【Service】 6 March 2022 // "As I have loved you, love one another"

[Music] do [Music] [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] so [Music] [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] [Music] do so [Music] do [Music] do [Music] hi everyone she's sibling and he's daniel and we are from the assign ministry and we are here to share with you something exciting that we did last year in line with the community transformation that has encouraged by pj efc so last year for hariraya we decided to visit the hiv ward in hospital fungible where i was working to bless the community there we knew that the majority of them were malays and because of their illnesses they were not able to be back with their families so we decided to bring some nice goodies and some cheer and fun to visit them on hari raya day itself and follow up with christmas we decided to visit the leprosarium in sungai bulow many of you would not know that sungai bulow has the world's second largest leprosyrium which is still functioning till this date and there are about 50 people who were staying there these inmates or patients they have had leprosy in the past but they have been cured but due to the deformities that is suffered because of the illnesses many of them do not have limbs do not have nose do not have eyes and it was very difficult for them to incorporate themselves back into the community so on christmas day we decided to pay them a visit so for me it was a very meaningful experience because i was given an opportunity to be part of this effort because i'm under the same ministry so i sign up because i want to do something meaningful on christmas day and i thought you know using our gifts and talents especially musically you know we can sing songs and play music and bring some cheer to the people who are in need for me that's something very meaningful to do on christmas day so if you would like to be involved you know uh in the assam industry please feel free to talk to any one of us who's up on the stage off stage and please just give your gifts to the lord and god would multiply it and that's many others [Music] good morning welcome people my friends brothers and sisters in christ so good to see all of you coming so punctually early on site in the century the heritage auditorium seeing your beaming faces you must be all geared up and be ready to worship the lord to my friends people and visitors online welcome many people here on site give them a big round of applause greetings may peace joy and love be with you all in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit for you who do not know me or recognize me because i'm on mass i'm a pastor here pj efc a church in battalion jaya that love god love people and make disciples i am the pastor who is in charge of prayer welfare and senior care my name is james young not james bonner james young to know more about our pastors please visit our website pjefc.org our pastors this morning our online hosts are elder lion and pastor yu yong i'm pleased to give you the order of service this morning surely we will have sister rachel you with her team to lead us in worship after worship we will celebrate the holy communion with elder kong wing get ready with your elements if you have not then you can get it raise your hand that usher will give unto you and those at home get ready for the elements i'll be back for the announcement then the sermon and the sermon by our very own elder dr chong yi phong sermon tita as i have loved you love one another in the ending i will give the benediction now let us pray and commit the service to the lord may we all stand here in the sanctuary heavenly father we are so glad we can enter your gates with thanksgiving and your cause with praise to give you thanks and bless your name for you are so so good your staff has love endures forever and your faithfulness to all generations we will make a joyful noise to you our lord coming into your presence with singing knowing that our lord he is gone it is you who made us and we are yours we are your people and the sheep of the pasture we welcome you holy spirit come we commit the service to you in the name of jesus our beautiful wonderful jesus name we pray amen may be seated i'll continue to stand for the worship good morning pj eoc and welcome back to the house of the lord it is good to be worshiping together as a congregation so that we are able to you know fellowship not fellowship fellowship but you know singing in one voice to our amazing father now as we enter the season of lent we started on wednesday i would like to remind y'all as we worship our amazing father in heaven that he is worthy of every praise that we give to him worthy of every worship that we offer to him worthy of all the songs that we sing to him so as we worship him and we sing our songs let us be reminded that every word that we sing is an offering to our amazing god so would you join me this morning as we sing [Music] worthy of every song we could ever sing worthy of all the praise we could ever bring worthy of every breath we could ever breathe [Music] jesus the name of every other name [Music] jesus the only one [Music] worthy of every breath we could ever breathe [Music] there is [Music] show me who you are [Music] me [Music] worthy of every song we could ever sing [Music] we could ever [Music] jesus [Music] we could ever [Music] there is [Applause] show me who you are [Music] [Music] is [Music] oh leave me alone [Applause] [Music] oh show me who you are [Music] if you declare how amazing our lord is won't you allow him to build upon your life [Music] and i will build my life upon your love it is [Applause] [Music] i will put my trust in you alone and i will not be [Music] is [Music] there is show me who you are [Music] oh she [Music] [Music] foundation i will put my trust in you all alone and i will not be shaken [Music] for this morning is taken from psalm 62 verses 5 to 8 it reads yes my soul find rest in god my hope comes from him truly he is my rock and my salvation he is my fortress i will not be shaken my salvation and my honor depend on god he is my mighty rock my refuge trust in him at all times you people pour out your hearts to him for god is our refuge blessing amen worthy our god is [Music] and angels they bow before your throne [Music] all [Music] you are worthy of [Music] [Music] from [Music] [Applause] you deserve the glory [Music] all of us [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you