Matthew 5 :1-12

Last Tuesday we looked into truths that endure, principles and teachings applied that literally transform life for the believer. In Matthew 5, we see JESUS defines what a blessed life is, our identity and the law and its applications.

1) JESUS defines what a blessed life really is (v. 1-12)
Imagine you are one of the large crowds on the mountain and you saw and heard what JESUS was teaching His disciples saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see GOD.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of GOD.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great...."

You must be wondering... real or not? In this world where you have to fight for survival, where the wicked seem to triumph; you find no justice, everything seems so unfair, etc. and JESUS said blessed are the "losers" who are poor in spirit, gentle, merciful... and those persecuted! JESUS must be kidding! This is impossible!!
Blessed in Greek means "happiness" We are on a path to a blessed life if we are having a intimate relationship with GOD, living in obedience to what He wants us to do and finding favour with Him despite our circumstances, our position or issues we may have to handle.
The Jews at that time were under the rule of the Romans and were waiting for the Messiah to bring the kingdom of heaven, to free them from their oppressions. What they were expecting was so opposite to what they heard from JESUS when He preached about the kingdom of heaven above. Charles R Swindoll explained the Beatitudes very clearly:
The 8 characters of blessed people; representing the principal graces of Christians are:
1) The poor in spirit - meaning one is humble, lowly and helpless in his own eyes, but puts his whole trust in GOD, spiritually bankrupt, deserving nothing, he turns to the Almighty GOD in total trust. The reward : the kingdom of heaven is promised.
2) Those who mourn - are those who loved with profound devotion, sorrow of a broken heart, sincere caring for others, compassionate, mourning over the wrongs in the world, one's own wrong and sinfulness, etc. Reward: they shall be comforted.
3) The gentle - these are not weaklings or some 'doormats' but people who choose words carefully to soothe strong emotions; like ointment that takes the fever away and sting out of a wound. Reward: they shall inherit the earth.
4) Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness - these are people with a passionate drive for justice, servants engaged in pursuit of GOD, longing to walk with Him and bless Him. Not only a vertical holiness but also looking around, being grieved over corruption, gross lack of integrity, moral compromises that abound, they press on for righteousness. Reward: they shall be satisfied.
5) The merciful - mercy is concern for people in need, offering help for those hurting and suffering. "Chesedh" or mercy means the ability to get right inside the other person's skin. It denotes sympathy which comes from deliberate identification with the other person, see things as he sees, feel as he feels. True servants are merciful. They care. They get involved. They offer more than pious words. Reward: they shall obtain mercy in return. This is exactly what JESUS did for us.
6) The pure in heart - this quality emphasizes on the inner man , the motive, the "heart", doing the right things for the right reason. Being free from duplicity, hypocrisy and/or sham. GOD desires His people to be real, authentic to the core. The Pharisees and Sadducees are:
* Big on rules and little on godliness.
* Big on externals and little on 'internals.
* Big on public commands and little on personal obedience.
* Big on appearance and little on reality.
Rewards : consistent servants who are pure in heart shall see GOD.
7) The peacemakers does not mean people who avoid all conflict and confrontations, or who are passive, who compromise their convictions when surrounded by those who would disagree. A peacemaker is a servant who first is at peace with himself internally, he works hard to settle quarrels - not start them, accepting, tolerant, finds no pleasure in being negative. (Eph 4:3, Prov 14:1, Prov 16:24, Prov 28:25) Reward : shall be called sons of GOD.
8) Those persecuted - this is sure to happen :) Reward: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Akang datang - Matt 5:13-48 :)

A Busy Weekend

Thank GOD for seeing me through this weekend. I baked 3 Cheesecakes on Friday; my bro-in-law ordered 2 for his dear wife's 50th Birthday; 1 for birthdays of 2 worship leaders. Plus an order of Egg Tarts on Saturday, which I had to meet the dateline of 5.30pm for delivery. So after our morning rehearsal for today's Church Dedication Service, I rushed home, had a quick fish nasi lemak lunch which I tar pou from the coffee shop near church, and immediately started baking the egg tarts. Thank GOD also for a meaningful Dedication Service today, where most of us rededicated ourselves to the LORD. May He forgive our sins, hear our prayers and heal and restore. II Chron 7:14.

