Newsletter 2015/3/8

Lord’s Day Message: John 7

Important verses (ESV)

² Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. ³ So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. ⁴ For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” ⁵ For not even his brothers believed in him. ⁶ Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. ⁸ You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”

¹¹ The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” ¹² And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.”

¹⁴ About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. ¹⁵ The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” ¹⁶ So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. ¹⁷ If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. ¹⁸ The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.

²³ If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? ²⁴ Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

²⁷ But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” ²⁸ So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. ²⁹ I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. ³³ Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. ³⁴ You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” ³⁵ The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

⁴⁰ When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? ⁴² Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” ⁴³ So there was a division among the people over him. ⁴⁴ Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

⁴⁵ The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” ⁴⁶ The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

Message Outline

• The muttering among Jews: man’s unbelief

1. The challenge from His young brothers: show yourself to the world
2. The debating among the Jews: a good man or a deceiver
3. The opposition from the Jews: against the law (the traditional practice in the religion)
4. The doubts of the Jews: where did Jesus learn? Where does Christ come from? Where will Jesus go?

• The answers of the Lord Jesus

1. My time has not yet come
2. My teaching is from Him who sent Me
3. Only those who is willing to do God’s will can understand His teaching and know Jesus is true
4. All the muttering is because man can only judge by appearance and do not know God

• The invitation of Jesus on the last day of the feast

1. The importance of the Feast of Tabernacles
2. If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
3. Whoever believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water
4. The believers can be satisfied and flow out life supply because they have received the Spirit
5. The Spirit will come after Jesus is crucified, resurrected and glorified

• Our application: the analysis versus the receiving in faith

Next Topics: John 8

Church Meetings/Time/Place

Chinese Bible Study: 8/3 Sun. 1:30pm, Meeting Hall

Home Meeting: 9/3 Mon., 7:30pm, (Dinner @ 7pm)  Richard Cui’s

Young Professions Meeting: 10/3 Tue. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall

Sisters Meeting: 11/3 Wed. 10am, Anne’s

Prayer Meeting: 11/3 Wed. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall

Pursuing of Words: 13/3 Fri., 8:00pm, David Tan’s

Young People Meeting/Pursuing for Adults：14/3 Sat. 7:30pm, Bill & Christine’s

Announcements:

1. We welcome all the new ones who are joining us today and hope that you can leave your information for us to contact you in the future.
2. On April 3-6 the church will have a young people conference at Collaroy. Brother Mike Samulak will visit us again during this time. For reserving the number of rooms, please register under the permission of a parent with Brother Thomas as soon as possible (including invited friends).

The expense for each person is 263 dollars for the camp site and will be covered by the church. However, if you have the desire before the Lord, you may offer according to your own will. Since the church needs to pay after registration with the comp, we hope everyone will not take the registration lightly just because it is free.

3. Today after the meeting we will have a fellowship regarding the service of Maintaining and Repairing. All participating brothers and sisters please join the fellowship to learn the service.
4. The church plans to have a baptism on the first week of April. If any gospel friend is willing to receive the Lord and be baptized, please contact Brother Yu-Lin Wang that the lesson for baptism can be arranged.
5. Sister Lena has given birth a daughter Mikayla Wu in the early morning on 7^th.

<Reminder>

1. Please take the Bible Reading Supplement for your daily Bible reading.
2. Please come on time for the meeting. During the meeting, please turn off your mobile phone or put the volume on silence.
3. When you prepare the love feast for Lord’s Day lunch, please do not prepare any food containing nuts that someone may have food allergy. After the love feast, please remember to bring back your plates.

 Intercession:

1. May the Lord keep us fervent in spirit to serve in the church together so that the Lord may give us more and greater blessings.
2. Pray for the gospel friends among us, especially the young people and our family members, so that our Lord can open their hearts to see God’s salvation and be willing to receive the Lord and become the member in God’s family.
3. Pray for the brothers and sisters who are weak in body or spirit. May the Lord care for them and give them grace. Also pray for some relatives of our brothers and sisters (Jack, Pauline, Susan, Brett) that the Lord may heal and care for them.
4. Pray for the recovery of Sister Lena and the growth of baby Mikayla.
5. Pray for those Christians who are under persecution. May the Lord remember them and strengthen them.

Serving Today: (Mar. 8)

1. Sharing:  Yulin Wang
2. Breaking the Bread:  Richard Chen & Jason Wang
3. Serving Bread and Cup:  Benchu Gao, Jack Lee & Jason Wang
4. Pianist:  Nelson Chen
5. Cleaning:  TBA

Serving Next Week: (Mar. 15)

1. Sharing:  Yulin Wang
2. Breaking the Bread:  Shanwon Chow & Richard Cui
3. Serving Bread and Cup:  Jack Lee, Jason Wang & Richard Cui
4. Pianist:  Hannah Cui
5. Cleaning:  TBA