are [Music] [Music] the glory [Music] you are worthy [Music] day and night let our praises [Music] day and night night and day let it day and night night and day let is [Music] [Applause] [Applause] day and night night and day day and night night and day [Music] oh [Music] you you are worthy of it far is [Music] you are worthy of it all yes lord you are worthy far [Music] you are worthy of it all [Music] far from you are all things you deserve the glory yes lord you deserve all glory all honor all praise for most of lord our lord you deserve allah lord as we declare how much we love you lord help us all remember lord how good you are to us how good an amazing and wonderful god that you are lord and lord truly lord we just come before you to worship you oh good good god so no matter the situations that we are facing this last week or month or years lord just want to pray a lot that at this moment we'll be able to lay our burdens down at your feet and worship you because you're my good good father [Music] i love you lord oh your mercy never fails me in all my days i've been held in your hands from the moment that i wake up until i lay my hair oh i will sing after goodness [Music] and all my days i've been held in your hands from the moment that i wake up until i lay my head oh i will of sing goodness [Music] is [Music] [Music] i love your voice you have led me through the fire [Music] known you as a friend and i have [Music] [Music] with every breath that [Music] of the goodness [Music] [Music] [Music] oh god you're running is [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] so [Music] of the goodness [Music] of the goodness of god [Music] please be seated and let's remain in an attitude of prayer as we prepare our hearts to partake in the holy communion this morning the lord's supper goes beyond enhancing our individual relationship with jesus it is a call for us to come together as a community of god it's a time for us to affirm our solidarity with one another in christ today i want you to think about us in christ and not just me in christ first corinthians 11 paul insists that during the lord's supper we are not only to think about our relationship with god but with one another reading from chapter 11 verses 18 20 to 21 and 29 i hear that when you come together as a church when there are divisions among you when you come together it is not the lord's supper you eat for as you eat each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else for anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the lord eats and drinks judgment on himself the lord's supper links us together as a corporate community with christ as our head as we partake the communion today let us practice loving one another and we can start by praying for forgiveness if we have wronged others and proclaiming forgiveness if we have been wrong by others let's just take a minute of contemplation and time with god let's prepare our elements in pj efc we perform open communion if you are a believer we welcome you to partake the communion with us and if you have yet to believe you may skip this as he has no meaning for you corinthians 11 verses 23 to 24 for i received from the lord what i also delivered to you that the lord jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me verse 25 and 26 in the same way also he took the cup after supper saying this cup is a new covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and drink a cup you proclaim the lord's death until he comes let's pray our father is in heaven blessed be your name truly your name is glorious and this morning we thank you lord for reminding us that we can always look to you our author and perfecter of our lives father we pray as we the body of christ known as pj afc as we get ourselves ready to each one reach one lord help us to rise up to be your ambassador to the people around us we thank you for watching over us through the many lockdowns and as we are beginning to start to experience freedom of movement again give us the wisdom to act appropriately and safely because we want to show love to our communities we want to be responsible members of our communities and above all we want to glorify you we thank you lord for all the various ministry that you have entrusted upon us to carry out and we rejoice of your blessings that you have graciously and abundantly poured out for us as we answer your call to minister to our community here lord we continue to pray also for the well-being of our nation we pray for our for your mercies to be upon our neighbours in trungano and clantan who is affected by blood flood we pray for those who have who can but have yet to be vaccinated to heed the ministry of health's advice we also pray for a safe and orderly election in johor next week our heavenly father we are saddened by the ongoing war between russia and ukraine in proverbs 18 10 we are told that the name of the lord is a strong tower the righteous man runs into it and is safe lord you are indeed our strong tower and our refuge in time of trouble lord we pray a lot that you'll be the strong power and a refuge in time of trouble for those who have been afflicted by this war we pray for a quick resolution and may you intervene in the lives of all who have been affected by this war watch over your flock in ukraine give them a double portion of blessings as they also minister to those who have lost loved ones in this war give wisdom to the leaders of russia and ukraine for peace deal to be broken soon lord help us to recognize where we are and help us a lot to run to you and be found safe in you in your mighty name jesus christ we ask all this amen whether you are online or in main century you want to extend a very warm welcome to you who are joining us for the first time if you are new and joining us online do click on the i am new message appearing in the chat box and you will find an invitation to have a meal with one of our pastors or leaders if meeting over a meal is not an option for for the time being we would still love to connect with you through a zone call and i believe today we have a new visitor donna am i right give him a hand welcoming her praise god for those who are new in the main century a purple cat that stick connect with us is in between your seats we appreciate it if you could pick that up fill your details and give the card to the ushers as you exit the building after service in exchange for a voucher this voucher