This is my first attempt at tempering chocolates. White chocolate plates with Dark Chocolate wordings.

Almost everyone who tasted the above Ultimate Strawberry Cheesecake last night at my sis-in-law's 50th Birthday BBQ celebration, lovingly prepared by her husband, love it. Another bro-in-law said I could sell them at S$100/- each (to me it's not the money but am happy that he thinks it is worth that much ;) )

This was the Blueberry with Cherry topping Cheesecake I baked for two of our worship leaders. As usual, there's lots of fresh blueberries in the filling. I just love using berries because I love eating them :)

Exodus 15:1-21

Five of us from Gen8sis met this morning for a wonderful time of learning GOD's Word from Exodus 15:1-21, sharing and fellow-shipping over simple, authentic Thai Food. Peter, our E guitarist, prayed that we will have more of this kind of bonding time. Amen to that :)
Our faithful bass guitarist, Tach, led us in a time of worship and read a passage from Ps 40:1-10, focusing on Jesus and reminded us that it does not require our burnt offerings but our obedience.

Mike, our bandleader, led in the BS discussion (thanks for making time despite your busy, busy schedule.) May we walk the talk and work out what we have learnt to better our serve and impact lives for Jesus:1) Why do we worship? Some of the answers were:
i) We are made to worship GOD and to enjoy Him forever; giving thanks with a grateful heart.
ii) GOD is worthy.
iii) It is a commandment to worship GOD.
iv) Recognizing our GOD is so great, holy, worthy, we give Him the worship and honour due to Him.

2) What's the difference between worship and praise?
i) Praise is giving thanks for what He has done for us.
ii) Worship is adoration to God for Who He is.

3) Why were the Israelites able to sing the song of Moses and described in detail what had happened?
They have seen the deliverance of GOD, the words of the song they sang have new found meaning, something they could relate to. Emotionally high, freedom from slavery and bondage, etc. Their experience have brought them to a next level of faith in GOD.

Tach also commented that they were united in corporate worship. Peter pointed out that we, as believers in Christ, also have something in common - spiritual deliverance even though our physical deliverance might be different.

4) What did Moses' song focus on?
Moses, like a worship leader, led in the song but he did not focus on himself instead, he focused on GOD's character and attributes; His salvation, strength, greatness, majesty, unfailing love, guidance, holiness, a GOD Who work wonders.

5) What are some of the roles a worship leader needs to fulfil:
i) To draw the worshippers' attention to Who GOD is, His character and attributes so that those who are weary, heavy burdened, etc can focus their attention on a Great GOD Who is able to grant them sufficient grace to see them through whatever situations they may be in.
ii) To identify himself/herself with the people; ministering to them, praying for them, e.g. during altar call,. This is biblical as Jesus identified with us (Heb 4:14-16).
iii) To choose the appropriate songs; teaching the right theology based on what GOD says in the Bible.
iv) Be humble, esteem others better than themselvesSummary of the above study:
1) Be mindful of GOD's faithfulness, recount these things, journal down the big and small milestones in life.
2) How do we translate what we have learnt into leading His people into worship?
3) Be mindful of the people we lead in worship, pray for the congregation.
4) Trials are bound to come. So anchor on GOD's character and attributes because His grace is sufficient to see us through.
5) Be trained to also minister to others.
6) We are to live a life of obedience, a mark of living worship. Who is like You, O LORD?

Majestic in holiness

Awesome in glory

Working wonders.

Who is like You, O LORD?

Majestic in power

Unfailing in love

Reigning forever

Chorus:

I will sing to the LORD

My GOD, My Salvation
My Guide, My Redeemer

I will sing to the LORD

He is highly exalted

Matthew 3 n 4

Theme of Matthew 1-4 : Fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies

Matthew 3 begins with John, the Baptist's preaching: "REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND" (fulfilment of Isa 40:3). In Isa 40:1-2 we read that GOD had compassion on His people. He said to comfort them and let them know warfare has ended, their iniquity has been removed."

