Speaker: Mrs Lily Ch’ng Sermon Title: Building A Culture Of Godliness In The Home Scripture Text: 2 Timothy 1:1-5; 3:14-17
Introduction: The role of motherhood is not easy and it can be complicated, yet it is a joy when we fulfil this divine calling. • It’s a life-time responsibility and one never retires from the calling. • Love for children and their protection – from the time they are born until our journey is ended.
A. Mother’s Day: when we are reminded to thank God for His goodness in giving us mothers. Mothers are imbued with sacrificial love for their children. Illustration : Rizpah’s love for her sons : 2 Samuel 21.
B. 2 Timothy 1:3-5 and 2 Timothy 3 :14-17
Timothy was brought up in a godly home, taught and guided by grandmother Lois and mother Eunice. “And how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Likewise, parents today have to be established in the faith and teach God’s word in the home.
C. Reasons to building a culture of godliness in the home.
1. We are living in such a confusing and dangerous world of technology, and social media. The internet, TV, smart phone, tablets and social media have taken over the homes, the schools, the workplaces. Children have to be grounded in God’s truths.
2. Parents have to prepare children for the time when they leave home. They will have to make right decisions for themselves, without requiring constant supervision. • Away from home, children are exposed to all kinds of temptations – from the world, Satan and even the sinful self. • They will encounter storms in their lives – problems: illnesses, relationships, finances, jobs/careers etc.
D. How do parents lay strong foundations and build a culture of godliness?
1. The parents must themselves be persons of “Sincere faith” Parents are not to be lukewarm, nominal Christians. They have to live out their faith in the home.
2. Praying for our children daily. Be persistent in prayer. Illustration: the persistent prayers of Monica for her son Augustine.
3. The need for communication in the home
4. Be bold to instruct and to discipline • Be quick to admit mistakes and even apologize to the children when mistakes are made. Parents are fallible. • Express love, verbalize “I love you.”
Conclusion Our children may sometimes not turn out the way we want them to be, but God is faithful. As we stay in a relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit will keep us strong and grant us the wisdom to know how to navigate each day with love in our home, to the glory of God.
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Speaker: Mr Yap Chee Kai Sermon Title: Adultery, Divorce: Eliminating Lust, Embracing Holiness Scripture Text: Matthew 5: 27 – 32
A. Introduction We should strive for holiness in light of Jesus’ teachings. “Be holy for I am holy” (Lev. 19:2; 1 Pet 1:16).
Explanation Striving for holiness is essential for seeing God.
Think: Why God demands us to be holy?
B. Setting * Jesus’ radical teaching challenges the scribes and Pharisees’ ‘false’ beliefs. * Jesus transcends the text and lives beyond its words. * Jesus focuses on the inner thought and heart of the commandment.
Explanation Christ’s teaching fulfills the law in the Gospel.
1. Our Heart’s Desire (vv.27-28) * In verbatim agreement with Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18. * Adultery begins with the eye, then the heart, before leads to an action. * Jesus’ standard on sexual ethic is to avoid lust and embrace holiness.
Lesson 1: Reexamining our heart’s desire.
Talk: 2 Samuel 11:2-3 illustrates the point. In Matthew’s context of adultery, James 1:13-15 uses the metaphor of conception, birth and death.
2. Radical Action Needed (vv.29-30) * Jesus makes it clear that sexual sin is extremely serious. * Jesus’ gruesome analogy to emphasise the urgency of the situation that demands radical action to eliminate sinful lust desire which has resulted in “adultery” in the heart.
Lesson 2: Radical action is needed immediately to eliminate lust and embrace holiness.
Talk: * The “muscular secularism” views the Bible in conflict with cultural values. * Joseph flees sexual temptation from Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39. * What radical action do you need to take, personally and corporately?
3. Marriage Sanctity for Life (vv.31-32) * Jesus explicitly forbids divorce. * Divorce is never encouraged despite laws concerning divorce in Deuteronomy 24. * Jesus emphasises the wrongness of divorce by referring to remarriage as adultery.
Lesson 3: Marriage is for life because it is God-ordained, covenant relationship between a man and a woman.
Talk: Make very effort to reconcile and restore the marriage.
C. Closing: Three observations for us to reflect upon today.
Reflect: 1) Radical obedience in Jesus’ hard teaching on today’s passage. 2) Do not pass judgment on the failures of others or condemn them, no matter how serious the sin. 3) God’s love and grace can offer us forgiveness and healing through our repentance.
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