entitles you to one free set lunch or one free drink at the well cafe that is right in front of this building now for the announcement copied 19 update omicron happening today at 11 30 a.m on zoom as well as on youtube is the copic 19 update on omegran do join us and invite your family members for this session to be updated with the latest changes and challenges regarding the pandemic next parenting series helping our children through important milestones in life whether you are a parent of a three-year-old or thirty-year-old we invite you to fellowship with us over tea and kuwait at the well cafe as we hear testimonies and explore how we can help our children through important life events happening on 19 march saturday 4 to 6 pm at the well cafe kanye rsvp by 15 march tuesday for sitting kid gathering purposes registration link can be found at bjfc dot org slash announcement next food bank this is my under me i'm so excited for it food bank restock collection night in march saturday four pm six to six pm items for collection as per broadcast oh remember the process hope that the items that we need to restock and then the next saturday on 26 march we will have the distribution it's a very good response on during christmas time while i see the number of people coming within our community to come and collect this food item hygiene item and back to school item so remember no the date 19 for recollection next the digital world why should i keep up it's a joy talk mastering digital technology is an essential skill to fully participate in society yet many seniors struggle so much with it join us to discover why seniors should keep up with technology you know previously i also very handicapped in technology but once you got it you like it you like to zoom you like to have zoom you like to chat through the zoom and have prayer meeting as well so come for this digital world why should i keep up and you will find excitement on it so this hap will be happening on 19th march sunday 10 a.m uh nothing much no sunday is a saturday 10 a.m 11 to 11 30 a.m on zoom no registration required next sn ministry recruitment the ascent team is looking for singers and musicians they are also looking to train volunteers to provide audio and visual support to the team if you are interested please tell please fill up the form and a team member will contact you for further details if you think you are able to sing and the heart to worship god come sign up to be recruited in the essence ministry the wine press have you read the wine press article the article that resonated with me is a call to prayer by lilian lee the wine press number eight so i'm so so much touched by the testimony of lilian lee so go and watch and greet the wine press which is for you to share this testimony of god be encouraged as you read the other testimonies of god's faithfulness in the life of shirin lee may and as i mentioned earlier lilian lee stretcher barriers 2.0 as an extension of structural barriers dialogue series the soul care team is looking forward to equipping people help us with skills so that they can work effectively with those they journey with this is happening on for four saturdays from 10 a.m to 12 p.m on zoom more info can be found in the registration form agm are you excited for agm wow it's coming on the 20th of march please take note that you have two options for attending agm online and on site we have sent an email reminder to members do look out for the email in your spam zhang and promo's folder today is the last day for the deconnect nomination for more details do check out pjefc.org agm up to to date we have 157 registration and we need a minimum of 182 we also set up a registration desk at both exit when you leave the sanctuary after the service through the front doors there will be registration assistant provided to help you and now and now may i have the pleasure to invite our chairman elder chao chien to to stitch for a special announcement over to you everyone you know even in such trying times of the kobe pandemic there are also times for celebrations and wedding is a time for communal rejoicing and it gives me great gives me and my wife great pleasure to invite all of you to celebrate the verse the wedding of our daughter irini to jahong i would be honored if you can celebrate with us live and online uh this wedding ceremony at 10 a.m this coming saturday the 12th of march now there are two ways to attend online number one you can take a photo now of this qr code appearing on the screen this code will also enable you to re-watch the service on youtube the second way is on saturday itself you may go to the church website www.pj and under announcements there is a link there for you to click on you know i'm i am extremely grateful to our god that we are members of this wonderful church my three children grew up here through sunday school impact youth college university group and the young adult ministry and my two daughters rachel and irini found their life partners here in this church had my son michael work here instead of overseas i'm sure he would have found his partner in one of the many eligible and lovely ladies here yeah and that would have completed my joy so we are honored if you can celebrate with us at 10 a.m next saturday once again take a photo now of this qr code or on saturday go to the church website and under announcements click on the link provided i look forward to see you there thank you heather so sunday school huh so dear friends sunday school will be starting soon just a note that our sunday school runs from 10 8 10 15 to about 11. now we will be praying for our for you guys in a short while and after the prayer we will be releasing the sunday school children to their relevant rooms just like last week we will be gathering all kids at the concourse first so that the sunday school teachers will be will bring you to their rooms also parents you may choose to accompany your children to their rooms before you return to the service this way we this way you know where they are and you know where to pick them up later so may i request for the sunday school parents teachers and children to stand up so that we may pray for them let's pray lord you love the little children so as your little ones gather together this morning to learn about you we pray that you are with them we pray for the sunday school teachers as well we ask that you bless them and give them wisdom and strength also we ask for your