Weekly Sermon Reflection Questions

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l Caught nothing? Dialogue with God who tells us where to cast our nets. Today is the Sunday after Easter. In the 40 days after His resurrection and before ascending to heaven, Jesus revealed Himself […]

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l There are times in life when we are soaring in the mountain top and there are times when we are down and struggling in the valley.  If we know how things end, perhaps we

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary | What happened at Easter?  Following the defeat and despair when Christ was crucified, the disciples were amazed on Easter morning. They had come to pay their respects but found the stone rolled away from

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary | Through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us God’s Kingdom values. In the sermon series, we have learnt about: In this final sermon in the series, we focus on living in God’s Kingdom.

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary | The Beatitudes is about the Way of the Kingdom. At its core are two words – Trust and Obey. Jesus says that whoever hears His word and does them, is like a wise man

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l God’s kingdom is the finest treasure anyone can find.  Its value is greater than anything in the world and it is worth any sacrifice to find it.  The stories told by Jesus captivated the

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l There are two prohibitions in this passage of scripture. We are not to store up treasure on earth and not to worry. These are accompanied by two instructions which can be viewed as one

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l We need a right theology of prayer, one which produces the right kind of prayer. Prayer is not twisting the arm of God.  Rather it is believing in a God who hears, answers and

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l Prayer expresses our relationship with God. We say what is on our hearts, not to draw attention to ourselves (Matt.6:5-6) nor with ostentatious words (Matt.6:7). God already knows what we need (Matt.6:8) even before

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l Following an overview of the gospel of Matthew, the beatitudes and applications to the lives of true disciples as fulfilled in the life of Jesus, we look at the practice of Christian piety. In

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l Embracing our radical identity as Salt and Light can radically transform our witness for Christ. RADICAL Framework of Being Salt and Light 1. OUR IDENTITY – Jesus’ followers are emphatically and specifically entrusted to

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l As Jesus finishes the Beatitudes in Matt 5:1-11, He declares in vs.17 that He is not removing the law but fulfilling it. He draws up the full meaning of the law for all who

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l The ‘Sermon on The Mount’ gives a plethora of teachings so it is helpful personally to take note of certain things: A. Qualities required of kingdom disciples in terms of attitude and behaviour. B.

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l Our Lord Jesus’ teachings on the kingdom of heaven began with the Beatitudes. Nature of the Kingdom Jesus declared that the kingdom of heaven is here and now in the present. (v2, 10)  The ‘kingdom

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l The Sermon on The Mount is one of the best-known teachings of Jesus, yet the least understood and least obeyed.  Perspectives for Discipleship a) Who is Jesus to us? The events in the Gospel

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l There are certain ways of doing things in this world, one of which is you have to take care of yourself. In the parable of the shrewd manager, Jesus contrasts the manager’s way with

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l The recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria reminds us that we live in a broken world. However, brokenness is not confined to the external world but is also amongst and within us. Most of

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l God’s amazing grace restores and redeems us from our brokenness. We all live in a broken world, people are experiencing failed relationships, financial problems, disappointment, hurt, depression, abuse, and more. Author Nancy Leigh DeMoss

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l  We all need a safe space. For children and youth especially, it is integral to their mental health to find a safe space to share. A safe space gives people the confidence they will

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l In his letter to the Galatians, Paul taught that we have been justified by faith alone and not by the works of the law. Therefore, we are to walk in the Spirit. Paul immediately

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l The disciples’ argument over who is the greatest in God’s kingdom reveal their pettiness which is found among the young and old in fallen humanity. Jesus’s answer was addressed to the disciples who were

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l The Bible is filled with examples of generations, e.g. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.  How do we honour the generations?  Research has shown that we are living in a unique point where there are at

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary | Psalm 128 expresses the hope of blessings by the ancient Hebrews. Today, on the first day of the Chinese New Year, the blessings we give to others contain similarities with those stated in Ps.128.

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary: Are we aware there are only 343 days left of this new year, 2023? Are we living them with abundant, everlasting, satisfying joy; avoiding painful regret like that of a faithless generation led by Moses?

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l For the apostle Paul, spiritual parenting is the defining metaphor that shapes his understanding of the goal and process of disciple making (Greg Ogden). Paul’s letters were sprinkled with images of spiritual parenthood and

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l Spiritual Parenting is the process of raising children/spiritual infants into encountering God and becoming disciples of Christ. Some have their own children but everyone who is involved in nurturing others on their faith journey

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l 1 Jn 4:19 (we love because He first loved us) points us to God’s love that reached out to us before we can love. We know how to love God and each other because

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l Marriages are under pressure.  There has been an erosion of marriage as an institution for various reasons:   Divorce rates are rising, sexual intimacy outside marriage is becoming normal, and couples are co-habiting without getting

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary l In this New Year, we start on the theme of discipleship in the family. What is the Biblical understanding of “family”? Two truths about the family from scripture are: 1.The church is a spiritual

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary | The heart of the message at Christmas is clear. The Messiah has come! Emmanuel, the word has been made flesh and God is with us. The angels said, this is the sign – you