Tag: non-reusable

Bible Reading: Romans 3:1-26

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24)

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, there has been a 31% increase in hospital admissions for suicide ideation and self-harm amongst adolescents (0-17 years) due to the side-effects of lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic this year. Most likely, we have felt the brunt of poor mental health creeping in at our door, and if we have not, it is not hard to tell just how much our generation has debilitated mentally as a result of this pandemic. 

When we ask why, we need to ask, what keeps us going? The general answer that is not specific to our generation alone is hope. As long as our lives are aligned with our hopes and dreams, we can cope. But, when our hopes and dreams are taken away, and we become hopeless, our lives and mental health start to crumble. 

Then, the question is, what gives us hope? And what has the pandemic taken away from us? It’s not a hard question to answer. On one side, we hope to meet up with our friends and enjoy a secure and comfortable social life. On the other hand, we long for certainty in the future and things to look forward to. Because of the pandemic, our hopes have been crushed and replaced with gloomy isolation. 

We hoped to be satisfied with the ability to meet our friends, to go out and enjoy the world, to secure a better future for ourselves by working or studying. Yet, these things are currently non-existent. The world seems to be able to take away our hopes at any moment. I think now is an excellent time to reflect — are these things actually worthy and reliable to hope in? 

The hopelessness which has seemingly risen around us is actually nothing new. This is because the reality of humankind is hopeless. Because of the curse of sin and our rebellion against God, we are hopeless and have lost our sense of meaning. Moreover, our consciences witness the guilt we must bear for our sins and the divine judgement that is to come. 

To hide from this reality, many will simply say God is not real. Yet, when they do, they also have to delude themselves into believing that some earthly thing can give them hope. Hiding behind false hopes does nothing. All our worldly hopes can crumble at any moment, as the pandemic has shown us. The one and only true hope is found in Christ. 

Our real problem, which leaves us hopeless, is our sin against God. Sin is more than just lying or murdering. Sin is our heart’s attitude and desire to rebel against God’s ways and live life the way we want. We were created to serve and enjoy God. When we decided to serve ourselves, we ultimately lost the ‘enjoy’ part. 

Little do we know the reality of our sin and the reality of God’s holiness. The only one who can restore us is Christ. On the cross, He died for sins, and He offers a new life of holiness and hope in returning to Him and living for Him. 

In these times, it is our responsibility to herald the true message of hope. Let us pray for a burden to use these moments wisely for God’s kingdom. 

Lord, You are our only source of true hope. In You, there is life and reality. Please teach us to walk with You in faith day to day. Give us also a burden and awareness for the expansion of Your Kingdom in these times. Many need the truth of Your gospel. Give us the burden to spread it to them. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Bible Reading: Psalm 102

“But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations. You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come.” (Psalm 102:12-13)

What do we think of this world? Afghanistan falls into the wicked hands of the Taliban. Atheism rises in the west. The coronavirus roams from cities to slums. How and where can anyone find faith? How are God’s people meant to withhold the full forces of evil which try to overrun us from all sides? 

Humanly speaking, if we do not fear for our lives and our spiritual lives, there is something wrong with us. Spiritual war is a vivid reality. We live in the middle of a raging battle zone. Whether we are in the darkest places like Afghanistan or living comfortably in a secular city like ours, Satan is actively trying to diminish faith from the world. His scheme of tools and tricks are endless. With thousands of years of experience, he has mastered his craft with creativity. We’re in a war zone, one against the millions. 

Yet, Psalm 102 reminds us that God is sovereign over all things, even evil. He is the one who is enthroned above all from eternity past to eternity future. More than that, God remembers His people. Amongst all the sin, chaos and destruction that we ourselves have caused, God remembers His children from one generation to the next. They may be small in number, but God knows how to find faith on earth. 

Although the world may think that Christianity is dying, God is in control. He is sovereign over all the powers of the world. God can raise or destroy nations. In His timing, God will rise up His church and bring all people to know that He is the LORD. 

God has always been with His church. God was sovereign over Israel’s slavery in Egypt. God was sovereign over His people’s exile to Babylon. God was sovereign in the time between the Old and New Testaments, where no prophet spoke. So too, God is sovereign in our seemingly evil world today. 

Our faith is in God’s hands. He is the one who can keep us to the end. As generations turn, God will preserve His remnant on earth. The expansion of God’s kingdom to the nations will not fail. God has it all planned out to the day He returns to judge the world. So let us take hope and put our trust in Him. 