protection especially from the virus from the virus lord we commit all this into your hands in jesus name amen before i go for the tights and offering hear the family of the late like khaki would like to convey their appreciation and thanks to the board pastors staff and church members of bjfc for their love support during the week and funeral service of our late brother and here too i want to share a good news some of you already known that is that our nepal efc have two new converts their name is redu shirasta and ashim thasee clad rejoice in the law now as heaven is rejoicing now for the tithing now is the time for the offering you may also choose to give wire e tidings which requires you to sign up if you are giving online for the first time however another alternative is you may give wire the qr code provided for touch and go e-wallet holders another change is that you can give wire do it now so for example if you have may bank qr you may choose to scan the red color qr code also you may choose to give wire the old-fashioned way we have drop boxes located near the exits so you may drop choose to drop off your ties as you leave the service while we are well we ask that you give generously and gratefully if you are a believer attending our church please know that if you are new be first or if you are not a believer it is not mandatory so let us pray for the offering and for the sermon and the two new converts of nepal efc redo shirasta and ashim kc shall we pray heavenly father we thank you again for you are so so good as we have sang and always in our heart we know you are so so good so the leader that we can give we pray that you bless and you multiply so that many will be blessed with what we have blessed father thank you that you are such a good god and again of god we pray we pray lord for mercy for love to all those who are in need that they will find need for you god a good shepherd you care for us father i want to pray to for redo shirasta and ashim khasi kc father we know lord as new believer we are so excited because we have this new life and this new life is the life which is so abundant and lord we know lord the devil is very jealous when we come to know you for he is of no good always come to steal to kill and destroy but lord you are god almighty your hand is always protecting us keeping us safe we know for sure our two new converts will grow in faith will grow spiritually in christ jesus but as for now i pray for our elder dr chong ifong as he come here to deliver your words let your words be seasoned and lied to us all lord you annoy his preaching and every word from his smile bring glory to your name and the word that is not from you it shall drop on the floor and vaporizes father thank you and now learn help us to listen your word attentively so that we will apply it into our life in jesus name we pray amen good morning and warm welcome to all of you brothers and sisters and friends it's a delight to be able to worship with you today both physically on site and also online thank you rachel and they sent him for the exhibiting worship this morning and for all of you who has not been to the physical service yet for the past one year or so and you have forgotten how it feels like do come and join us in the coming weeks now it's the real that it's on okay it's through that it has been more than two years and we're still adapting to this curvature pandemic but i believe that now we are entering the final phase of the pandemic as kovit will become endemic and become like a disease much like influenza or dengue so join us as we explore what this means for us for our church for our daily lives later at the coffee talk after the service today we are continuing on the summer series on the spoken words of jesus based on the gospel of john where we learn some of jesus most profound teachings reverend alexa about three weeks ago show us that john reveals to us who jesus is and that jesus decides on what jesus desires for us two weeks ago deacon caming not only illuminated to us to trivial about sheep but also importantly share with us about jesus our good shepherd and who knows us who lay his down life for us and as a response we should follow him last week sister priscilla gave us a delightful sermon on jesus drawing all people to him by being lifted up on the cross lifted from the grave jesus draws us to him and to the cross and during doing so we can be transformed from death to life to this moment is titled as i've loved you love one another based on john chapter 13. now since i've been in pgfc i've been asked to preach on the topic of love multiple times okay love god love man i still remember the sermon titles radical love love your enemies behold our god love just love god's power and anger and so on and i wonder why i can think of a couple of reasons okay one maybe the pastoral team think that i have some special insight into love which i doubt or more likely maybe that i'm in need of lessons in love because when you prepare a sermon about love you learn the most okay so you want to learn about bible be a speaker or what jeremy said maybe they just want to see your wedding photos and this is us at our 25th anniversary taken last year love love is there anything more precious than love now there's a lot of opinions about love everybody has their own views about it what love is why is it important and what love looks like but what is clear every body wants love and needs love the little thought all you need is love do you know the song okay just in case you're too young to know the beatles katy perry did the cover version you can check it out too all you need is love do you agree child fruits the cartoonists responsible peanuts and snoopy thought so of course chocolates okay chocolate is very important extremely important and coffee too i know other company would agree disclosure no permission was obtained prior to showing this screenshot now it's easy to just say glibly you know all you need is love but what love what kind of love love for coffee whose love and what does the bible has to say about this all important subject now here in pgsc we too believe in love agree yes okay in fact we believe in this passionately we believe that the children of god are commanded to love one another and therefore our top line is love god love people and make disciples okay let's do it one more time okay our timeline is love god love people make disciples okay thank you for as a church we want