Sunday, December 27, 2015

27 December 2015 - ENCS

Unsure whether to give thanks for the past or about the future talk
Pastor Josh reflected on decision making in a sermon “The Walk”
He said we often find ourselves balancing between two extremes
Per Matthew seven, opting for the narrow gate is hard - so it seems
But choosing the wide gate often leads down a road of destruction
Whether that be of trust, body, relationships, or just our production
Going through the narrow gate leads to where God wants us to be
And gives us excitement and joy every morning for others to see
But decisions in life are rarely that easy, Josh so appropriately said
So how we make good decisions must use both our heart and head
Four sequential ‘P’s to guide us, Pastor Josh did then with us share
Before he gave the stage to the worship team and took his chair

The first P is principles, which Josh said are partial not complete
Nonetheless, as guidance providers, they are very hard to beat
Per Isaiah forty, listen to and read God’s Word, as it stands forever
Per Second Chronicles seven, pray to God who ignores us never
And if we do not get clarity from words written or from heaven
Then seek advice from wise counsellors, per Proverbs eleven
For, as Josh astutely said, God wants us to behave relationally
Principles are a good start, but more is needed occasionally

The second P is priorities, as these are reflected by our choices
Put another way, our actions and decisions also act as our voices
Per Second Corinthians five, we should live for Jesus who died
When making decisions, choose which will result in Him glorified
Per Matthew six, we should opt for treasures eternal, not of the earth
Jobs should be to spread light and salt, not just building our net worth

The third P is preferences, as some decisions are actually situational
Per Psalm thirty seven verse four, delighting in the Lord is foundational
It says that when we do that, God will give us the desires of our heart
For through it all, God has wanted our friendship from the very start
Second Corinthians five instructs us to walk by faith, not by sight
When we do that, Pastor Josh said our decisions will be alright

The fourth P is person; Jesus should be honored by every decision
Per John fourteen, Jesus is the way, the truth, the life - our provision
And when we turn to Jesus and use our faith to make a choice
Even if it is wrong, God will help us “win” and for that we rejoice

In summary, principles, priorities, preferences, and the person
If we make decisions with that framework, God’s will be done

Friday, December 25, 2015

25 December 2015 - PLMC

Rev Dr Isaac Lim spoke at PLMC this Christmas Day
About “Christmas as a heart story” he had lots to say
The heart of God always reaches out to the heart of man
Throughout the Bible, this was evidently the game plan
Mary, Zechariah, and Joseph were examples of this
Angels came to assure each that nothing was amiss
John’s perspective differs from the others, it is seen
As evidenced in chapter one, verses one to eighteen

Per the first two verses, Jesus was there at the beginning
In fellowship with God and He actually was God the King
Darkness entered the world, per verses three and four
Evil intentions come from within and defile forevermore
But verse five says that in this dark world, Jesus is light
And light cannot be overcome, because of God’s might

John the Baptist was not the light, per verses six to nine
For man alone cannot with paradise completely align
Similarly, Christmas is actually a celebration in darkness
Unless Christ is present to bring His love into the mess
Evidence of God’s love for the world, Christmas is in fact 
But we need to receive His wonderful gift and then act

Verses ten to thirteen say Jesus is not accepted by all
Each person’s heart decides how to respond to His call
Our response is what limits God’s willingness to save
Once we do accept Christ, a new path He does pave
Then moving onto verses fourteen through seventeen
From Jesus alone, grace and truth are clearly seen
These establish Christ’s presence within our mix
Any challenging situation we can with love then fix

We then heard of a monastery looking for a breakthrough
A wise rabbi told them that “The Messiah is one of you”
Which led everyone to treat others with more respect
For in each person, at least part of Christ we can detect

Christmas isn’t Christmas until it happens in the heart
By bringing light to the darkness, we can do our part

Monday, December 21, 2015

20 December 2015 - ENCS

The “Christmas Foretold” series today Pastor Larry did complete
But the key messages from the last two weeks he first did repeat
Isaiah chapter nine verse six talked of Immanuel, God is with us
Isaiah chapter fifty three verse five spoke of how God saves us
Today’s message of “God anoints us” was from Isaiah sixty one
In Luke four, Jesus said it was fulfilled, in other words it was done

Pastor Larry said that as believers we are anointed to proclaim
Sharing the good news with the poor in spirit should be our aim
Luke chapter two said angels brought "good news of great joy"
“For all the people” so that the enemy our God can fully destroy
That Jesus fulfilled more than three hundred fifty prophecies
Defies all odds of random occurrence, per lots of analyses
In John chapter one, about Jesus did John the Baptist speak
That Jesus would take away the world’s sins, rather mystique
The word of testimony, per Revelations twelve verse eleven
Needs to declare Jesus is Lord, seated with God in heaven
From the Old Testament, proclaiming good tidings we do see
Bringing joy as per First Chronicles sixteen verse twenty three

