Archive for the 'Sermon Notes' Category
Posted by larry 30-Dec-2000
( John 11:1-16 )
A Message by Rev. Dr. Vincent Leoh on 30 & 31 December 2000
Today, I would like to share with you some foundational truths which hopefully will help you make sense of what has happened this past year and renew your faith in the coming year.
I. THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM (:4, 11-15)
In verses 4 and 15 we see an important principle: As bad as things seemed…God was doing something good.
- Where we see conflict…God sees a training ground for character (Romans 5:3-5).
- Where we see pain…God sees a tool to wean our hearts from that which is temporary (2 Cor.1:4).
- What we call a burden…God calls a chance to develop empathy (2 Cor.1:4).
- Where we see struggle…God sees a laboratory for building faith (2 Cor.1:9).
- Where we see hardship…God sees a pulpit through which He can show His grace (Phil. 1).
- What we call suffering…God may call discipline (Heb.12:5-11).
Read 1 Kings 6:11-7
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Posted by larry 24-Dec-2000
( Luke 1:26-38 )
A Christmas Celebration Message by Rev. Dr. Vincent Leoh on 24 December 2000
What is Christmas all about?
I. CHRISTMAS: IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS!
1. THE KING WHO CAME
What is the center of attraction at this first Christmas? For Mary. The focus of attention was not upon herself, but rather upon the Child (1:31-33) – HE shall be the Son of God.
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Posted by larry 09-Dec-2000
[Pursuing the Way to Happiness]
( Matthew 5:3 )
A Message by Rev. Dr. Stanley Lim on 9 & 10 December 2000
INTRODUCTION:
Continuing with the theme on Pursuing the way to happiness, if God were to say to choose any 8 things that will make you happy, what would you choose? Would you choose to be “poor in spirit?” Would you choose such things as mourning, meekness, hunger and thirst, being merciful, being pure in heart, being a peacemaker or experiencing persecution? Do you think that experiencing these 8 things would make you happy? Jesus seems to think so. Let us consider this particular Beatitude today of being poor in spirit.
When Jesus spoke of the ‘poor in spirit’ he was referring to our recognition of a lack in the inward man not in outward circumstances. Consequently, to be poor in spirit is to recognize one’s poverty spiritually before God. The person who is ‘poor in spirit’ is the person who does not boast of his attainments or talents since he knows what he has nothing that has not been given to him. Read Full Entry
Posted by larry 02-Dec-2000
Tags:
pvl ( Luke 17:7-10 )
A Message by Rev. Dr. Vincent Leoh on 2 & 3 December 2000
PARABLE OF THE UNWORTHY SERVANTS
The parable was designed to guard against the subtle peril of satisfaction in service, and the expectation that service shall be recognized with reward. In the four verses forming the parable Jesus impressed upon His own the arduous and unceasing nature of the service required of them, and the spirit in which such service should be rendered.
I. GIVE YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE (cf. Romans 12:1)
1. God Owns Everything
We are His by right of Creation, by Redemption and by the Surrender of our lives to Him. We belong to Him He demands our all and at all times, in all matters.
2. God Owes Nothing
The servant is always a debtor of service; the master is never a debtor of reward. Do your duty, and when you have done it, however laborious and painful it may be, remember that you have only done your duty.
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Posted by larry 25-Nov-2000
( Luke 19:11-27 )
A Message by Rev. Dr. Vincent Leoh on 25 & 26 November 2000
The Parable of the Minas
Context: Luke tells us that Jesus told the parable as he neared Jerusalem, surrounded by people who supposed that “the Kingdom of God should immediately appear”. The purpose of the parable is not to state the Christian doctrine of reward for faithfulness, which is only part of the contents, but to damp down the expectation of the immediate bursting in of the kingdom. The parable teaches:
a) The need of a patient waiting for Christ.
b) The need of an active working for Him till the time of His return.
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Posted by larry 18-Nov-2000
( Matthew 5:1-12 )
A Message by Rev. Dr. Stanley Lim on 18th & 19th November 2000
INTRODUCTION:
Beginning with Chapter 5 right through to Chp.7, the Lord Jesus is seen teaching & preaching about many things pertaining to kingdom living. These 3 chapters is termed as the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus opens the sermon with the teaching on the Secret to Happiness. Verses 1-12 is often called the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes begin off with the word, “Blessed”. Blessed means to be happy, not in the world’s sense for the world’s happiness is superficial and depends on circumstances. The happiness spoken here does not mean as such but rather the kind of happiness that fills the soul even in the midst of the most depressing events of life.
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Posted by larry 04-Nov-2000
(Jeremiah 8:20 – 9:1,17-24 ; Psalms 126:5-6)
A Message by Rev. Dr. Vincent Leoh on 4th & 5th November 2000
I. TEARS IS A WONDERFUL THING
There are various kinds of tears:
Therapeutic. Attention-getting. Crocodile tears. Tears of self-pity. Tears of Godly sorrow.
II. TEARS IS A POWERFUL THING
A. Weeping Is Sowing In Death (Psalms 126:5-6)
The idea of sowing and death was common. As much as Jesus later says, “Unless a grain of wheat fails into the ground and dies, it remains alone” (John 12:24). Israel is sown in death in the exile.
B. Weeping Is A Sign Of Mourning
“You are in a good place when you weep before God, repenting over the least thing. When everything is wrong, you cry unto the Lord. It is when we are close to God that our hearts are revealed.” (Smith Wigglesworth)
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Posted by larry 28-Oct-2000
(Matthew 6 : 1-18)
A Message by Rev. Dr. Vincent Leoh on 28 & 29 October 2000
We have to learn if we want to live this life fully, that we have to discipline ourselves.
In Matthew 6:1-18, we see the Christian lives divided into three main sections in terms of what I do with others, what I do with God, what I do with myself. Let me focus on the second part, that is the Discipline of Prayer.
I. “WHEN YOU GIVE …” (6:1-4)
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Posted by larry 21-Oct-2000
(Daniel 11:32b)
A Message by Rev. Dr. Stanley Lim on 21 & 22 October 2000
INTRODUCTION:
‘But the People who know their God will be strong and take action’ (God’s Word translation). A month ago I shared with you that in order to become a people of action in carrying out the great exploits of God, we must fulfill the first condition that God sets before us, i.e “We must know God”. And the process of knowing God involves 2 processes:-
a. The confrontation of our personal sin.
b. Our total surrender to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
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Posted by larry 30-Sep-2000
(Joshua 23 – 24))
A Message by Rev. Dr. Vincent Leoh on 30th September & 1st October 2000
Joshua 23 and 24 are two separate accounts of the same farewell gathering. In his final address, Joshua gave the call: “Choose this day the one you will serve for the rest of your life.” (24:15) Hundreds of years later, Elijah on Mt. Carmel gave a similar challenge: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; out if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21).
Consider several factors.
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