to love like jesus we want to love like our heavenly father we believe that the people of god is to be characterized by love love must be evident in our lives however sadly in the eyes of many in this world christians are often synonymous with intolerance and hate love is in short supply in the church today the people who bears christ's name we are developing a reputation for hating people in the eyes of many christians bear striking resemblance to the pharisees of jesus day we considered ourselves close to god morally upright and we consider others in the world to be people who are not good enough for us and little wonder people see us as being self-righteous and we hate others and sometimes we hate even our own so instead of having a reputation of loving others loving one another christians are no longer associated with love in sharp contrast with what jesus command us to do does it matter to you well it matters to jesus here in his finest final hours with his disciples jesus imparts to his disciples what is closest to his heart his words here in the upper room have great relevance for us his disciples especially once again god's people desperately need to discover this true love john chapter 13 is the beginning of the account leading to the crucifixion and death of jesus prior to this jesus was busy for three years he has been interacting with diverse crowds of people teaching healing feeding them many people want the peace of this animated leader teacher this miracle worker you see the coming king of the jews you see the political messiah for the nation of israel you see elijah the reincarnated prophet of old or is he just a troublemaker a character and imposter now as the end approaches many believe in him but instead of harnessing the popular power of the crowd jesus withdraws from the crowd and spent his last few moments focusing his attention on his small bands of disciples as recorded in the remaining chapters of the gospel of john jesus spent the last hours of his life carefully teaching his disciples precious truth and that he wants them to know and understand and to carry with them so that they can complete his mission on earth if you like this is jesus last will and testament now this spiritual incites valuable insights that jesus is about to view to the followers of jesus are important these truths are relevant for us today as they were to the 12 disciples and what is jesus important message for his disciples so for this let's turn to john chapter 13 verse 1 to 35 and i shall read now before the feast of the passover when jesus knew that his hour had come to depart of this world to the father having loved his own hoover in the world he loved them to the end during supper when the devil had already put into the heart of jesus chariot simon's son to betray him jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hand and that he had come from god and was going back to god rose from supper he laid the sight his outer garments and taking a towel tied it around his waist then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the tower that was wrapped around him he came to simon peter who said to him lord do you wash my feet jesus answered him what i'm doing you do not understand now but afterward you will understand peter said to him you shall never wash my feet jesus answered him if i do not wash you you have no share with me simon peter said to him lord not my feet only but also my hands and my head jesus said to him the one who has bathed does not need to wash except his feet but it's completely clean and you are clean but not every one of you for he knew who was to betray him that was why he said not all of you are clean when he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place he said to them do you understand what i have done to you you call me teacher and lord and you are right for so i am if i then your teacher that your lord and teacher have washed your feet you also ought to wash one another's feet for i've given you an example that you also should do just i have done to you truly truly i say to you a servant is no greater than his master nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him if you know these things blessed are you if you do them i'm not speaking of all of you i know whom i've chosen but the scripture will be fulfilled he who at my break has lifted his heel against me i'm telling you this now before it takes place that when it does take place you may believe that i'm he truly truly i say to you whoever receives the one i sent receives me and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me after saying these things jesus was troubled in the spirit and testified truly truly i say to you one of you will betray me the disciples look at one another and certain of whom he spoke one of his disciples whom jesus loved was reclining at the table close to jesus so simon peter motioned to him to ask jesus of whom he was speaking so that disciple leaning back against jesus said to him lord who is it jesus answered it is he to whom i will give this muscle of bread when i have dipped it so when he had dipped the muscle he gave it to judas the son of simon is carried then after he had taken the muscle satan entered into him jesus said to him what you're going to do do quickly now no one at the table knew why he said this to him some thought that because jesus had the money back jesus was telling him buy what we need for the fist or that he should give something to the poor so after receiving the muscle of bread he immediately went out and it was night when he had gone out jesus said now is the son of man glorified and god is glorified in him if god is glorified in him god will also glorify him in himself and glorify him at once little children yet a little while i'm with you you will seek me and just as i said to the jews so now i also say to you where i'm going you cannot come a new commandment i give to you that you love one another just as i have loved you you also are to love one another by this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another let's pray the heavenly father may your holy spirit give us the power to comprehend the height and depth the length and breadth of your love and to know fully the love of our lord jesus christ that we might be filled with all your fullness so that by your love we are able to love you love people and make disciples in the name of jesus our beautiful savior we pray amen today we'll look into