Sermon 2008/10/26

Sermon 2008/10/26
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 96:1-6
SERMON: Eight things I love about this church
講道題目: 我愛這禮拜堂的八個原因

On this church anniversary Sunday, it is most appropriate to ask ourselves why I love this church.. For me there are eight things I love about this church.
1. God’s strength is found in our sanctuary—When ever I enter the sanctuary I feel the strength of God working in my spirit. Strength is power in action.. Strength which is found in our sanctuary is the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes us understand the Bible. The Holy Spirit makes us understand who Jesus Christ is. The Holy Spirit makes us understand the meaning of the Holy Sacrament celebrated here. The Holy Spirit works in the heart of each individual member, and making each believer a living stone. He unites and builds up these living stones until the whole grow into a holy temple of the Lord.
2. God’s beauty is enjoyed in our sanctuary—When ever I come to our church I can sense beauty in the sanctuary also. Like King David said in Psalm 96:6, “Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. There is beauty in the sanctuary as well as strength. What is this beauty? Beauty is the abstract term to denote any resemblance of grace. It is used in the Bible to signify holiness. It is constantly associated with that word as the human expression of divine perfection. For holiness is but another name for wholeness, and signifies that to which nothing can be added, but which blends in itself all moral perfection in its utmost harmony and completeness. Holiness is God’s beauty, and when we pray with the writer of the 90th Psalm, “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,” we pray that God may be present with us in his holiness, and impart to us the blessings which result from that holiness. So when we say, “Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary,” we mean by the term “beauty” to declare that God’s holiness—the perfection and glory of the divine Being—is to be seen and enjoyed in his sanctuary.
3. The Bible is the center of our belief.--I find a Bible placed at the center of our sanctuary. It reminds us that our church is built from a belief that God speaks to us. We come here to hear God speaks. This is a house where one comes to listen to God. This is a fundamental doctrine of our faith—that God speaks to us. Our church testifies to that.
4. We have an organ, hymn books, a choir and a place to pray here—That means our church testifies to the complimentary fact that not only does God speak to us, but also we can speak to God. This is a place where we can come, and out of our joy and prosperity praise God, or out of our sorrow and adversity call upon him for comfort and strength. Here we can confess our sins to our Father or can ask him for the wisdom that is not of this world. This church is an eloquent testimony to the fact that we can speak to God and that God will hear and answer.
5. We have a pulpit –We testify to the fact that there is a Gospel in this world. Our pulpit means, not a study about truth, but a message from the truth, which is something to be proclaimed, a gospel. Our church testifies to the reality of this gospel. It might be summed up thus: God the Eternal Father; we his children; we are meant for God; God loving us and saving us when he departs from the Father; Christ the means of this salvation, bring grace and life from God freely to all mankind; the life, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the revelation of the eternal heart of God and the goal of mankind; the immortality of the soul; the coming of the kingdom of God whose law is love and service; the final brotherhood of mankind. These are the things I treasure in my pulpit.
6. We have a communion table—While Catholic churches have an elaborate altar, our church has a table. But whatever it is, it is a sign of the presence of Christ. When we gather about this table we expect to meet Christ face to face. Christ is there. This communion is always a testimony to the present Christ. We are a testimony to the world of the living Christ. Our Christ is not a dead prophet who wonderfully taught and beautifully lived and heroically died in Palestine; but he is the triumphant, living Christ, the eternal companion of our way to Emmaus, the One who is alive forevermore.
7. We have a Sunday School—We meet on Sunday mornings to study the truth. We have children and adults who meet to study the Word of God. This means our church is dedicated to the truth.
8. We are an assembly of God’s people—We the people are the real church, the organized body of believers—not the building, but the souls within the building. The little flock which has built the church building has dedicated ourselves to the service of the world. Our church exists to serve the world from the strength and beauty in our sanctuary. Our church stands for service. Our church will begin with the neighbourhood. We will try to reproduce ourselves throughout the whole community. We will touch every interest of the community—physical, as well as spiritual. We will address ourselves to poverty, intemperance, vice, corruption of all sorts. Our boys and girls, our men and women are all our brothers and sisters (even the foreigners) and we will welcome them and care for them all. With God’s help we will make it.

These are the reasons why I love this church. And these are also the reasons why I know this church loves me. During the time of my infirmity the devil tried hard to talk me into not loving this church. But I rebuked the devil by telling him I love this church and this church loves me. No one can separate me from the love of God revealed in this church. Praise the Lord I won my battle over the devil. I hope you all can win the same battle too when the devil tempts you not to love this church.
Amen

A Synopsis of the message
On this church anniversary Sunday, it is most appropriate to ask ourselves why I love this church.. For me there are eight things I love about this church.
1. God’s strength is found in our sanctuary
2. God’s beauty is enjoyed in our sanctuary
3. The Bible is the center of our belief
4. We have an organ, hymn books, a choir and a place to pray
5. We have a pulpit
6. We have a communion table
7. We have a Sunday School
8. We are an assembly of God’s people
These are the reasons why I love this church. And these are also the reasons why I know this church loves me. During the time of my infirmity the devil tried hard to talk me into not loving this church. But I rebuked the devil by telling him I love this church and this church loves me. No one can separate me from the love of God revealed in this church. Praise the Lord I won my battle over the devil. I hope you all can win the same battle too when the devil tempts you not to love this church.

信息大綱
在堂慶主日的今天，我們要問“是甚麼東西使我愛這禮拜堂？”
1. 在這裏我找到神的力量
2. 在這裏我找到神的榮美
3. 聖經是我們信仰的中心
4. 我們可以唱詩祈禱神
5. 我們可以聽到神的道
6. 我們可以守聖餐
7. 我們可以參加主日學
8. 我們知道自己是被神的愛所呼召出來的子民
正是這些原因，使我愛這禮拜堂，也使這禮拜堂愛我。魔鬼常常用謊言欺騙我，說：“你不配愛這禮拜堂，這禮拜堂也不會愛你。” 但我對牠說：“我愛這禮拜堂，這禮拜堂也愛我。你不能把我和禮拜堂的愛分開。”各位親愛的弟兄姊妹，倘若您遇到魔鬼給你這樣的試探，請您能夠像我一樣，有相同的決心和信心，把魔鬼趕走。