Weekly Sermon Reflection Questions

After the fall of humanity, we see the consequences of disobedience and the introduction of difficulties into the realm of work. (v16-19) We reflect on the implications this has for our daily lives, as we navigate the thorny path of labour in a fallen world.

n the first two sermons of the Theology of Work series, we learnt:
The purpose of work is to reflect the image of God, and Rest from work follows the rhythm of God.

When we apply these two principles, why is it still so difficult to glorify God at our workplace and to align our faith in our work?

Rest is our God-given rhythm, commanded and modelled by God in the Creation account (Ex 20:8-11). We struggle to rest because our mind is filled with the idea that we can get so much more done in one day and we erroneously think that working on Sabbath is a right and responsible thing to do.

We cannot talk about theology on work without having a theology of rest. As seen in the beginning of Genesis, God ordained both work and rest.

Work is a gift from God. We are His disciples in whatever place God has stationed us. It may be in an office, home, school or a place where we volunteer in. In this series on the Theology of Work, we will focus on the purpose of work, rest from work, challenges of work, character for work, witness at work and the calling for work.

A reflective sermon on the Lord’s goodness.  Are we prepared for what is coming or are we just going to let things hit us? 

In the face of cruelty, ruin, hunger and death in today’s world, is Psalm 100 still relevant? Can every Christian shout for joy all of the time? Or is it possible to “worship the LORD with gladness” and “enter His gates with thanksgiving” (v2,4) only in peaceful, prosperous times?

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary | 2 Samuel 7 describes possibly the best days of King David’s life. Good Intentions (v1-3) Our honourable aspirations might not always align with God’s plan for us. Let us be attentive to divine interruptions

In this Advent season, let us be reminded of the hope that awaited the birth of our saviour Jesus Christ. We reflect on the significance of His coming and the true light He brings into our lives.

The Christmas story is so familiar to some as it is repeated every year. However, we will appreciate the Christmas story better and not miss God’s message when we are prepared for Christ’s coming.

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l Advent in Latin means “coming” or “arrival”. In our church calendar, Advent marks the coming of Jesus at Christmas two thousand years ago. Advent is also when we invite Christ into our hearts. There

As Christians, let us look beyond the commercialisation of Christmas and centre our hearts on the meaning and purpose of Advent. Let us prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus.

Sown in dishonour and weakness, God promises that all who believe in Jesus as Redeemer Saviour shall have their natural mortal bodies raised spiritually glorious and powerful.

Isaiah 64 is a heartfelt cry for God’s intervention and restoration.  It is a prayer to restore God’s presence amongst His people.  The themes in this passage are related to the Advent season – time of reflection, anticipation and preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ.

The writer of Hebrews declares that Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters (V11). Jesus proved this by His incarnation at the first Christmas when He came down to our level and identified as our peers. Why is Jesus, the Second Person in the Trinity, not ashamed to become like us and identify with us? Jesus had good reasons to be ashamed 1) because of who He is and 2) because of who we are.

A common parable is told about four blind men and an elephant. By feeling just one part, they each had a very different idea of the appearance of the elephant based on their perceived truth. In the same way, no assumptions can be made about what God is like based on just our own understanding. Also, we cannot know Him just by thinking or feeling. He has to reveal himself to us!

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples went round the Roman empire preaching the gospel. They were passionate, but more importantly it was because they took Jesus’ command seriously – to make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

“Before discipleship, there must be relationship,” a tagline of the Care Group Ministry in Christ Methodist Church. Relationships start with friendship. Friends are those who understand us and know everything about us but still choose to love and support us. “A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out” (Grace Pulpit). We can all be assured that we have such a friend in Jesus.

It is always a good thing for us to desire the power of the Holy Spirit. It is always wonderful when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. One question we need to reflect on is what happens after we are filled with God’s power.

Whatever we do, we ask, “Is it worth all the effort and cost”? In a spiritual context, Paul answers this question of “Is it worth it” with an unequivocable “yes”! The reason is the resurrection hope.

1 Corinthians 15-16 discusses the certainty (15:1-34) and nature (15:34-58) of Christ’s resurrection, and the readiness of giving (16:1-4) that forms the shape of church life (16:5-24).

The Greeks in the Greek city of Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They sneered at Paul when he preached on the resurrection of Christ (Acts 17).

In 1 Cor 15:1-49, Paul addresses the Church of Corinth who had allowed pagan beliefs and the practices of the Imperial Cult to sway them from their conviction in the resurrection of Christ.

Prophecy is not necessarily foretelling the future, it is also forth-telling or speaking forth God’s will for present circumstances. In many cases, prophecy does not contain predictions about the future. The biblical test is whether the prophecy is fulfilled or not. The apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to prefer prophecy to tongues. However, there is a place for both, as well as other gifts, if they are made intelligible and exercised in an orderly manner.

Christians are to eagerly desire spiritual gifts to build each other up. Usually attention is drawn to the more spectacular ones such as healing, prophesy or speaking in tongues. Paul addresses this issue and reminds the Corinthian church not to allow gifts to be a divisive issue but to always focus on the giver rather than the gift.

The prophet spoke God’s promise to an anxious people seeking relief – exiled by God to Babylon for their sinful rebellion. God promised to gather them back after 70 years. (29:10) In the meantime, they were to “call on Him” in prayer so that He “will be found” when they sought Him “with all their heart”.

God wants to move us into a deeper walk with him, a deeper experience of His grace and a deeper manifestation of His power. Instead of dwelling on what we lack, let us embrace the potential of what we possess. Our God is a God of movement (Genesis 1:2, Acts 2), but we often feel stuck, leading to frustration.

An issue faced by the Corinthian church was they were judging each other by what spiritual gifts each had, rating some gifts as more important than others. Paul addressed this issue in three chapters including chapters 12 and 13.

Paul addressed the issue of spiritual gifts to the Corinthians, especially where it affected their public worship.  Coming together as a church, they had confusion and disagreements because of the different levels of Christian maturity. 

Today’s sermon looks at the first 2 of 3 issues in corporate worship – 1) head covering, 2) holy communion, 3) use of spiritual gifts. Use of spiritual gifts will be covered in later sermons.