the following points love defined love the new commandment love the mark of discipleship and love abide in jesus now john began the narrative with this startling verse now before the feast of the passover when when jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world listen having loved his own who were in the world he loved them to the end jesus knew that his hour had come here john reveals to us a precious powerful profound and life-changing truth the height and depth the length and breadth of the love of jesus for his own his friends and for his disciples earlier in john 3 16 that famous verse john wrote for god so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life throughout the gospel of john john reveals to us the father's love and the very reason for jesus action the purpose of his life on earth and john knows this of all the authors in the bible none writes about the love of jesus and the love of the father like john for john has experienced jesus love in his fullness john knows that he is jesus own that his love dearly sacrificially and that his loved to the end during the events of this night the words of jesus would have made the deepest impression of john and changed his life forever this was the night that everything was happening we will drink events to john and the disciples jesus and examples were eating the passover meal the most important meal of the of the year the jewish version of tuan and fun only more pregnant with meaning and significance and for the past three years john has witnessed the incredible receptions that jesus was receiving from the crowds his reputation is gaining ground despite opposition from the religious and political authorities before this year's possible meal jesus did no master would do we read in verse 4 to verse 10 that jesus took up the role of a lowly servant and washes his disciples feet then then during the meal jesus revealed to the disciples that one of them one of those that jesus just beforehand humbly served would betray him john who identifies himself as the disciple whom jesus loved sitting next to him asked jesus who is it and jesus presumably answered the low voice so that only john could hear it is he whom i give this muscle bread when i dipped it then he gave it to judas what you have to do do quickly imagine the shock horror that john experienced judas one of our own is a betrayer john must be totally stunned this is the one whom we have trusted with our money no wonder he gave mary a hard time for anointing jesus with expensive perfume we read in verse in chapter 12 and just as jew just left to set into motion the final betrayer jesus said something rather bizarre at least at that time we read in verse 31 now is the son of man glorified and god is glorified in him now is the son of man glorified now that the final process of betrayal is set into motion where jesus will be soon handed to be killed he proclaims now the son of man will shine with the greatest glory and god will shine gloriously in him now not when he was anointed by mary nor when the crowds were shouting hosanna and hosanna not even when he miraculously brought lazarus to life but at the moment of his betrayal by someone he loves and at this most emotionally charged and confusing moments of john's life jesus said this little children little children and he proceeded to give a commandment to the disciples saying a new commandment i gave to you that you love one another just as i have loved you you also are to love one another by this all people will know that you are my disciples if you love you have love for one another little children i will soon be gone your time with me is short i'm going to a place that you cannot come all these people know you are my disciples because you have been following me around physically doing things together with me but soon soon i will not be around for you to follow so following my physical presence will no longer mark your discipleship but i give you a new mark a new mark of discipleship a commandment just as i have loved you you want to love one another in time john the disciple of jesus whom jesus loved understood the new commandment his master has given him john understands that he is jesus own that he is sacrificially loved by jesus and his loved to the end dear brothers and sisters and friends like john we are the disciples whom jesus loved we may not be in the upper room that dark night but jesus commands his disciples is also for us little children we belong to him we are his we are precious to him he demonstrates this by loving us in life and he loves us in death he loves us when things are rosy easy life is good and he loves us in the hardest times while we are in the valley of the shadow of death when we go alone when we don't feel loved even when we are betrayed by all our loved ones little children jesus loves us with his words his comfort his touch and he loves us with his blood pain and death he loves us consistently pervasively he loves us deeply profoundly he loves us as his own to the very end and he proves his love by being lifted up on the cross of calvary jesus love for us is a love that lasts it does not fickle not temporary not capricious not uncertain but it's a love that is tender constant and committed it's not only extensive and unceasing but it's also a love that is deep intensive it's a radical love and it's a passionate love and to understand and to experience and to receive this magnificent love is life changing little children wherever you may be at this juncture or stage of life know that you are dearly loved by lord jesus you can come to the lord jesus and drink from this found of love and be fit his love for you is committed and faithful for you are his own you are you are the disciples whom jesus loved you need no other association no other security no other identity other than you are his for you are his beloved and when we come to that full knowledge full knowledge of this profound truth and live our lives in this truth our lives will be changed forever here in the last few hours before the crucifixion jesus gave his disciples a new commandment a new commandment i give to you that you love one another just as i love you you are also to love one another you may ask what's new about this commandment firstly it is a commandment not a suggestion not a good to have not an optional extra it is a commandment it's an imperative one important enough for jesus to emphasize on his last hours