Repent is "metanoia" in Greek, which means to change one's mind, turning with contrition from sin to GOD. In Hebrew, the word "shuv" often translated "returning to the LORD". John warned that religious Jewish leaders (Pharisees and Sadducees) not to rely on the covenant Abraham had with GOD and bear no fruit but flee from the wrath or judgment that is to come and that they are to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. The kingdom is not just good news but is it like a double-edged sword that divide those who follow Jesus and those who reject Him (V. 7-10, 12)

Let's explore the concept of repentance in the OT further:

A) Isa 55:6-9 says "seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. forsake your wicked and unrighteous ways...and let Him return to the LORD."

B) Isa 44:21-23 says "Remember... O Jacob, and Israel for you are My servant, I have formed you... you will not be forgotten by Me...I have wiped out your transgressions... return to Me, for I have redeemed you."

C) Jer 3:11-15 says "Return faithless Israel, ... I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious... I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity... you have transgressed against the LORD, your GOD and have not obeyed My voice... I am a Master to you... will bring you to Zion."

D) Deut 30:1-3 says "return to the LORD your GOD and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you, and your sons. Then the LORD your GOD will restore you...and have compassion on you..."

Matt 3:15 shows Jesus' humility, His identification with Israel, He relinquishes His rightful honour to embrace our shame. Jesus permitted John to baptize Him to fulfil all righteousness, meaning to fulfil John's calling and Jesus' obedience to the Father, doing all that was pleasing to GOD, thus fulfilling GOD's plan revealed in the scriptures V. 16-17 (in these two verses we see the beautiful picture of the Trinity; GOD the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.)

Matthew 4 - V1-2 Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil after 40 days and nights of fasting. He then became hungry. What can we learn from this wilderness temptation Jesus went through?

A) Even Jesus, being GOD, used the scriptures to rebuke the tempter, what more we mere humans? Eph 6:10-17.

B) Jesus was tempted 3 times; for hunger (physical needs); for power; for material wealth (glory of the world) but He trusted GOD :

i) to take care of all His needs; He did not yield to the lust of the flesh

ii) for protection; He did not yield to the pride of life

iii) to work out His eternal plan; He did not yield to the lust of the eyes

C) The tempter also knows scriptures so we have to hide GOD's Word in our hearts so that we will not be deceived.

D) Heb 4:14-16 reminds us that Jesus is our Great High Priest, He become like one of us; tempted in all things as we are but did not sin. He can sympathize with our weaknesses. Let us draw near to Him with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in times of need.

Now, let's explore the word "kingdom" In Greek it is "basileia" which represents the authority or the power of a reigning king or empire. Kingdom at hand means kingdom is near, on the brink of starting.

A) It started with the Israelites rejecting GOD as their King in I Sam 8:4-7 and asking the prophet Samuel for a king to judge over them. So king Saul became their first earthly king.

B) In Ps 47 we see that a GOD, the LORD most High is to be feared, He is the King of all the earth. He reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne. All power and dominion belongs to GOD, He is highly exalted.

C) Dan 4:24-26 says the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind

D) In Dan 7: 13-14 we see the prophetic vision pertaining to Israel's future. One like a Son of Man was given everlasting dominion, glory and a kingdom. All the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.

E) Psalm 103:19 says "The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all."

In summary, this kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, it is given dominion, glory, power and authority and rules over all the earth. It will not be destroyed.

After the wilderness temptation, Jesus withdrew to Galilee (of the Gentiles) when He heard that John had been taken into custody. Here in V15-16, the prophecy of Isa 9:1-2 is fulfilled. Here's another beautiful picture " ....people were sitting in darkness saw A GREAT LIGHT... those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them A LIGHT dawned."

Thank you JESUS, You came as the LIGHT to bring hope into this dark and hopeless world, to save us from all our sins.

Jesus started His ministry on earth preaching "REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND", teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people V. 23-25.

In Matt 4: 18-22 we also see how the four fishermen; Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John Zebedee immediately followed Jesus when He called them. Note that this is not the first time they had seen Jesus. According to cross reference of the four Gospels, we see that they have encountered Jesus, heard Him preached, saw His miracles before.