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24)

Thank You, God, that You are sovereign over all things. Help us to trust in You amidst all the things that happen in this world. We know that our days and our faith are in Your hands. Help us to obey and walk with You, one step at a time. Praise be to You who is in control of all things. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 7:2-16

“As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment!” (2 Corinthians 7:9-11)

The Christian faith is full of paradoxes. What makes Paul happy? What makes us happy? See what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”. How do grief and mourning bring forth joy? And how are we meant to seek true joy anyway? 

As Rev. Agus discussed in the first sermon of ‘The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification’ series, true happiness is found in holiness. The utmost joy one can experience is an intimate relationship and beholding of God and His glory. Walking and worshipping God is the highest and ultimately most fulfilling end to which we were created. Thus, holiness is the path to happiness because holiness is the means to a growing relationship with God. 

To be holy means to be set apart. Only God is, in essence, holy. Yet, God longs to cultivate holiness in us to separate us from our previous life in sin and bring us to experience the glory of His ways. As such, to pursue holiness means to put off our sinful self, which displeases God and to put on obedience and trust in God’s standards. 

Now, what about godly grief? 

Godly grief means having a heart that mourns over our sin, leading to repentance. In the world, it is normal to rule grief out as negative emotions we should avoid. However, Jesus teaches us to mourn, and Paul rejoices for the Corinthians’ grief. Learning to have godly grief is something we must learn to cultivate. It means learning to see the sin in our own heart, in our communities, in our world, and have a crushed spirit that turns to repentance. In God’s wondrous ways, repentance always begins with such humility before God, a humility that acknowledges how much we have disobeyed and defiled God’s ways. If you read the Psalms or the book of Lamentations, you will see how godly men mourn before God in godly grief, by which God moulds a humble and penitent heart that returns to Him. 

The paradoxical yet wondrous thing is that godly grief leads to repentance and holiness, cultivating true spiritual joy. God works through grief and humility to shape in us new hearts with new fears and longings and zeal. God changes our desires to love and treasure Him above all else. God makes us realise that sin and its consequences which are evident around us, are disgusting and agonising before Him. Through godly grief, God moulds us to be more like Him. 

Let us ask God to cultivate godly grief in us so that we may learn to enjoy the truest joy in Him. 

Lord, please cultivate in me godly grief. Forgive me, for I am clouded in my sins, unable to see the joys of Your glory. Please create in me a humble and repentant heart. Teach me to mourn over sin so that I may know the priceless glory of holiness. I want to know You and enjoy You, Lord. Forgive my sins and make me holy, that I may enjoy You. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Bible Reading: Zephaniah 1:1-18

“At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, the LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.” (Zephaniah 1:18)

Whenever God sends judgement into the world, He is refining His people, His church. In Zephaniah’s times, God sent judgement to refine those in Judah who had turned to lawlessness and godlessness. Through judgement, God sifts those who are genuine and those who have been playing a false religion. Zephaniah proclaims how those who are wicked will be punished. He prophecies how the officials and king’s sons who have deserted God will be condemned. All “those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him” (Zephaniah 1:6) will receive judgement. 

Through COVID-19, God is once more refining His church. To all those who were proud of their human advancements and technologies, God sent a plague to show them that humans are weak and incapable of fighting the smallest virus. To all those who did not think about God or life or death, God fast-forwarded death in their tracks to show them that He is real. Yet, Zephaniah also reveals that God will also punish and sift out those who have been complacent and ignorant about His being. 

Complacent people might well be Christians. We attend online church, read our devotions and pray to God. Yet, our hearts are nowhere near to God because, in reality, we don’t really care. Our desires are for the things of the world. Like the rich that James 5:1-6 describes, we “have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. [We] have fattened [our] hearts in a day of slaughter” (James 5:5). 

Moments like COVID-19 are times of God’s active intervention in history. The world will be a completely different place on the other side of this pandemic. Our children in the future will read about today in their history books. They will be discussing this pandemic in their classrooms, the very same way we discuss the world wars or the black plague. These days are a time of judgement where God will punish evil and change the course of the world. 

Why have we been ignorant to God’s work all these times? Comfortable in our homes, we have only turned our attention to our own entertainment. We live in luxury, and we do not care about anything other than the end of lockdown. What if we are the ones who God will sift from His church because we have rejected Him? What happens if our spiritual zeals for His kingdom are left dead on the other side of this pandemic? 

We must not and cannot be ignorant of the spiritual realities around us. The devil will use times like these to tempt and weaken our faith. Yet, we ought to trust that God is sovereign over all and by His faithfulness, He can guide us through all this. God leaves a promise after judgement at the end of Zephaniah. 

“On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD” (Zephaniah 3:11-12). 

