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Wednesday, March 15, 2006

*Sermons Update!

The Prodigal Son
Service Sermon 11-12 Mar'06
Preacher: Pastor Kong Hee

Main verses from Luke 15: 11-32

The main point of this parable can be summarize like this:
No matter how bad you are, how far you have fall and how ugly you have become, God is always waiting for you to repent and He will always welcome you with open arms.

Yes! Indeed we have a God who is always ready to forgive and provide for us even though we can be ungrateful.

Let us look at The Parable of the Prodigal Son (aka The Parable of the Lost Son).

Prodigal means "wasteful", "wild" and "reckless" in Greek.

Just how horrible is the prodigal son in the parable? We shall understand that by looking at WHAT HE ASK FOR in Lk: 11-12.

The son asked for 2 things.

1. The prodigal son asked for his inheritance.
The typical selfish "I want", "give me" attitude. At the same time, it is important to understand that an inheritance is only pass down when the person dies. In other words, the prodigal son is indirectly telling his dad to go and die! Can you see how ungrateful he is?

2. He desires freedom at the expenses of hurting the very people that love him.
The prodigal son chooses to act irresponsibly without thoughts about the consequences or the feeling of his father. Even though the father knows that the prodigal son is making a wrong decision to leave home for a freedom that would lead to his destruction, the father still let him go because God gave all of us freewill.

God may try to lead us and guide us but He will not interfere with the decision we made because He gave us freewill.

Lk 15:13

From here on, we see that the prodigal son had choose to go into an alien world that is totally different from the one that was meant for him. He then squandered everything he had away recklessly and wastefully on wild, worldly pleasures.

Lk 15:14-16

Eventually, the prodigal son lost all his money and whatever properties his father had given him. When a famine sets in, the prodigal son was even forced to eat pig food to survive, thus losing his dignity and his friends.

Perhaps, people will always ask, why does a loving God allow sufferings in the world?

First of all, sufferings occur because this is a fallen world we live in. God then given us laws so that those who obey may not suffer. Laws are there to protect us. Just like if someone choose to break any traffic law, then he is risking himself to die in a road traffic accident.

Basically, the world is sick because they have choose to ignore the Living God, just like the prodigal son leaving the protection and ignoring the advice of his father.

Lk 15:17

At this point, the prodigal son finally came to his senses that he would be much better of even if he was just a slave in his father's house. Realizing the folly of leaving his loving father and wanting a freedom that had bonded him in such a mess, the prodigal son choose not to shift the blame to anyone but was ready to admit to his own sins and go home to his father.

Lk 15:20

The father waited everyday without fail for the prodigal son to come back. The moment he sees the son returning in a distance, he didn't even wait for him to come but the father ran out to embrace the son, who is physically dirty and smelly and emotionally beaten. The father chooses to humble himself and welcome the son with all meekness and gladness instead of punishing him.

Lk 15: 22-24

The father choose to put away every sin the prodigal son had and even gave him power and authority, which is signified by putting the signet ring on the son's finger.

In the past, slaves don't wear sandals. One of things that the father did was to gave sandals for the prodigal son to wear. This is an assurance that the son is already forgiven and he never live as a slave in the house. An assurance that the son has a place in the family and in the father's heart.

The father also killed a fatten calf to celebrate the return of the prodigal son. This signifies that the father will once again provide for him.

This is a beautiful picture of how God is loving towards every repentant sinner. No matter what a sinner has done, God is always waiting for him to repent and He will embrace the sinner just as he is.

When a sinner repents, God will celebrate in heaven with the angels and he will forgive the sinner, give him authority and provide for him. God indeed delights in the prosperity of His servant.

***

Living Out God's Best for You
(CGI Sermon 09/03/06)

Mark 10:27
Amen! With God, all things are possible!

Indeed, God has great plans for each and everyone of us but it is up to us to ask God for it.

Now in order to start living out the life that God wants for us, we must first understand 2 truth about God.

1. Nothing is impossible with God!

Mt 19:26, Luke 1:36-37, Gen 18:13-14

God is repeating Himself in all these verses, nothing is impossible for Him! Hold on to this promise, change whatever negative perspective with God's perspective!

"Die lah, this time surely fail one."

"I think this time gone case liao lah."

"My mum is very religious, she will never come to chruch."

"My friends loves wild parties, I think they will find church boring."

Sounds familiar?

God said that with our limited mindset, it is not possible for certain things to happen. For example, some people think they are not clever enough to do well in their exams, some people think they can never make it big in life, some people think their family and friends can never be saved.

Truly, what you think is what will happen! Your thoughts are like self-fulfilling prophecies and many people will seek to ensure that the bad things they think will happen will indeed happen!

Stop living such a defeated life! Put on the mind of God! See things through the perspective of God! If we are limited, God is unlimited! If we can't make certain things happen, God can make all things happen! Indeed, With God, all things are possible! Amen!

With this, let us move on to the second truth.

2. Whatever God says will be done.

Isa 14:26-27

God has a purpose for each and everyone of us and no one can stop it!

So what has God promised you? Has it being fulfilled? Delay is not denial. Everything have a season and time. We may face struggles as we wait for our breakthrough, for God to fulfill whatever He had personally promised us. Never give up!

Gen 18: 13-14
God promised Abraham that he will have a son and he will be a father of a great nation. How long did he wait for Isaac? The nation of Israel and this Gospel wouldn't be around if Abraham choose to give up and stop believing in God!

Gen 45: 4-8
God gave Joseph a dream that he will one day be someone great and his family will even bow down to him. How long did he wait? What did he go through before the dream was fulfilled? He was betrayed by his brothers, sold as a slave, convicted of a crime he never commit. However, he held on to God's promise and became the 2nd most powerful man during his time and saved the world from one of the worst famine ever!

So next, there are 3 things we need to do.

1. Expect God to do something new in your life.

Isa 55: 8-9

God's way are higher than our ways! Don't stick to your usual ways, try something new, step out of the box!

If you have always being doing poorly in your studies, change your study method. Try something new!

If you always find yourself in lack, change the way you manage your money. Try something new!

If you always fail at reaching out to your friends, change the way you reach out. Try something new!

If you keep failing and you still continue to do the same old ways to handle the situation, that is not perseverance, it is madness!

Be open to new things. Don't be afraid when God moves.

2. Exchange your "low" life for God's high life.

Mt 10:38-39 Heb 2:6, 7, 9

As disciples of Christ, Jesus told us to take up the cross and follow Him. Without the cross, there will be no crown of glory.

In order to embrace the high life of God, we have to first give up our old life. Simple as that. It doesn't takes a lot to let go of your old life, it takes ALL you have!

When your hands are full, you have to put down whatever you are holding if you want to recieve something new.

3. Recieve the anointing of God.

Ps 23:5

God wants to anoint our mind with the Holy Spirit. He wants our minds to be renewed and guide us along in our walk with Him.

1 Jn 2:20

When our mind is anointed, we can hear from God and know what He wants for us. Indeed, the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, everything that God has for us will be reveal by His Spirit.

As healthy believers, we are always growing. Only unhealthy individuals stop growing or fall back. So as we move on in our walk with God, always expect something greater from Him at every new seasons of our life. Let's live the HIGH LIFE! Amen!

GOD IS GOOD.

Benjamin @ 3:08 PM

GOD IS GOOD!!!