Sunday 24 March 2013

Creation In The Bible – The Hard Questions by Joseph Tan dated 24.3.13

Creation In The Bible – The Hard Questions by Joseph Tan dated 24.3.13 
Introduction 
The secret of parenting is surprisingly the status of your marriage. What has parenting got to do with your marriage you may ask. They are related. When you have a strong marriage, parenting, your business, and other things in life will fall into place. This is because God created marriage and when you obey God, He blesses us.
The Hard Questions 
We human ask tough questions like, “Who am I?”, “Why am I here?” We asked these questions because we are created in God’s image. Joseph related how a 15 years old student asked his teach not about studies but he asked, “Who is Adam and Eve?” God put in us a seeking nature. We like to know about ourselves and how we come about. The message of the Gospel is still the same, in the past and now. But what has changed? In the past evangelism was conducted in large stadiums, like Billy Graham crusades, but now this may not work. Now the environment has changed, people are asking complicated questions. They also asked hard questions like, “Who am I?”, “Why am I here?”,
What Scientists Said 
Scientist G. Richard Bozarth in the “Meaning of Evolution” said life is predicated in the existence of Adam and Eve. He also said, “Christianity is – must be! totally committed to the special creation as described in Genesis, and Christianity must fight with its full might, fair or foul against the theory of evolution.” The scientists are committed to their causes even before they have proves of what they called scientific proofs. In other words, they had their mind set that there is no God. God set standards, like for marriage, 7 days week, work, etc. But the western worlds have drifted from these standards. Doubts have been created by Satan to distract us. We should not be ashamed of the Gospel Roman 1:16. It is the Word of God.
Two Forms of Science
 a) Observational science – you observed what happened and often these can be repeated.
b) Historical science – you observed what happened in the past and this cannot be repeated e.g dinosaurs bones. In science the scientists themselves have already made up their minds as to the interpretations of their findings, and they do take God into their findings. They do not believe in God.
Fossils and the Flood
 In Genesis, the Bible accounted how the earth was destroyed by a great flood. Only Noah and inhabitants of the Ark survived this great flood. Scientists claimed that the fossils found all over the earth was a result of millions of years of sediments. They found many fossilized fishes. Some were in the process of eating another fish, some giving birth mid way. Can these fishes be fossilized over millions of year and was “captured” in that state? Seem very unlikely. Current experiments showed that when a fish died, it floated to the water top and not sink into the sea-bed, many were eaten by other animals. The explanation is that their death were sudden like in Noah’s flood where animal were frozen saddened. Genesis 7:11b. Similarly rock layers could not formed over millions of years. The recent Mount St.Helen’s eruption proved that rock layers were created within days.

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Genesis Chapter 9 by Dr.Tiong Tung Hui dated 17.3.13


Introduction
All Scriptures are God’s breathe 2 Tim 3:16.  Let’s look at God’s Words.  Gen 1:1 – 2:3 In the Beginning God created the world.  There are two world views:
         a)      World created by chance
         b)      World created by design
If you examine everything it is difficult to think that things come about by chance.  We are here by divine design.  When we look at life we will come to the conclusion that we are created by God.

Genesis chapter 4
The story of Abel and Cain depicted the greed and godlessness of man.

Genesis chapter 5
The story of Adam to Noah. 

Genesis chapter 6
The corruption of humankind and judgment and the flood.   Man sinned and God was so angry that He sent a great flood to destroy all flesh.

Genesis chapter 9
God’s covenant with Noah.  There was mutual understanding.  This was instituted by God, a contract between man and God.  The covenant also reflected the character of God.   

Why covenant ?
The promise of the covenant:

Blessings upon Noah and his family
-          Fruitfulness
-          Provision
-          Promise (that there will never be another flood like this)

The different kinds of covenants a) Davidic b) Abramic c) Mosaic d) Noahic

What is special about Noahic covenant?
  1. Unconditional, everlasting
  2. Promise is to Noah, his descendants and every living creature 
  3. Sign of the rainbow

Curse of Canaan Genesis 9:18-22
This told the story of Noah’s nakedness and how Japheth and Shem covered their father by walking backward and Noah cursed Canaan his grandson.  Jude 9-13 spoke about checking our hearts.  Noah cursed Canaan son of Ham but he blessed Japheth and Shem.  The reason for cursing Canaan was not revealed in the Bible but it must be something terrible that made Noah so angry.  It was an anti climax because it was a miracle for Noah to escape the floods, and yet this terrible thing happened to his family.

What do we learn?
Watch over our own walk, our life styles.  Sin has consequences.  We are made in God’s image.  Give to God what belongs to God.