God will refine His people to become humble and lowly people whose only trust is placed in the LORD. Therefore, let us put aside our assurance in our worldly comfort because those things can be taken away at any time. Our lives are in God’s hands, and so we must put our complete trust in His hands. We must give our care to the things above. May God have mercy on us and remember us that we can continue to be people who are deemed faithful and righteous until the end in Christ Jesus. 

Lord, please forgive us for our ignorance and awaken us to the spiritual reality. Do not let us slumber in our comforts and luxuries and fall into ignorance. Make us aware that this life is nothing without You. Make us aware that our only hope is in You—plant in us a humble heart and a heart that relies on You alone. Praise be to You who is in control and always faithful to all Your children. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 29:1-14

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.” (Jeremiah 29:4-6)

With the lockdown extended for another month, how are we feeling? Most of us are probably disappointed and discouraged at the fact that we cannot leave our homes for another month. We question, it has already been one month, why another one? This lockdown has restricted our ability to meet friends, go to school, and, most importantly, worship at church. We might finally be feeling the weight of what it means to be restricted and having graces from God pulled away. 

In one sense, the coronavirus can be thought of as God’s divine hand of judgment, which blows us to realise we are nothing before God. It may be the rod that chastens us for our idolatry to the world and ourselves. Yet, on the other hand, God promises that all things work for the good of His people. 

In a similar situation to ours, when the Jews were exiled to Babylon, God reminded them in a letter that He was and still is “the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel”. In these times, let us remember that God is sovereign and in His good providence, He has brought us once again into this lockdown situation. 

At that time, many false prophets stood up to falsely testify that the exile would be cut short and that they would be freed after about two years (see Jeremiah 28:1-17). However, God says that after a lifetime, 70 years, He would restore His people. But, in the meantime, God had other plans. God did not intend the Jews to sulk their way through 70 years of exile. Rather, God told them to settle down and get to work for the welfare of the place they lived in. 

Wherever we are, or in whatever circumstance we may find ourselves in, God has a plan and a purpose. Yes, lockdown conditions are not ideal, nor are they pleasant. Yet, God has a good plan and a purpose for us to make good use of the time we have in lockdown. We should not live carelessly in these times as if we are people without hope. Our hopes are fixed in God, who does not change and is for us in Christ. Our lives are secure in Him, and He has promised us eternal life. 

So, what are practical things we can do with this lockdown? It is simple. Though we cannot come to church or serve in our regular ministries, there are many things we can do to prepare and equip ourselves even more for the future. As young people, we are often too quick to move. We are too confident in the little knowledge and experience that we have. Yet, if we want to be people who are greatly used by God, we must humbly learn from those before us. 

Where has God called you to serve? What are your talents? Improve your skills in that area. Read books, take online courses, practice that skill. Enhance your knowledge and understanding to the best of your ability. Don’t waste your time. 

Above all, take time to dig deep into God’s Word. If we want to be used by God to tell others about God, we must know God. We must know Him on a personal level. Take time to pray and earnestly seek God through His Word. He will reveal Himself to all those who earnestly seek Him. 

Lord, thank You that You are always good. Your plans are not our plans, but You have plans for every second of our lives for our good and Your glory. Praise be to You! Please help us trust in You in these times and learn to get to know You and better equip ourselves to be used by You. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Bible Reading: Psalm 73:1-28

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge. that I may tell of all your works.” (Psalm 73:25-28)

Henry Francis Lyte was an English minister in the 1800s. Struck with tuberculosis at the age of 54, Lyte penned a hymn titled, ‘Abide with me’ two weeks before he succumbed to his illness. When we are faced with trials, suffering and even death, how do we respond before God? Let’s take a look at Lyte’s words. 

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

When darkness and hard times surround us and all those around us fail to support us, when there is nowhere left to turn in this life, how do we respond before God? In humility, turn to God! He hears our prayers; He is the helper of the helpless. Draw near to God!

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day

Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away

Change and decay in all around I see

O Thou who changest not, abide with me

We must realise that our very lives are uncertain. Just because we are young, that does not mean that our comfortable and secure situation could change at any moment. The coronavirus has made people realise that Earth’s joys are fleeting. Everything around us changes and decays. Some people are beside us today and gone the next. It is not just corona. Life is short, and life is fleeting. There are one-thousand-and-one ways you could die tomorrow or day, for a matter of fact. Our time on earth is only as much as God has decided. Who do we trust in this life? Who is our stronghold? Only God does not change. He is the only trustworthy one. 

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness

Where is death’s sting?

Where, grave, thy victory?

