English Live Streaming 22 March 2020
Dr. Tan Tycoon to preach on Proclamation gospel as truth-telling dr.tan.
Good morning. This is our first live streaming from the Okapi despite. The fact that we may be participating in this worship service from wherever we are. Let me remind us that we are one in Christ Jesus. We have one Faith one hope and one in the bond of love. We continue our meditations on lent and this morning I'll topic is Proclamation the gospel as truth-telling. I invite you to read 1st. Timothy chapter 1 verses 1 to 7 with me as we begin.
Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our savior and of Christ Jesus our hope to Timothy my true child in the face grace mercy, and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus our lord. As I watch you while I was going to Macedonia remain in Ephesus so that you may charge certain person's not to teach any different Doctrine. North to devote themselves to miss and endless genealogies which may promote speculations rather than Steven ship from God that is by faith the email about charge is love which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere Faith certain persons by swerving from these have one. Way into vein discussion on meaningless talk Desiring to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. May the Lord add His blessings to the reading of his word. What is the gospel we are acquainted with this term as it is part of Christian vocabulary and we talked about the word gospel in our conversations. However, do we know what the gospel is. There are two key aspects of the Gospel which I wish to highlight this morning. So as to eight or understanding of what the gospel is first the word gospel means good news, and it is not anyone's God, but the good news of Jesus Christ as it is there is enough bad news in this world such as the recent spread and fatalities of Covey 19th, which has claimed more than 4,000 lives for example in Italy. So the good news of Jesus Christ is in deep music through the years because it is about the gift of eternal life. Not just after the death eternal life which begins here and now right here. And now as we except we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, we can have Abundant Life and his life to the fullest. Jesus came to bring us their life and he died for us so that this gift of eternal life can be ours we can be saved from sin and hell and dad is the good news is the gospel Gospel of Jesus Christ also Transformers to live a new We are able to put away our old self and grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ. So we are being transformed our family and friends will recognize all behavioral change soul will intervene. This can only be the work of Christ because left to ourselves. We don't have the power to change his love not only brings eternal life, but also the transformation of Our Lives. Now my friends the truth of the Gospel. Is that God is love. Not love in the human way but agape love and this is the kind of love that this church is named isn't it? We are Agape Methodist church, and we ought to be known for the unconditional love that comes from God. This is the love that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He died for those who shouted crucify him. He died for his disciples who ran away when he was arrested died for Pontius Pilate. He died for all of us who don't deserve his love. There is no marriage within us that can learn the love of God yet. He did not spare his only begotten son, and he Jesus Christ became the propitiation for our sins. Imagine two men charged in court for a felony and facing the death sentence because they were friends the appeal to the judge to spare the other and let one of them die for both their crimes, but it was impossible because they were both guilty and had to die for their own crimes instead of punishing them. Imagine for that moment. The judge came down from the bench and took the place instead the judge taking their place for the punishment of your crimes soda in him. We might become the righteousness of God.
The gospel is not only the good news of God's love but also God's truth. As we proclaim the gospel. It is truth-telling. When we meet first Timothy chapter 1 verses 3 and 4 carefully will discover that what Paul told Timothy to do was to literally come on certain people to stop teaching for Doctrine and to stop spending time contemplating for Doctrine unbelievable amount of time thinking about it almost like the Athenians who spend all day considering the newest idea. Bible commentators tell us what Paul had in mind was a Jewish practice that found its way into the church of Ephesus the Jewish leadership had a practice of taking a name found in the Old Testament and inventing stories about that character these myths were endless according to Paul. They will spend enormous John's about something bigger in the Old Testament or in the genealogies found in various places. These stories would even be taught in the synagogue. The only thing that they produced was controversy and confusion. It would be like someone teaching about Jesus when he was between the ages of 1 to 12 years old know the Bible is silent. So we don't know what Jesus did in those here. We come make up stories about him as a child because we do not know what a waste of time to ponder fictional stories and to promote than as truth. All these stories did well to promote speculations. You see my friends is that no one comes to Christ through self-centered fiction order these false teachers wanted was to be viewed as smarter than anyone else. They wanted people to follow them. Rather than to follow Christ. Do we have people like that today people who twist things and make up stories to gain a following when I was active in campus ministry in the nineties. There were so-called Christian groups who propagated a word starvation and claimed that if a Christian was not water baptized then he or she wasn't really saved or if a Christian did not speak in tongues. There was no evidence of the holy spirit in that person as though she or she is not safe such. A false teachings the continue to permeate the Christian world today has taught us that's false teaching leads to a Devotion to miss deception and endless speculation. And in the end it comes from the father of Lies Elite to Hell on an individual level truth produces much more within us then error ever could the true gospel will result in faith and love towards God our hearts and consciences will be pure Investfly policies the aim of a charge is