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Genesis 6-8 by Dr.Thomas Chung dated 10.3.13

Depravity of Fallen Man & Inevitable Judgment of God by Dr. Thomas Chung dated 10.3.13 
This sermon is based on Genesis Chapter 6, 7 & 8. The Bible says there is nothing good in man, but psychologists say man is basically good, however, they have done many things wrong. In Genesis 7 & 8, the Bible talked about the inevitable judgment of God. His judgment led the Israelites to be led into captivity in Egypt. God did not like it, but He has no other ways. We can see what God is doing in the Middle East, Africa, and other parts of the world.
 The Facts
 In Genesis 6:3 God limited the life of man to 120 years old. He has to do that, can you imagine Hitler and Idi Amin living 800 years? In Psalm 90:10 God limited life to 70 years. Genesis 6:4, the Nephilim was taught to be angelic being who consummated with human to produce giants. Gen 6:5 men were wicked, just like nowadays people are wicked. The passage said God regretted creating man. Does God really regretted, changed His mind and repented? It seem these were mentioned in the Bible. Can we bargain with God? Abraham bargained with God about the destruction of Gomorrah and Sodom. God did not want to send the great floods, but He had no choice. The God of love also must combine His love with judgment. Resurrection can happen only when there is death. Usually Judgment preceded blessings. This seems to be the pattern God followed. Gen 6:11-13 the earth was filled with the spirit of violence. The earth was corrupted. God was determined to destroy all flesh. Everything on earth will die. In remnant theology like in Book of Jeremiah only the remnants returned to build the Temple, also in Nehemiah. Today the Christian churches are also remnants who are faithful to the teachings of the Bible awaiting the coming of Jesus Christ. Gen 6:8 & 9 Noah found favors in God because a) he was righteous b) He walked with God. These are the two things God wanted man to follow. 
Four Spiritual virtues 
1. He found favor with God – he lived under the grace of God and it is wonderful to live under God’s grace. This is also the message in the New Testament.
 2. He was righteous – He lived in the character of God. God is righteous. No man is good only God is good. 
3. He was blameless – God never made a mistake. We should not complain. The Bible said count it all joy when you are faced with temptations.
 4. He walked with God – he had relationship with God. Amos 3:3 two walk together only when they are agreeable. He submitted to God thereby experiencing peace. Genesis 7: 2 God commanded the preservation of the species. Time in the Ark was only 40 days. The Ark rested on mount Ararat.
 Noah’s Act of Worship 
Noah built an altar to God after the floods. 
A) to worship God. Today the church is like an altar to God where Christians worship God 
B) Thanks giving. Noah was thankful to God. Like Noah we should be thankful. Noah was thankful that God spared his family. God looks at our hearts Gen 8:21 He smelled the pleasing aroma. God will not curse the ground any more. 
After the judgment things went back to normal again. After 70 years in exile in Babylon the Israelites went back to Israel again. Judgment preceded blessings. Every rain followed by sunshine, every darkness followed with light, every winter comes spring. 
God made a covenant with Noah Gen 8:9. Covenant was made with:
 a) Noah and his descendants.
 b) Animals he created 
c) Never to curse the earth
 Applications 
The stories in Genesis taught us the ways of God. Jesus and the theology of man – Jesus and Paul. Jesus understood man’s heart. John 2:22-23. Paul said he did what he did not want to do. Such is the nature of man. Paul also said he was the chief sinner.
 The power of Christ to renew and transform us – we need to be renewed and transform to do what He wanted us to do. 
We must be born again. We cannot better ourselves, only God can do that. John 3:3. Only those born- again can see the kingdom of God. Any one in Christ is a new creation.

Monday 4 March 2013

Genesis 4 & 5 -Walking in the Darkness or with God

Walking in Darkness or with God – Genesis 4 & 5 
Cain & Abel ( Gen 4 ) 
 1. The sacrifice of Cain and Abel. ( Gen 4:1-7)
 2. The murder, punishment and mitigation of punishment ( Gen 4:8-16 ) 
3. The family from Cain to Lamech ( Gen 4:17-24 ) 
4. The birth and lineage if Seth ( Gen 4:25-26 ) 
Genesis 4 & 5 
The family line from Adam to Noah ( Gen 5 )
 5. The 10 generations from Adam to Noah ( Gen 5:1-31 )
 6. The sons of Niah ( Gen 5:32 )
 Genesis 4 & 5 
1. The sacrifice of Cain and Abel. 
A) How did Cain and Abel know what to offer & how? Heb 11:4. Most like they have been taught either by direct word from God or by Adam and Eve.
 B) How did they know that the Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering and not on Cain and his offering? Most like through God’s direct word or the fire that consumed. 
2. The murder, punishment and mitigation of punishment. Gen 4: 14-16. God want us to repent. Cain did not. Cain disobeyed God. 1 John 3:11-12. We are not to be like Cain whose did were evil. We must abide in Christ. Even after Cain murdered Abel, God wanted him to return to Him, but he refused. 
3. The family from Cain to Lamech. Cain named a city after his son, Enoch.
 4. The birth and lineage of Seth. God gave Adam and Eve another child Seth, which means a replacement. He replaced Abel. 
5. Family line from Adam to Noah. How did Enoch walked with God? 
a) by faith and not by sight, Heb 11:5-6
 b) by fully agreeing with God’s terms. Amos 5:3. Deu 10:12. 
C) walk with full commitment and perseverance. 
D) walk as light or witness of God. Jude 14-15.
 E) believe God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Heb 11:6.
 Applications 
1. Do not let anything in this world to hardened our hearts and pull us away from God. Heb 3:15 
2. We need to walk in humility and repent our sins quickly, always keeping a clear conscience before God and man. 1 Peter 5:5, Act 24:26 
3. We are called to walk with God and in His ways. Do we want to commit the rest of our lives to Him?. 2 John 1:6 
4. What steps are we taking daily to follow Christ?