in the Garden of Gethsemane
– It was the sorrow of the highest degree.
– “very sorrowful” came from Greek περίλυπος “perilupos” per-il’-oo-pos which means “grieved all around, that is, intensely sad: – exceeding (very) sorry (-awful).”
– The culmination was when Christ said “It is finished” but it already started and intensified in the Garden of Gethsemane.
– Our sorrows cannot compare to the sorrow that Christ felt.
– These events proceeded after Christ’s intense encounter and warfare with darkness.
– The “cup of suffering” is a figurative language pertaining to Christ’s suffering.
– Crucifixion is an intentional way to be of capital punishment displaying a slow and painful death.
– Christ’s death on the cross means bearing the sins of the whole world in his body.
– What kind of death? It was a death that consisted of the imputation of the sin of the world.
– Christ was as human as we are. He pleaded with His friends to pray with Him.
– Christ needed friends to be with Him yet they slept on three occasions cited on these passages.
– In times of distress, we ought to pray just like Christ.
Therefore:
a. God answers our prayers, but the answer may not be according to what we want.
b. We can turn to Jesus in times of agony and trouble. It is not a sign of weakness to share our troubles.
c. The will of God will always prevail.
” Christ understands any sufferings that we encounter for He Himself suffered.”
BELLA VISTA COVENANT BIBLE FELLOWSHIP
FOCUS: ANG NAGPAPAKASAKIT NA PAGIBIG NI KRISTO
TEXT: [1 John 3:16]
“Dito natin nalalaman ang pag-ibig: inialay ni Cristo ang kanyang buhay para sa atin. Kaya’t dapat din nating ialay ang ating buhay para sa mga kapatid.”
- THE UNWORTHINESS OF THE LOVED
- THE LOVELINESS OF THE LOVER
– Hindi nagsimula ang pag-ibig ni Kristo sa iyo noong ikaw ay na nanumbalik sa Kanya. This encourages a holy life, living for the One who loves sinners supremely.
-Makikita lamang natin ang kagandahan ng pag-ibig ni Kristo na dapat nating tularan kung ating makikita na tayo ay hindi karapat-dapat sa pag-ibig ng kahit sinoman.
– John did not define love. He showed the supreme example of love as motivation for the believers to love the brethren.
– Who is Jesus? Jesus Christ our LORD – Ito ay selfless – The Son of God Himself stoop down sent by His Father to live and die for His people.
-Jesus laid down his life – John’s use of τίθημι is unique to the Gospel of John (10:11, 15, 17, 18; 13:37, 38; 15:13) and 1 John (only here).
– True love is a giving love. The world loves to receive instead of giving.
– Self-preservation is the first law of physical life, but self-sacrifice is the first law of spiritual life. – Warren Wiersbe
– Kung nais mong makita ang pag-ibig na dapat mong tularan, wag mong tignan ang makasariling pag-ibig ng sanlibutan, kundi tumingin ka sa krus!
Therefore:
a. Pagsisihan ang kalamigan natin sa Diyos at kapatiran.Ang sukdulang pag-ibig ay matatagpuan kay Kristo, ang pag-ibig na nagpapakasakit at nagbibigay.
b. Manahan ka sa pag-ibig ni Kristo araw-araw. Pinasalamatan mo ba Siya ngayong umaga dahil sa kaligtasang iyong tinanggap?
“Love is an act of the will accompanied by emotion that leads to action on behalf of its object.”
– Voddie Baucham
Blessed LORD’s day!
To God alone be the glory!
HERALD OF GRACE COVENANT BIBLE CHURCH OF CAVITE 