Newsletter 2015/7/12

Lord’s Day Message: John 19 (ESV)

¹Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. ²And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. ⁴Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” ⁵So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” ⁶When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” ⁷The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”

⁸When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. ⁹He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” ¹¹Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” ¹²From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

¹³So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. ¹⁴Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

¹⁶So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, ¹⁷and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. ¹⁸There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. ¹⁹Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ²⁰Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.'” ²²Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

²³When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, ²⁴so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things, ²⁵but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

28  After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. ³²So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. ³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. ³⁵He who saw it has borne witness–his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth–that you also may believe. ³⁶For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” ³⁷And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

³⁸After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. ³⁹Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. ⁴⁰So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴²So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Message Outline:

• Why did the Lord Jesus need to die for man on the cross?
• The process of the Lord Jesus being crucified

1. He was found no guilt, but was crucified in God’s will and by the darkness of politics and persecution of religion
2. He was humiliated, but testified He is the king
3. Fulfilled the scriptures
4. The care in humanity for His mother
5. “It is Finished!” – the accomplishment of God’s will and the achievement of salvation
6. Blood and water came out from His side – redemption and salvation of life

• The burial of the Lord Jesus

Next Topics: John 20

Church Meetings/Time/Place

Home Meeting: 13/7 Mon., 7:30pm, (Dinner @ 7:00pm) Richard & Flora’s

Young Professions Meeting: 14/7 Tue. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall

Sisters Meeting: 15/7 Wed. 10am, Chow’s

Prayer Meeting: 15/7 Wed. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall

Pursuing of Words: 17/7 Fri., 8:00pm, David’s

Young People Meeting/Pursuing for Adults：18/7 Sat. 7:30pm, Olsen & Likun’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. The church needs a transportation service for the Lord’s Day meeting. If any brother or sister is willing to give others a ride, or is willing to coordinate the service, please contact Brother Richard Chen.
3. During the winter break, the church will lead the young people to finish reading the New Testament in two weeks. We hope the parents can support and encourage them.

<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 as someone may have food allergy. After the love feast, please remember to bring back your plates.

 Intercession:

1. Pray that the Lord will keep us fervent in spirit to preach the gospel and to serve the Lord so that the church may receive more blessings. Especially may the Lord bless the gospel friends among us (including our young people and family members), that they can receive salvation and become a member in God’s family.
2. Pray for those who are newly baptized. May the Lord lead them to grow and be built in the church life so they may become a blessing and testimony for the church.
3. Pray for those young people in year twelve. May the Lord give them wisdom and grace in their preparation for exams.
4. 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, Susan, Brett) that the Lord may heal and care for them.
5. Brother Thomas and Sister Lena will attend the training in Cleveland on August. May the Lord bless their pursuing and the fellowship with the saints.

Serving Today: (July 12)

1. Sharing:  Richard Chen & Yulin Wang
2. Breaking the Bread:  Shanwon Chow & Richard Cui
3. Serving Bread and Cup:  Richard Cui, Sean Dong and Patrick Li
4. Pianist:  Hannah Cui
5. Cleaning:  Brett & Linda Family, Sean Dong & Wei Qiong Family, Lisa Tao Family, Bill & Christine Family

Serving Next Week: (July 19)

1. Sharing:  Yulin Wang
2. Breaking the Bread:  David Tan & Patrick Li
3. Serving Bread and Cup:  Sam Li, Olsen Yu & Jason Wang
4. Pianist:  Hannah Cui
5. Cleaning:  Raymond & Lucy Family, Thomas & Lena, Joyce & Chris, Michael & Mandy Family, Margaret Yang