Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-18 (New International Version)

The Armor of God

 ¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.



¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Remember
Our Warrior God protects us from Satan and his schemes by giving us:-
1) salvation (helmet)
2) righteousness (breastplate)
3) readiness of peace (shoe)
4) faith (shield)
5) truth (belt)
6) Word (sword)

More on Grace

1. What is grace?
undeserved mercy, undeserved kindness, undeserved favour, undeserved forgiveness.

We do not deserve to receive.... but by God's grace, we receive....

2. God's grace is sufficient for us...

2Cor 12:9  and then He (God) told me, "My grace is enough; it's all you need... "

God's grace is given to every one and it is sufficient.

3. Do not compare. Who is first or who is last?

Matt 19:30 But many who are now first will be last, and many whio are last, will be first.

4. Parable - Matt 20:1-16
[Vineyard = kingdom = church ]

eg: 3 types of animals (like us)
* ants - work voluntarily,
* cat - needs to be pushed to work,
* bear - push but still will not move.
which category do you belong?

What is the problem?
Comparing wages. Envious of others.

Grace can not be compared.
Do not compare who gets more and who gets less.

5. Philippians 2:5-7  Jesus did not compare, why do we compare?
So, copy jesus.

6. Application:
* Do not compare Grace
* Do not be not contented and not satisfied, grumble and complain
* By God's grace, we are to live out a Christ-like life (Jesus is our model.)

Note from Patricia.

Grace

What is grace?

1. Grace is God's unmerited favour. ie grace is God doing good for us that we do not deserve.
2. Grace can be defined as God's sufficiency/fullness in the life of the believer. God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9).

Useful in depth on grace is in http://www.learnthebible.org/what-is-grace.html

God has right to give us grace.And, we have privilege to receive grace, irregardless of how old or young we Christians are. Consider the workers in vineyard. (Matt 20:1-16).


 ¹As Jesus was telling what the kingdom of heaven would be like, he said:
   Early one morning a man went out to hire some workers for his vineyard. ²After he had agreed to pay them the usual amount for a day's work, he sent them off to his vineyard.
    ³About nine that morning, the man saw some other people standing in the market with nothing to do. ⁴He said he would pay them what was fair, if they would work in his vineyard. ⁵So they went.
   At noon and again about three in the afternoon he returned to the market. And each time he made the same agreement with others who were loafing around with nothing to do.
    ⁶Finally, about five in the afternoon the man went back and found some others standing there. He asked them, "Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?"
    ⁷"Because no one has hired us," they answered. Then he told them to go work in his vineyard.
    ⁸That evening the owner of the vineyard told the man in charge of the workers to call them in and give them their money. He also told the man to begin with the ones who were hired last. ⁹When the workers arrived, the ones who had been hired at five in the afternoon were given a full day's pay.
    ¹⁰The workers who had been hired first thought they would be given more than the others. But when they were given the same, ¹¹they began complaining to the owner of the vineyard. ¹²They said, "The ones who were hired last worked for only one hour. But you paid them the same that you did us. And we worked in the hot sun all day long!"
    ¹³The owner answered one of them, "Friend, I didn't cheat you. I paid you exactly what we agreed on. ¹⁴Take your money now and go! What business is it of yours if I want to pay them the same that I paid you? ¹⁵Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Why should you be jealous, if I want to be generous?"
    ¹⁶Jesus then said, "So it is. Everyone who is now first will be last, and everyone who is last will be first."


So, let us thank God for His grace bestowed upon us.

And also pray for Samuel Chan, to be healed.. as he has been given grace to rest at home, for his injuries are severe.

Miss Sat Service due to nature of urgent work.


Nevertheless. I ll sing worship for today Sunday.

Psalm 92:1-15 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 92

(A psalm and a song for the Sabbath.)

Sing Praises to the LORD

¹It is wonderful to be grateful and to sing your praises, LORD Most High!

²It is wonderful each morning to tell about your love and at night to announce how faithful you are.

³I enjoy praising your name to the music of harps,

⁴because everything you do makes me happy, and I sing joyful songs.

⁵You do great things, LORD. Your thoughts are too deep

⁶for an ignorant fool to know or understand.

⁷Though the wicked sprout and spread like grass, they will be pulled up by their roots.

⁸But you will rule over all of us forever,

⁹and your hateful enemies will be scattered and then destroyed.

¹⁰You have given me the strength of a wild ox, and you have chosen me to be your very own.

¹¹My eyes have seen, and my ears have heard the doom and destruction of my terrible enemies.

¹²Good people will prosper like palm trees, and they will grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.

¹³They will take root in your house, LORD God, and they will do well.

¹⁴They will be like trees that stay healthy and fruitful, even when they are old.

¹⁵And they will say about you, "The LORD always does right! God is our mighty rock."

The Lord is My Fortress

One evening, my child suddenly mentioned she saw the dark shadow in the hall. She was scared. And, I thought, and my other half showed me the verse given by our dear Pastor. And, we should take authority to chase evil spirits out of our place, and seek the blood of Jesus in whom we believe, for the protection of our homes. And, we should seek the angels to watch over the doors, and windows. And, we should pray on this verse.

