just heard a mind-blowing sermon on the dangers of self-deceit of being a Christian when in fact you are not.
Taken from Matthew 7:22-23:
Many will say to me "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoes."
To me this a disquieting and discomforting verse. How many of us fall into the self-deceit of thinking that they are Christians when in fact they are not. And how can we be sure that on the Day the lord comes, he will not say to us "I never knoew you. away from me, you evildoers."
A few verses before that, verse 13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enters through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
And the general outlook seems difficult. In one of the first few sermons Jesus has ever preached (Matthews 5:20), He said,
"For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
God also said that we must be perfect just as He is perfect. This seems to be impossible, as how we are all sinners and God is perfect. It is not humanly possible and there is nothing that we can do to achieve that. It is only possible through the justification by God. He gave us Jesus, so that he can take away our sins, and give us righteousness. We are made perfect through Christ.
This is the biggest distinction between human works, which is all about self-righteousness, and divine accomplishment, which is all about faith. That is what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions in the world.
Ultimately, the biggest step is to realise that we are spiritually destitute. To be spiritually means we have to acknowledge that we have nothing. We are not sick, or ill, or diseased. We are "dead in our transgressions and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).
And in the beatitudes (Matthews 5:3), blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I have difficulty understanding this at first, but it means realising that we are spiritually empty and we need Jesus in our lives.
And lastly, why the way to kingdom of God is narrow and few are able to find it, is because the demands of getting to heaven are so high. He asks us to deny ourselves, take up His Cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
SO... it is important to understand what it means to confess Jesus as our Lord and to become a member of His kingdom.
Personally, i felt that my response has been inadequate all these while and was quite struck my this online sermon. I pray that I will be able to act upon this message and ask for guidance to walk upon the narrow path that leads to life.
Great sermon overall. I recommend listening to it. Even if you do not have the time to listen to it, MAKE TIME!
you get it from here
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/date
the sermon is titled "Foundations of Grace, Part 2: The Lordship of Christ" by John MacArthur (sermon code: 80-338)
This was long overdue, but yea i shall write my new year's resolution for this year
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, i urge you brothers in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
To be a living sacrifice means that i have to devote my life fully to God, which means obeying all his commands and keeping all His decrees. Not an easy resolution for this year, haha... Lots of challenge as there are many things that will attempt to set my sights away from God, but keep praying that i will stay firm to this resolution. So that when i look back in 2011, i can see my growth and thank God for it.
Compare this to when Isaac was being offered as a living sacrifice, literally, by his father Abraham. He was oblivious at first. He said the wood and fire was ready, but where is the sacrificial lamb? Abraham said God will provide, but later he bound Isaac to be sacrificed, as instructed by God. And then God, convinced by his faith, sent an angel to stop him. The story here showed that Abraham feared the Lord enough to sacrifice his only son Isaac as God had instructed.
But what about Isaac's side of the story? he could have easily broken off, struggled, screamed or outrun his hundred years old father. But the bible did not show any signs of struggle. He was willing to be sacrificed as an offering to the end. We should be like Isaac, ready to obey God to the end.
Now, there is no longer any need for any sacrifice, as Jesus was the last Sacrifice that has paid our penalties, once and for all on the cross. Now what it means to be a living sacrifice is to forsake our old self and live our lives for God.
And the next part of the resolution, is to not conform to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind. This world does not offer salvation. Instead, it gives us empty sense of security and tries to keep us away from God. Therefore, we should not set our sights on this world. Instead, we should renew our minds and set our sights on God. We should be ready to offer ourselves as living sacrifices.
These 2 verses are really deep haha... and i am barely scratching the surface. If i were to continue, i can go on and on and on. But i am not good at writing these kind of deep stuffs haha, so i shall stop here. Hope i can listen to sermons on these 2 verses sometime in the future.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!! actually, to anyone who happens to still be reading my blog haha... havent updated in ages, so i guess i shld just post an entry once in a while to maintain it.
Christmas, a season of giving? yep! but most people expect gifts instead of giving to other people. Christmas reminds us of the most wonderful gift possible that God has sent to us, and the sacrifice of His Son Jesus so that we can have salvation.
and just as God who loved us so much, we should give our lives to him. To serve Him and to serve others as well in His name.
tts something that i have listened to many times over and over again, but to actually apply that into our lives is still a challenge and i need to be reminded over and over again.
Love, a simple word, but carries with it a profound and powerful message.
okay. i feel like i am in a reflective mode right now. too deep already haha... oh wells back to more superficial stuff, cuz i am not quite suited to this kind of deep stuff haha...
on a lighter note, spending christmas back in my church is such an awesome thing. Maybe its a different kind of atmosphere to FOCUS, but yea it feels heartwarming to be back with in my family church. From sunday school choirs, to young adults worship and song dedications by the old people. Everyone is worshiping together as a whole church. And its so encouraging to see my fellow youths who are still so passionate in serving the Lord.
And yesterday for christmas eve, went to GRII to attend Stephen Tong's sermon. Was really amazed by the number of people attending, even some of the people from the government are there. And my favourite part was when we light up each other's candles from the front to the back.
yep Christmas is as usual this year. I learnt the same message as I did last year. And i thank God that i can still enjoy Christmas with family and friends =D
6 more days to 2010...
And i gotta do smth abt my portfolio :S
Just went for cosplaying at AFA again. Wanted to upload all the pics up on my blog, but quite daunted and unwilling to start due to the massive number of photos taken.
Unfortunately, i pressed "delete all" button on my Day 1 photos, so i only have day 2 photos with me now.
me: *cried myself to sleep*
Pillow: *is wet*
Anyway AFA is such a great event. Had cosplayers from singapore, malaysia, indonesia, thailand and phillipines all gathering at suntec convention hall. Famous people from japan, like ichirou mizuki (aka the great aniki), shoko-tan and may'n (macross frontier seiyuu + singer) came and gave concerts for the event. Even Dannychoo (famous anime blogger) was present for the event.
There was also the Moe moe kyun maid cafe, where moe girls dressed up in maid uniform serve us with food. They occasionally have a bit of fan service, like a game of jan-ken-pon in which the loser have to serve us tea. and the way they clumsily and shyly serve the food are also part of the attraction too. hahaha...
enuff said. i have already uploaded my pictures in this forum thread. Its easier to look at anyway if u click on the link here