Many of us have encountered Jesus in our lives. What's our respond to Him when He calls us? Reject Him? Ask Him to wait? Ignore Him? or will you be like the fishermen, be prepared to immediately obey and follow Him?

Jesus, God's righteousness revealed,
The Son of Man, the Son of God, His Kingdom come

Jesus, redemption's sacrifice

Now glorified, now testified His Kingdom come.

And this Kingdom will know no end

And it's glory shall know no bounds

For the majesty and power Of this Kingdom's King has come

And this Kingdom's reign, And this Kingdom's rule,

And this Kingdom's power and authority.

Jesus, God's righteousness revealed

Jesus, the expression of God's love

The Grace of God, the Word of God, revealed to us

Jesus, God's holiness displayed

Now glorified, now justified, His Kingdom come.

And this Kingdom will know no end

And it's glory shall know no bounds.
For the majesty and power Of this Kingdom's King has come.
And this Kingdom's reign, And this Kingdom's rule,
And this Kingdom's power and authority
Jesus, God's Righteousness revealed.

Matthew 1 n 2

We started our introductory lesson on PUP Matthew last Tuesday. It was short and sweet and we had each a warm curry puff with a cup of water. Each class was also given a pack of potato chips to share! So thoughtful of the organizers :)The next morning when I started on Day One of the workbook, I was filled with a sense of expectancy and am really looking forward to learn and relate more to my LORD Jesus Christ. I came to know the LORD as my personal Saviour when I was a teenager. We were taught to pray to GOD the Father through our LORD Jesus Christ. So I hardly pray direct to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. Of course, I know Jesus died for me, how He rose again on the 3rd day, etc but now to be able to really study more in dept about Him again, I felt a sense of excitement and I pray that my sisters and brothers in Christ who are in the same class as I am will persevere as the Holy Spirit leads us to encounter our MESSIAH.

After one week of homework and digging into the first 2 chapters of Matthew, we had a time of discussion and summarizing what we have learnt last night in class. Matthew 1 started with the genealogy and birth of Jesus, The Messiah. V1 introduced us to :

1) Jesus, the son of Abraham. Why Abraham?? Well, in Genesis 12:1-3 GOD initiated a covenant relationship with Abraham, blessing him with promises of a land, to be a great nation, making his name great and that in him, all the families of the earth will be blessed.

2) Jesus, the son of David. In II Sam 7:8-13 says GOD made an everlasting covenant with David where his kingdom will be established forever, where time cannot exhaust, sin cannot defeat even through the lineage, after King David, there were many bad kings like Ahaz because GOD is Faithful even though man is not.

3) Jesus, the Messiah. Messiah means Christ "The Anointed", Khre-sto's in Greek, consecrated for a task. Matt 1:23 is the reversal of v.11 when the Israelites were deported to Babylon. Matt 1:21 tells us that "Jesus will save His people from their sins" and v.23 says His Name Immanuel means "GOD with us."

The purpose of genealogy is to tell us our heritage and identity, and in the Bible, it tells us that it is GOD who sits on the throne. It is a close cousin of theology. Gen 3:15 we see the Seed Theology where the good seed vs the bad seed. It started with the serpent vs woman (GOD pronounced enmity between man and the serpent). Then Cain killed Abel, Ishmael vs Isaac, Esau vs Jacob until we come to satan vs Jesus. Very interesting.

Another interesting thing to note in the genealogy of Jesus is about the characters of the four women below:
A) Tamar, who slept with her father-in-law (Gen38:1-30)

B) Rehab, a prostitute in Jericho (Josh 2:1-14, 6:22-25)
C) Ruth, a Moabite (Ruth 1:1-4, 4:13-22) Moabities are a snare to the Israelites. GOD has pronounced judgment on them in Jer 48.