on earth and if we are truly following jesus we have to take it seriously we have no choice we don't treat it as a command and if we don't treat as a commandment that jesus gave to us then we have to question whether we are truly following jesus but sadly most of us we include it we don't take it seriously enough we don't treat it as a commandment that jesus has given us and this can explain almost all the mess we see around us in our personal relationships in our community in our society we are too cynical to jaded too tired to self-obsessed to see the beauty that's encapsulated in this great commandment of jesus imagine another song might be those what this world would be like if you are to obey and keep jesus command imagine what our relations will be like if all of us love one another giving and receiving love graciously and resting properly secondly it is a new commandment why does jesus say it is a new commandment in fact the new the term new commandment does not occur anywhere else except in the gospel of john and also in the epistles of first john and second john so what's new about this commandment after all the command to love is not new in leviticus chapter 19 verse 18 we are commanded you shall love your neighbor as yourself so what's new what this news is this is the way we should love we should love as jesus loved us it is one thing to love your neighbor as yourself but it is quite another to love your neighbor as jesus loves you you see jesus define this love for us laying behind his status as the master jesus serves and loves his disciples a humble love that serves even the enemies a gracious love that extends even to those who betray us and the sacrificial love that compels even the son of god the creator to come into this world and to lay down his life for his people his creation and the righteousness and the righteous love that covers all grievous sins and the grievous sins of many and we are commanded to love like jesus with the same love that he loved us this is what is new about the commandment are you a disciple of jesus christ are you his faithful follower do you love as jesus loves you the mark of discipleship jesus says in verse 35 of chapter john 13 by this all people will know that you are my disciples you have love for one another in other words this sacrificial love we have for one another will be the mark the new mark for discipleship this is daniel maddow oh my god daniel is the world number one tennis player for the first time in almost 20 years it is not roger federer or rafael nadal or novak djokovic or andy murray okay but the moment daniel met the death was confirmed as the world number one the social media was filled with hate speech and nasty commands targeted at him why why because daniel is russian okay well he is not responsible yeah for the invasion of ukraine because in fact he spoke out against it at his own personal risk but that does not matter because people in social media will just say i hate you because you are russian so as long as you're a russian you're the enemy you're guilty you are to be vilified similarly if you are chinese you're responsible for kobe even though you're malaysian and you cannot pinpoint where wuhan is to save your life where is one i don't know whoa that's the chinese government listening in whether you like it or not we identify group together by shared traits we have our skin color race affiliation our social status our age political leanings cultural preferences it's natural and it's okay to be drawn to people that are similar to us but it is not okay to then treat the group we have formed as exclusive and be so identified with it to the exclusion of others or worse to them disseminate and hit others outside the group this behavior this attitudes that stem from this strong loyalty that we have to our own identified social group or tribe is called tribalism and tribalism not the woo tribalism this tribalism this this need to be formed in this group this loyalty that is in question is very much alive today and we're all guilty of it including us here to differing degrees and we see many examples of that happening in church too it is very human to revert to this to form bonds of loyalty with our tribe can take sides even when taking sides is unjustified and wrong but as disciples of jesus and children of god we should be different we are citizens and kingdom of heaven our kingdom is not of this earth of this world we belong to him therefore it is not our allegiance to any creed or to any church to any family to any nation any political cultural philosophy that define us jesus says loving one another as he has loved us is what defines us genuine sacrificial love for one another is the mark of jesus disciples in first john chapter 4 verse 7 john wrote again beloved let us love one another for love is from god and whoever loves has been born of god and knows god love is the mark of discipleship love authentic kids discipleship making disciple is a mission of our church and the most ingredient most important ingredient is is love okay a few of you are listening in and not any kind of love but the love of god through jesus being a disciple means to be born of god and to know god to be a disciple of jesus it's not just about claiming allegiance to a church attend a service have a christian name or join a cell group to be a disciple of jesus means to be radically and miraculously transformed by the holy spirit into a person with a new heart of love for the father for jesus for each other and for all people to be born of god to know him to love him and to love one another and this love is evident in their lives first john chapter 3 verse 10 says by this by what by this it is evident who are the children of god and who are the children of the devil whoever does not practice righteousness is not of god nor is the one who does not love his brother righteousness and love will mark them out if you don't love our brother and sister we are not the children of god but of the devil strong words and this genuine love is a visible love because jesus declared all all will know that you are my disciples this implies that such love is visible and observable and it's visible to all not just to the disciples alone but to all indeed as francis halfer said love is the final apologetic to be visible our love is required to go beyond the four walls the physical confines of the church or the social walls of the christian community it extends