I triumph still, if Thou abide with me

In Christ, the victory is already won. Though death and suffering may get to us, Christ has won the ultimate battle against sin. In Him, we are clothed in God’s righteousness. We have been reconciled with God. Christ has taken our sins upon Himself. He died for our sake but then defeated sin and rose again. He is the only source of sure victory and hope in this world. 

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes

Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies

Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee

In life, in death, o Lord, abide with me

If Christ is our only source of strength and hope in this world, who do we submit to today? Have we entrusted our whole lives to Christ? Only He can provide us hope and a reason to live. If Christ is the only source of life, we must obey Him both in life and in death, in prosperity and in suffering. All other solutions the world offers to our problems are but a temporary fad. Who will humbly realise their position as mere humans and understand that we are wholly dependent on the Lord? Who will pray, In life, in death, o Lord, abide with me? 

Lord, please teach us to rely on You alone. Teach us to have a deeper relationship with You. Please have mercy on us and abide with us. Apart from You, we are nothing. This life is short and fleeting. Only in You, there is hope. Please help us obey You and seek You as our portion. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Bible Reading: Ephesians 5:15-21

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-18)

Lockdown is back for half of Sydney. It’s been just over a year since we emerged from our last lockdown, and now as we thought normality was just returning, we start again in square one. Church is closed, we’re stuck at home, and we are watching the rest of the world collapse all because of a small invisible virus. What should we do? How should we respond? 

We must understand that the Christian life is always a spiritual war. Satan will do anything possible to distract us from God and distance our relationship with Him. Whether we are living in comfort or suffering, Satan wants to pull us from one thing, that is, spending time with God and ultimately glorifying Him. Satan wants our lives to humiliate God. He wants us to fall so that God’s name is shamed. With some of us getting locked inside our homes and most of us unable to meet and congregate at church in person, the struggle is only about to get a whole lot harder. 

A lot of things can go about in your own house and your own bedroom. With all our weekly activities slowly reverting online, a lot of time has crept into our lives. Moreover, with no more rushed mornings ahead as well as school holidays, snuggling into our favourite comfort zones under our blankets in our pj’s seems to be an up-and-coming prospect for the next few days. 

However, with all these things, we must not be foolish but understand what is really going on. It’s a war and the days are evil; they always have been. With our surplus time at home, Satan will try to distract us from our relationship with God and lure us into endless and worthless time-wasting. He longs to make idleness our main event as we stay inside these school holidays, and in these moments, he will tempt us to fall into sin. We must not be foolish, and we must not think of this lightly. This is a very important matter because if we decide to let our guard down today and succumb to our bodily desires for comfort, pleasure and ‘chill’, Satan will steal all our time away to be wasted. 

I am not saying that we cannot take time to rest or to relax. There are times for those things. However, because we are now at home instead of at church, we must make sure we don’t let our spiritual guard down. We must still listen to God’s Word. We must focus on what matters. We must continue to serve God. Lockdown does not mean a holiday. Just because we have been isolated does not mean we stop praying for our church and those around us. This life is only once, and we live it to know God and serve Him. Don’t let lockdown derail that. 

Although our circumstances may change, maintain a fervent heart constantly seeking His Word. v. 17 calls us not to be foolish, instead to “understand what the will of the Lord is”. In this context, the text is talking about understanding God’s written will in the Bible. It is a simple call to know God’s Word and to obey it. With the ample time, we now have, use it to spend time in God’s Word. Get acquainted with it because we were created for a relationship with God, and that relationship only comes from listening and obeying His Words. Our relationship with God is the very thing Satan wants to take from us. Do not give him opportunities by letting our guard down. Moreover, keep praying for all those around you. You are not the only one in this battle. Remember your brothers and sisters in Christ who fight this battle with You. 

In the end, we must rely on God’s strength and power. God is the one who can direct our hearts to Him and keep our hearts close to Him. We fall so easily, and before we know it, we have fallen into one of Satan’s tricks. Ask God to help you and your fellow brothers and sisters to use these lockdown times effectively. Even though we are in our homes, the war rages on. We must continue to grow in our relationship with God. Others out there also must be reached with the gospel? How will you use your lockdown holidays? 

Lord, though we are young, please teach us to be wise. Teach us to understand the spiritual battle we constantly face as Christians. Satan longs to make our faiths stumble, and he will try whatever means to make that happen. You know we aren’t strong enough, Lord. Without You, there is no way we can withstand his blows. Help us in Your Truth. Keep us in Your Word and help us so that even though these times, we may continue to grow to obey You and serve You. We surrender all in Jesus’ name, amen.