Pastor Larry said that as believers we are anointed to heal
God mends broken hearts and bones, Isaiah does reveal
To those from broken homes and families, we should reach out
Per First Peter two, words from Jesus can heal, have no doubt
So that he could help so many others, Peter himself was healed
Per Acts three, great power in his words Peter did then wield
Pastor then said God answers us the minute He hears our prayer
We may need to wait, but that does not mean He does not care
Like when the wise men brought Jesus gold, incense, and myrrh
The lengthy and arduous two year journey did not serve to deter

Pastor Larry said that as believers we are anointed to love
Because He loves us so, to earth Jesus came from above
Likewise, in this dark world we are each to be a shining light
Such a love revolution can assuredly make this world right
John thirteen verse thirty five says we are to love one another
For this shows that in Jesus, we are each a Christian brother
Per First John three, we have been called to do God’s work
The fact that God’s glory appears in us is a wonderful perk

In conclusion, we are anointed to proclaim, heal, and love
For these are instructions from our dear Lord God above

Sunday, December 13, 2015

13 December 2015 - ENCS

The “Christmas Foretold” series Pastor Josh did continue
Investing in quality relationships is what we all should do
The core text for the sermon was Isaiah chapter fifty three
Which Josh said was an extremely well studied prophecy
But first he read from chapter fifty two, from verse thirteen
In which Isaiah talked about the king that would be seen
The king would be exalted, a term Israel would understand
But he would be unrecognizable after being tortured by hand
Yet his blood would be sprinkled to cleanse many a nation
In keeping with the Old Testament method of sanctification

In chapter fifty three, for each of our lives God has a plan
All of which fit into His masterplan since the very first man
Some challenges lead us to develop a strong foundation
Like a mesquite’s roots, among the deepest in the nation
And regardless of fictional pictures we might see in books
Jesus only attracted people with His words, not His looks
Verse three says He was despised and rejected by men
So He always knows how we feel, not just now and then
Then as Pastor Josh emphasized from the key verse four
All our infirmities, sorrows, and transgressions Jesus bore
Tough seasons we would avoid if we had our druthers
But they often help us when we need to comfort others
Although no matter what circumstances have done
Remember that Jesus took on sadness for everyone
In Matthew chapter eight verses fourteen to seventeen
To fulfil the prophecy, the same words are clearly seen
Jesus was able to cast out evil spirits with merely a word
He never had to rely on yelling, brute force, or a sword

Jesus was falsely accused, per verses seven and eight
Again he knows how we feel when attacks do not abate
Verses nine and ten also have a prophecy that eventuated
God was pleased to crush Jesus, due to the sin He hated
Jesus gladly endured His season of pain, per verse eleven
Because of the joy that assuredly awaited Him in heaven
We have been forgiven and made righteous in this way
But of course this is a debt that nobody can ever repay
So all our actions and good works should come from love
For God and Jesus Christ who are sitting in heaven above

Then an interesting point about Jesus’ life Josh did say
Thirty years with family versus three ministering each day
And now almost two thousand where for us He does pray
We should thus sing His praises while on earth we do stay
And per Isaiah fifty four we should look to enlarge our tent
So we can increase our influence as opportunities present

Saturday, December 12, 2015

6 December 2015 - ENCS

Pastor Josh stated a new series entitled “Christmas Foretold”
Based on Isaiah, which had many prophecies very bold
It was so accurate that many doubted its original date
But the Dead Sea Scrolls then set the record straight

In chapter forty nine, Isaiah said he laboured in vein
But looking forward to eternity, he did not complain
God told him that even bigger was his real destiny
For in time, Isaiah would be a light for all to see
Very powerful were Isaiah’s words and prophecies
For God always fulfils His Word and does not tease
The fruit of his labour, Isaiah did not on earth see
For many of us, that is just the way things will be

God has a master plan that He did clearly reveal
In Matthew one, the place in Micah became real
In a similar manner, per Isaiah chapter seven
A virgin birth brought us Jesus from heaven
'God is with us’, His name Immanuel does mean
Our sin hurts that relationship, it is regularly seen
Per Isaiah fifty nine, this leads to pain and separation
For those in Christ, however, there is no condemnation
Jesus lived the life that we were supposed to live
As the perfect sacrifice, His life He did then give
To renew our link with God, Christ came to earth
Only He can give us new life, aka a new birth
Only the Holy Spirit brings us to this new life
So we can sit with God and avoid any strife
With us forever, God clearly wants to be
His intentions for us are great, per John three
Josh then referred to Revelation twenty one
For God to be with us, sin must be done