Sunday, October 25th, 2020 | Michiana Chinese Christian Church | English Worship service

  Sunday, October 25th, 2020 | Michiana Chinese Christian Church  |  English Worship service

Chinese Worship and Service: click here: http://mcccin.org/
Sunday school Materials for the Youth and for Children:  https://mccc2020youth.blogspot.com/

CALL TO WORSHIP:

WORSHIP:  ENGLISH WORSHIP MUSIC:

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) - Matt Redman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E
 
You Raise Me Up ~ Westlife
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7tGUNVrqPs

BEGIN PRAYER | SCRIPTURE | SERMON VIDEO LINKS: 

ENGLISH SERVICE

CLICK HERE> https://youtu.be/NKsvIlpXvp4 <CLICK HERE               

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING:       

Matthew 28: 16-20  |  Ephesians 6: 10-18  NKJV

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  Matthew 28: 16-20   NKJV

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—  Ephesians 6: 10-18   NKJV           

SERMON:

Communism | Socialism | & Christianity

*There is a reality in this world that when someone stands for their faith in God, they may very likely face persecution. 

*Daniel records the accounts of three Jewish men, facing the wrath of King Nebuchadnezzar for not doing that which the king commanded.

*Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, worshipped the true God, and refused to worship the kings idol.

*13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to           bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.  Daniel 3: 13   NKJV

And King Nebuchadnezzar said to them:

15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”  Daniel 3: 15   NKJV

But the three Jewish men refused and said to the king:

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”  Daniel 3: 16-18   NKJV

In a rage and full of fury, King Nebuchadnezzar commands:

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.  Daniel 3: 21   NKJV

*The reality of persecution for one’s faith in this world remains to this day, even more than 2,500 years after Daniels account.

*Yet, God delivers Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego out of that fiery furnace:

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”  They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”  25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.  Daniel 3: 24-26   NKJV

 *Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were firmly bound and thrown into the fire at the command of the king.  But they were set free in the midst of the fire and persecution, walking with the Son of God.  Walking in faith always sets us free!!

*God always seeks people who will stand in their faith in the face of risks and threats.  It doesn’t matter what kind of government you live under

*Old and New Testaments do not make political distinctions.  The Bible does not endorse one form of government and condemn another government.  

*There is no perfect culture or nation. 

*The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

*The Preamble of the US Constitution reads:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

*And as noble and right as those words sound, we still must acknowledge that there is no perfect culture or nation.  People will always seek their own pleasures and desires over noble sounding words and laws.  Even over the truth of God.  It is the nature of man.

*The message today focuses on Communism | Socialism | & Christianity, a relevant issue given what is happening today in our country.  

*In a sermon delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church on September 30^th, 1962, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr asked the question: “Can a Christian Be a Communist?”  

*Some might ask if this is an appropriate message for a pastors sermon.  I point to the words of Paul we read in Ephesians 6.  We live in a fallen world, we strive against powers and principalities that war against believers in Jesus.  Paul urges us to equip ourselves and be ready.

*Three reasons:  Communism is having widespread influence in our contemporary world.  Many people in our country have accepted it as a new religion, and are willing to surrender their total being to this atheist system for people to worship and honor the state and science instead of God.

*Second is that communism is the only serious rival of Christianity.   There are alternatives to Christianity in other religions, but the most formidable competitor is communism.  At it’s very core, Communism seeks to destroy all religions and faiths. 

*Finally, Because it is such a potent force and system of thought, it cannot be ignored.  It is important that we understand why it is wrong and why it is evil.

*Communism and Christianity are diametrically opposed. 

*Communism is irreconcilable with Christianity! In the first place, it leaves out God and Jesus Christ. Communism is avowedly secularistic and materialist.  Communism is an atheistic system. It denies the existence of God.

*We Christians disagree with this because we believe that history is moved not by economic forces, but by spiritual forces.  Consequently, we can’t accept communism at that point.

*A second reason that we can’t accept communism is that its methods are opposed to Christianity.  For the communist there is no divine government or no absolute moral order, there are no fixed, immutable principles. So force, violence, murder, and lying are all justifiable means.

*Lenin, putting the philosophy of Karl Marx into practical action, said, “We must be ready to employ trickery, deceit, and lawbreaking, withholding and concealing truth.”

*Christians believe that there are certain moral principles in this universe that are eternal and absolute. We believe that there are some things right and there are some things wrong. It’s wrong to lie. It always has been wrong, and it always will be wrong. 

*It’s wrong to hate.  It always has been wrong, and it always will be wrong. It’s wrong to throw away the precious lives that God has given us in riotous living. It was wrong in 1800 B.C., and it’s wrong in 1962 A.D.

*We have to disagree with communism because the end of communism is the state.

*In the communistic system, you do not have freedom of the press. You do not have freedom of speech. You do not have freedom of assembly. All of these things are under the scrutiny of the state

*We know that the most creative moments in history are those moments when individuals are left free to think. The thing that makes man man is his freedom.  Communism as a philosophical system because it deprives man of freedom. And if a man is not free, he is not fully man. If a man does not have the capacity to deliberate, to decide, and to respond, he is not a man, for a man is man because he is free. And, therefore, communism is wrong 

*Dr King concludes: These two systems are opposed to each other. These two systems are contradictory. We must try to understand communism. We must love communists. But never can we accept communism and be true Christians.  

*We must ask ourselves, “who is the great deceiver?”  It is Satan and his demons.

*But regardless of what government we live under, the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6, calls on believers to:

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Ephesians 6:12   NKJV

*On this earth, there will always be people, nations and cultures who hate Christians and seek to persecute and destroy them.  But we are called to stand in faith!  We need to know Jesus personally and walk with Him relationally.  

*However much is wrong with communism, we must admit that it arose as a protest against the hardships of the underprivileged and lower classes of nations.

*Nearly 2000 years ago, it was Jesus Himself who called our attentions to the needs of the poor and outcast!  It was Jesus who healed the sick and the lame.  It was Jesus who raised the dead.  It was Jesus through His parables and example gave direction to how we should live and love others.  

*    27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:        to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself        unspotted from the world.  James 1: 27   NKJV

But Jesus gives us this commandment:

      34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one                    another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35          By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love        for one another.”  John 13: 34 & 35   NKJV

*Jesus is our creator, savior and redeemer!  His commands to us are eternal in nature and provoke in us to greatly love Him and others.  

*Ask yourself, are you bold like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego?  Is your faith as sure as theirs was to face the persecution of the king?  Would you go to the fire?  It is a call to each of us to know Jesus who was the most courageous and willing went to the cross to save us.  

*In Jesus, we have true freedom and liberty, because in Him we have a promised eternity! 

BENEDICTION

RESPONDING HYMN: ENGLISH

This is the Air I Breath ~ Michael W. Smith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEDcKZB7r2A

English Pastor                          
Pastor Kevin Haislip                
972 800-0307                           
vinzeig@gmail.com