D) Bathsheba, had a adulterous affair with king David (II Sam 11:3-5, 26-27, 12:24)

Hey, if Jesus, who is GOD, could use these people, lowered Himself to be born through this kind of lineage, what pride do we talk about? Like Paul says, there's nothing he could boast in expect in Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 2, we see the meeting of Two Kings; king Herod and Jesus, the King of the Jews. Matthew showed us who Jesus is; the Messiah, King of the Jews, Ruler, Shepherd for My people Israel. Why must Jesus be conceived by the Holy Spirit, born through a virgin? Heb 10:4-10. Why must Jesus become man in order to save us from our sins? Heb 2:9, 14-17.

We also note in the following verses are prophecies of the OT fulfilled:

1) Matt1:23 (Isa 7:14)

2) Matt 2:5-6 (Micah 5:2)

3) Matt 2: 15 (Hosea 11:1)

4) Matt 2: 17-18 (Jer 31:15)

Jesus, Name above all names,

Beautiful Saviour, Glorious Lord

Emmanuel, God is with us

Redeemer, living Word.

Happy 49th Birthday!

Eliza did this colourful, cheerful cupcake droddle for me. I simply love it :) Thank you dear Eliza. GOD blessed you with such a wonderful talent :)

My dear husband drew 49 hearts and gave me this card.

He also bought me this lovely purple gold diamond cross from Lee Wah Jewelery (my Chinese name is Lee Wah so must buy from there lah ;))

Last surprise of the day from my dear husband :)

The pretty pink bible bag from Precious Moments is from Annabel. It fits my Precept Study Bible perfectly. The cool set of chopping boards is from our good friend, Ser Khiam. Thanks Annabel and Ser Khiam :)

Eliza chose this chocolate cake from Breaktalk. We celebrated my birthday at Greenwood Avenue Pepperoni Pizza last Sunday as a family. Today Renfred helped me mop the floors, Pete took off a day from work and together with Renfred we had Peranakan lunch at Baba Inn followed by a massage. What more can I ask? Thank you my dear, for a wonderful day:)

Father in heaven, thank You for seeing me through yet another year. Thank you for Your sustaining Grace, Your Love, Your provision and Your Faithfulness to me and to my family. Blessed be the Name of the LORD ! :)

"I've become a brother to jackals and a companion to ostriches"

I find the above sentence taken from Job 30:29 interesting. It is not complimentary at all if someone says that of us. I like the way Job described his dire situation. In other bible translations you find "dragons and owls" instead of jackals and ostriches. All these animals are not very pleasant to be with.
Jackals generally go about in small companies. Their peculiar howl may frequently be heard in the evening and at any time in the night. It begins with a high-pitched, long-drawn-out cry. During the night the ostriches make very doleful and hideous noises; which would sometimes be like the roaring of a lion; at other times it would bear a nearer resemblance to the hoarser voice of other quadrupeds, particularly of the bull and the ox. Understand they groan as if they were in the greatest agonies.
In Job 26:2-4, he said "What a help you are to "the weak!"... And whose spirit was expressed through you?" Haha, Job can be quite sarcastic ;) What sort of a friend am I to my sisters and brothers in Christ?As I read through Job and the way his friends responded to the situation he was in, I learnt the following lessons which I hope by His grace and wisdom, to be able to apply in my life when I encounter people who are suffering:

1) Our words can either heal or cause more hurt to the hurting.

2) To put ourselves in that person's shoes and lend a listening ear instead telling them what we know through our own worldly wisdom.

3) To empathize and offer words of comfort, directing them to GOD and His unchanging attributes because GOD does not fail man, only man will fail man.

4) Despite Job's complains and arguments, deep down in him he knows GOD is Sovereign and he can continue to trust in GOD. Job 1:21 "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." Wow, what a declaration. I hope that whenever I am faced with adversities, I will be able to declare what Job declared and continue to cling on to GOD.

5) Job 26:5-14, Job described briefly the magnificence of GOD. Who can truly say they understand GOD? His friends thought they do and know a lot to "lecture" him. Do we commit the same mistakes many a times when we learn about someone else' problems? May GOD forgive us and help us not to prejudge but look at the speck of sawdust in our brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in our own eye.

Am sure there are more lessons I can learn from Job as I continue with the next 10-11 chapters.