love such Timothy must be heresy, which has been spewing out of the mouths of East Falls teachers replace it with truth. According to Paul truth will produce love towards God and towards one another the goal of Truth. According to the Apostle. Paul is love and this is love for God and for others, I'll desire for God will increase our delight in God will increase of gratefulness to was God will become stronger. We will cherish it and he will become I'll treasure we will love our neighbor as ourselves. False teaching on the other hand cannot produce the love that comes from God. So where does this type of love for God come from? Paul tells us that such a love for God issues from a pure heart a good conscience and a sincere faith. First a pure heart is the heart that has been cleansed by the blood of Christ. Secondly and the Greek point this out to us. It is the heart that is continually being made pure know. It may seem contradictory at first because if something is peer it cannot be Meteora isn't it? A specifically the idea is that the Pure Heart gets default and is no longer pure so it needs to be cleaned up again. Literally. This is having repeated defilement repeatedly being cleansed. It's like your favorite coffee cup that you wash each time you use it so they coffee stains are washed away. It must be repeatedly dream. Obliphica, truth will produce a pure heart and blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God where else. Tree will produce a default hot second good conscience what Paul means by a good conscience is that it is the seat of moral Consciousness and it is a good conscience that will guide our actions and his good conscience can only come about when we are forgiven by God when we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So when we assert my conscience is clear, what we are saying is that we haven't forgiven I'll Guild has been taken away and now we are rude by righteousness. And that is what will govern our thoughts and actions for teachers on the other hand do not have a good conscience and they cannot produce godliness. So my friends musical true produces a clean clear all good conscience because it confronts thin and engenders repentance producers are useless conscience sincere Faith trust and Reliance on God literally without hypocrisy it is this in CFA that we can come and worship God for without faith. It is impossible to please God. So this fav comes about By the sharing of God's word these three virtues Pure Heart good conscience and sincere Faith produce the type and degree of love. God desires us to him again. The God is love and it is our love for God and for those and say that compels us to proclaim the good news.
But what can supplant or replace the gospel unwittingly in our conversation? You know my friends we can be mistaken. The championing good causes is the same as proclaiming the gospel. Sometimes we can be so angry lost in that we Champion or even self-help that we forget. The gospel is the real antidote the solution to all problems, you know, we could be absolved in inner ceiling or propagate pro-life causes such as anti-abortion or promote the family or spiritual juice or even try to go easy on discipleship. When we do that my friends. We actually marginalised the proclamation of God Gospel and compromise truth-telling. This is what Raymond often reminds us in his book passion for God. What might take the place of the Gospel in our sermons and books and home study? A home Bible studies and above all in a heart a number of things conceivably and introspective absorption with recovery from past emotional traumas, for example, or passionate Devotion to the pro-life cause or confident manipulation of modern managerial techniques or drive to Word Church growth and success or deep concern for the institution of the family or fascination with the more unusual gifts of the Spirit or clever appeal to consumerism by offering a sword of chaos free Christianity light or warm affirmation of self-esteem the Evangelist Church stripped of the Gospel my fix upon any of several such concerns to Define itself and derive energy for its mission in other words. Evangelicals could marginalize or even loose the gospel as still Potter on their way, perhaps even oblivious. 2Cellos so this is the warning by Raymond Oakland in his book passion for God that we could easily mistake good causes for the proclamation of the Gospel. Let's not get distracted to promote self-esteem. We are here to promote the fact that we are all for example created in the image of God and that's the reason why we should look at ourselves differently. No because we have it all together in ourselves. There is nothing good enough isn't it by ourselves but save for image of God that we have been created in. So my friends let's consider the following questions as we bring this message to a close is God's love experienced in your life. And that's the first question. I would like us to contemplate and in our discussions. Talk about that. The second is why is God's truth vital for a Grove? Why is God choose vital for our group? And the third is what changes have God done in your life? What changes have God done in your life? Let me say that again. How is God's love experience in your life? Why is God's truth vital for your Grove? And what changes have got done in your life as beneficiaries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's go for to Proclaim his truth bully through word and deed. Shall we pray?
Father we give thanks to you for your love to each one of us. We thank you that despite. Who we are and how we have rebelled against you. Jesus came to die for us and to offer eternal life to each one of us. Thank you Lord for saving us. Thank you Lord today. We are on higher ground with your son Jesus Christ this morning as we contemplate. and Proclaim
the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray the Lord you will remind us. As we go into a various places whether the home. The workplace the neighborhood or even at Play We are so Lord. You will help us. To proclaim the gospel as your truth to this world. We pray that asked me to do so you will once again reaffirm our faith in you. And the Lord we serve a risen savior a God who watches over us coming in and I'll going out and we do not have to be afraid for you have given us. Power and love to triumph over all circumstances. We all stand. You will help us to shine for you. That your majesty will be reviewed to order around us. Even in a Time such as this we pray all this in Jesus name. Amen.