Sunday, June 28th, Michiana Chinese Christian Church
English Worship service
English Worship service
CALL TO WORSHIP:
WORSHIP: English Worship Music:
Glorious Day ~ Kristian Stanfill/Passion
WORSHIP: English Worship Music:
Glorious Day ~ Kristian Stanfill/Passion
Open
the Eyes of My Heart
Build
Your Kingdom Here ~ Rend Collective Experiment
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING:
Hebrews 11: 23-29 | 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18
23 By faith Moses,
when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he
was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. 24 By faith Moses,
when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. 27 By faith he
forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him
who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood,
lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29 By faith they
passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to
do so, were drowned. Hebrews 11:
23-29 NKJV
14 Do not be
unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness
with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what
accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple
of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in
them
And walk among
them.
I will be their
God,
And they shall be
My people.”
17 Therefore
“Come out from
among them
And be separate,
says the Lord.
Do not touch what
is unclean,
And I will receive
you.”
18 “I will be a
Father to you,
And you shall be
My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord
Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18 NKJV
SERMON:
The Paradox!
*Eternal
truths that stand in deference to what we see and think, space and time, and
what the passing pleasures the world offers…
*Does your life feel like it is a paradox, a statement that is seemingly
contradictory, or opposed to common sense, and yet is true?
*How am I to be a child of God, a citizen of heaven when everywhere I
look, all that I know is here?!!??
*In Hebrews 11:26, Moses looked to the reward! It is what we are supposed to do in our own lives, to look to the reward that Jesus has promised us of eternity with Him!
*President Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer,
people who sit in the highest seats of power of our nation cannot radically
alter the things going on in this world.
*In Luke 12: 25, 26, Jesus tells us:
25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If
you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?
*Why do we entertain ourselves with things of this world. In Matthew 15: 10-11;
15-20, Jesus says:10 When He had
called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 Not
what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this
defiles a man.”15 Then Peter
answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16 So Jesus said,
“Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that
whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those
things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a
man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which
defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
*From
Abel to Noah to Abraham to Moses, they faced the harsh realities of this world
and by faith, made themselves obedient to God.
Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the
elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we
understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things
which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11: 1-3 NKJV
*Hebrews 11: 4 By faith Abel
offered to God a more excellent sacrifice…
5 By faith Enoch
was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God
had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased
God.
7 By faith Noah,
being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared
an ark for the saving of his household,
8 By faith Abraham
obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an
inheritance.
11 By faith Sarah
herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she
was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
*When we speak of the paradoxes of our lives as believers in Jesus
Christ, we live lives that raise us up to glory in the eyes of God!
*Through our obedience to Him, we receive an unimaginably great
inheritance and God uses us for equally unimaginable purposes!
* Hebrews 11: 12 NKJV 12 Therefore from
one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in
multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
*Hebrews 11: NKJV 7 By faith Abraham… 20 By faith Isaac… 21 By faith Jacob… 22 By faith Joseph…
6 But without
faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that
He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek
Him.
*Hebrews
is a New Testament book that strongly proclaims God’s promises and calls those
who believe in Jesus to be priests of His salvation!
*Samuel
confronted King Saul in 1st Samuel 15 for his disobedience, so we
too must be confronted with out own disobedience:
*1st Samuel 15: 22, 23 NKJV
“Has the Lord as
great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the
voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice,
And to heed than
the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion
is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness
is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have
rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected
you from being king.”
*When
we disobey, we think we know better than God!
Not obeying God is rebelliousness
and is the sin of witchcraft.
*REMEMBER: Hebrews 11: 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he
endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
*Choices we make everyday in our lives are for the eternal truths of God or the world's ways.
*Joshua 24: 14, 15 NKJV 14 “Now therefore,
fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which
your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the
Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose
for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which
your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of
the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord.”
*Again: Hebrews 11: 24-26 NKJV 24 By faith Moses,
when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the
passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
*This
is the choice: Do I choose the greater
riches of Christ, which will bring suffering afflictions and a
peace and faithfulness to my life? Or, Do I choose the passing pleasures of
sin, which for the moment seem wonderful, but leave an emptiness and overwhelming
sense of meaninglessness?
*The
choice is up to you! Choose for
yourselves this day whom you will serve!
*Hebrews 12: 1, 2 NKJV Therefore we also,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with
endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and
finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God.
*Hebrews 11: 1, 2 NKJV Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the
elders obtained a good testimony.
*As you step out in faith, you will see the substance of God, the miracles of God as He moves in and
through you to accomplish great things.
You will literally live in the substance of things hoped for!
*Moses chose God above everything the world offered.
*You
have to step out of the boat, like Peter in Matthew 14:
28 And Peter
answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the
water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when
Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Matthew 14: 28, 29 NKJV
*To
obey Christ is the essence of our faith and belief in Him. We will falter and fail, but God in Christ
Jesus is wholly about our strengthening our faith in Him.
30 But when he saw
that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he
cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him,
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14: 30, 31 NKJV
*Jesus
is always there to save us, but we have to step out of the boat and trust Him!
*The Paradox we see in our lives disappears when we look to the eternal reward Jesus promises us!
BENEDICTION:
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
1st Thessalonians 5: 16-28 NKJV
Lord, make us more like you, to be people who seek to hear from you and to be obedient to your will in our lives. In Jesus name, Amen!
English Pastor Chinese Pastor
Pastor Kevin Haislip Pastor Rocky Yang
972 800-0307 574-256-9422
vinzeig@gmail.com rockyfjf@gmail.com