beyond sunday's service sunday school cgs prayer meetings it can be observed it can be experienced by those in the world and of the world and when they do they will see the love of jesus first john chapter 4 was it anyone who does not love does not know god because god is love and to know god will invariably lead us to love loving him and loving others because god is love if you do not love according to john you do not know god love is not optional it is an essential character of jesus disciples are you a disciple of jesus do you have love the mark of discipleship in your life have you allowed the transformative love of jesus to fill you to change you to turn you upside down to soften your heart and hearts so that even when you think you're incapable of love because of your harsh experience you can still be totally and utterly transformed where hatred is turned to love callousness to kindness vengefulness to mercy indifference to care for this world solely need this transformative change that can be brought about by the love of jesus and it can start with us but how how can we like love like jesus isn't that impossible it is we certainly cannot do it by own strength in john chapter 3 verse 23 john writes and this is his commandment that we believe in the name of his jesus of his son jesus christ and love one another just as he has commanded us note that john used this word a single singular term commandment not commandments but commandment not plural in other words this singular commandment have two parts one is to believe in the name of jesus and the second part love one another the command to love one another is not separate from the command to believe to believe in jesus is to know him as our savior to believe is to acknowledge our moral weakness and human frailty and to trust him and to receive the forgiveness and freedom that comes with the cross then we'll be freed and empowered to love in first john chapter 2 verse 8-9 john writes at the same time it is the new commandment that i'm writing to you which is true in him and in you because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness whoever loved his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling and then john chapter 15 verse 9 as the father loved me so i love you abide in my love and here lies the secret to love to love like jesus we need to abide in him it is only by abiding in jesus we can love like god this love is not an invitation not mirroring or copying but rather this stuff comes when we abide in him by being connected to the vine the vine jesus said in 15 john chapter 15 verse 5. i'm the vine you are the branches whoever abides in me and i in him he it is that best much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing so to love one another as jesus loves us is the only possible way it's only possible if we are grafted into the life and love of jesus christ we love as he loved because we love with his love it's only by connected to jesus we can bear this fruit of the spirit love it is not by imitation it is by participation and when we abide in jesus and participate in his love and love one another all people will then know we are truly his disciples so in these dark days when love is in short supply jesus commands us as i loved you love one another so serve one another humbly wash each other's feet lay down your status privileges for one another love your pastors love your congregation join a cell group for you cannot love another if there's no another love across all racial ethnic religious lines love the strong but love the weak even more love those in need and those who seem to have plenty but having hidden needs i love the lonely love the troublemaker love the extrovert love the introvert love those who are closest to us that often hurt us the most love for jesus commands as i have loved you love one another for by this all people will know you are my disciples shall we rise as you respond with this song [Music] lord we need your grace and mercy we need to pray like never before [Music] we need the power of your holy spirit to open heaven's doors [Music] [Music] with once again i want to care for others like jesus [Music] before [Music] [Music] to see your glory restaurant is [Music] [Music] once again jesus [Music] [Music] [Music] once [Music] jesus [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] remains in this moment of reverence to our god father we thank you lord this morning for apostle john the apostle of love and the writing that you inspire him in the bible and the message preached by our doctor chung ifong lord you have teachers you have taught us that love is from you and you love us till the end yes you love us to the end and you commanded us to love one another as you have lovers so by doing they will know that we are your disciple thank you lord thank you lord now for the better nation may the god of peace who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our lord jesus that great shepherd of the sheep equip you with everything good for doing his will and may he work in us what is pleasing to him through jesus christ to whom be glory for ever and ever the grace of the lord jesus christ and the love of god and the fellowship of the holy spirit be with you all may the lord bless you and protect you may the lord smile on you and be gracious to you may the lord show you his flavor and give you his peace amen please be seated the service is over just remember there is a covey 19 update omicron on zoom happening very shortly at 11 30 a.m but before you all leave may i request the parents of the sunday school teachers to stand up thank you parents you may exit via the bank into the concourse to pick up your children in their classrooms for the rest of us may i request that you leave while the front remember that we are required by law not to linger so if you would like to have fellowship may i suggest that we adjourn to the well also to observe sop and stay safe god bless you and on your way do dispose of the holy communion packaging as you assist and if you need prayer i'm still here drive safely and i know many of you going for the zoom omicron update and we have leaders here to pray with you if you have any prayer otherwise god bless [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] do [Music] so [Music] you

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Id: ZI-wnrFFokI

Length: 116min 32sec (6992 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 05 2022