Psalm 91 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 91

The LORD Is My Fortress

 ¹Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful.
²Then you will say to the LORD, "You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you."
 ³The Lord will keep you safe from secret traps and deadly diseases.
 ⁴He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure.
   His faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall.
 ⁵You won't need to worry about dangers at night or arrows during the day.
 ⁶And you won't fear diseases that strike in the dark or sudden disaster at noon.
 ⁷You will not be harmed, though thousands fall all around you.
 ⁸And with your own eyes you will see the punishment of the wicked.
 ⁹The LORD Most High is your fortress. Run to him for safety,
 ¹⁰and no terrible disasters will strike you or your home.
 ¹¹God will command his angels to protect you wherever you go.
 ¹²They will carry you in their arms, and you won't hurt your feet on the stones.
 ¹³You will overpower the strongest lions and the most deadly snakes.
 ¹⁴The Lord says, "If you love me and truly know who I am,
   I will rescue you and keep you safe.
 ¹⁵When you are in trouble,  call out to me.
  I will answer and be there to protect and honor you.
 ¹⁶You will live a long life and see my saving power."

Food offered to idol

Do we eat or not ?
What does the bible say?

1 Corinthians 8:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Corinthians 8

Food Offered to Idols

 ¹In your letter you asked me about food offered to idols. All of us know something about this subject. But knowledge makes us proud of ourselves, while love makes us helpful to others. ²In fact, people who think they know so much don't know anything at all. ³But God has no doubts about who loves him.     ⁴Even though food is offered to idols, we know that none of the idols in this world are alive. After all, there is only one God. ⁵Many things in heaven and on earth are called gods and lords, but none of them really are gods or lords. ⁶We have only one God, and he is the Father. He created everything, and we live for him. Jesus Christ is our only Lord. Everything was made by him, and by him life was given to us.
    ⁷Not everyone knows these things. In fact, many people have grown up with the belief that idols have life in them. So when they eat meat offered to idols, they are bothered by a weak conscience. ⁸But food doesn't bring us any closer to God. We are no worse off if we don't eat, and we are no better off if we do.
    ⁹Don't cause problems for someone with a weak conscience, just because you have the right to eat anything. ¹⁰You know all this, and so it doesn't bother you to eat in the temple of an idol. But suppose a person with a weak conscience sees you and decides to eat food that has been offered to idols. ¹¹Then what you know has destroyed someone Christ died for. ¹²When you sin by hurting a follower with a weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³So if I hurt one of the Lord's followers by what I eat, I will never eat meat as long as I live.

1 Corinthians 10:15-33 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁵I am speaking to you as people who have enough sense to know what I am talking about. ¹⁶When we drink from the cup that we ask God to bless, isn't that sharing in the blood of Christ? When we eat the bread that we break, isn't that sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷By sharing in the same loaf of bread, we become one body, even though there are many of us.
    ¹⁸Aren't the people of Israel sharing in the worship when they gather around the altar and eat the sacrifices offered there? ¹⁹Am I saying that either the idols or the food sacrificed to them is anything at all? ²⁰No, I am not! That food is really sacrificed to demons and not to God. I don't want you to have anything to do with demons. ²¹You cannot drink from the cup of demons and still drink from the Lord's cup. You cannot eat at the table of demons and still eat at the Lord's table. ²²We would make the Lord jealous if we did that. And we are not stronger than the Lord.
   

Always Honor God

 ²³Some of you say, "We can do whatever we want to!" But I tell you that not everything may be good or helpful. ²⁴We should think about others and not about ourselves. ²⁵However, when you buy meat in the market, go ahead and eat it. Keep your conscience clear by not asking where the meat came from. ²⁶The Scriptures say, "The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord."     ²⁷If an unbeliever invites you to dinner, and you want to go, then go. Eat whatever you are served. Don't cause a problem for someone's conscience by asking where the food came from. ^28-29But if you are told that it has been sacrificed to idols, don't cause a problem by eating it. I don't mean a problem for yourself, but for the one who told you. Why should my freedom be limited by someone else's conscience? ³⁰If I give thanks for what I eat, why should anyone accuse me of doing wrong?
    ³¹When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God. ³²Don't cause problems for Jews or Greeks or anyone else who belongs to God's church. ³³I always try to please others instead of myself, in the hope that many of them will be saved.

You can! Because God is faithful.

You can! Because God is faithful.

This sermon is given by Rev Yong Tai Tong in Expo on 5th Sept. 2010.


3 key points
1) Every word He says is reliable
2) Every promise He gives will be realized
3) Every setback He allows has a reason

1) Every word He says is reliable
3 verses

Deuteronomy 7:6-11 (New International Version)

⁶ For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

 ⁷ The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. ⁸ But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. ¹⁰ But
       those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
       he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.

 ¹¹ Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

Numbers 23:19 (New International Version)

 ¹⁹ God is not a man, that he should lie,
       nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
       Does he speak and then not act?
       Does he promise and not fulfill?

Matthew 24:35 (New International Version)

³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

2) Every promise He gives will be realized

Joshua 21:43-45 (New International Version)

 ⁴³ So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. ⁴⁴ The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. ⁴⁵ Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

3) Every setback He allows has a reason

 4 verses

Deuteronomy 32:4 (New International Version)

 ⁴ He is the Rock, his works are perfect,

       and all his ways are just.

       A faithful God who does no wrong,

       upright and just is he.

Job 23:10 (New International Version)

 ¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;

       when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

Romans 5:3-4 (New International Version)

³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 8:28 (New International Version)

 ²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Deuteronomy 7:6-8 (New International Version)

⁶ For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

 ⁷ The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. ⁸ But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

How God's faithfulness has been demonstrated

Genesis 15:13-14

¹³ Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

Genesis 15:16a

¹⁶ In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here,

Genesis 15:18-21

¹⁸ On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- ¹⁹ the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, ²⁰ Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, ²¹ Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

Truths that will help you experience God's blessings
1) You Can! Because God is faithful!

Romans 8:32 (New International Version)

³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

2) You will! Provided You are faithful!

Deuteronomy 7:10-11


¹⁰ But
       those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
       he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
 ¹¹ Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

Exodus 34:5-7

⁵ Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. ⁶ And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷ maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."