St Timothy Presbyterian Church

Scripture Passage Luke 16:19-31 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Blessed Are The Poor Why did the rich man go to hell and the poor man go to heaven? Was it because he was rich that he went to hell? Do the rich go to hell and the poor go to heaven? I don't think it is right to come up with this conclusion. We cannot generalize the ultimate fate of the rich and the poor from this passage. But it is true that the Scripture speaks quite a lot in favour of the poor. Especially in Luke. From the beginning of his gospel, he started with that. Listen to Mary's song, Magnificat: He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:53) Then Jesus' inauguration speech: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. (Luke 4:18) Then Jesus: Sermon on the Plain It is Beatitude in Luke. Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20) In Matthew's version, he said, Blessed are the poor in spirit but Luke simply

Scripture Passage Luke 16:1-13 Worship Video Due to technical difficulties, the Worship Video is unavailable for this sermon. Worship Audio Sermon Script One Clear Message It is a very difficult parable. We are not sure what the message is. We are not sure what message Jesus wanted to get across through this parable. There is no obvious connection between the parable and Jesus' concluding message at the end. Let us start with Jesus' message at the end. We hear two messages Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. (Luke 16:10) No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth (Mammon). (Luke 16:13) But we are not sure how these two messages are related to the parable Jesus gave us. But there is one clear message. That is, Money and living a Christian life are directly connected. To live a good Christian

Scripture Passage Exodus 32:7-14 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Stiff-Necked In his conversation with Moses, God refers to the Israelites in a peculiar way. He calls them a STIFF-NECKED people. The Lord said to Moses, I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. (Exodus 32:9) This term comes from an agricultural setting. It was used for animals that would IGNORE the farmer's tug at the reins to turn in a certain direction and instead go where it wanted to go. It refers to an attitude of our mind. If a person was described as being stiff-necked, it meant that they were STUBBORN and REBELLIOUS. In what way was the Israelites stiff-necked? From the context of the passage, it's not so apparent. All they did was to make the golden calf. They didn't make it for no reason. They were afraid. Moses went up to the mountain to speak to God, but showed no sign of coming back. They started to get worried. The longer he was away, they became more impatient. They wondered, Did Moses abandon us? Did

Scripture Passage Jeremiah 18:1-11 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Shaped and Molded Being shaped and molded – that's how we become who we are. We are constantly being molded and shaped. Many times, we don't even know how we have come where we are. It just happened. Or we just let it happen. We are not aware of how we have become the kind of person we are. Yes, we were born to be a certain kind of person. I have 5 grandchildren but they are all so different. They were all born differently. Genetically, we have been shaped in a certain way. A lot of our diseases are genetic. Our certain personalities were given at our birth. Look at Jacob in the Bible. He was born to be a fighter. Afterwards his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. (Genesis 25:26) He wanted to come out ahead of his brother. That character brought him a lot of troubles. His character led him to trick his brother to get the birthright. He even tricked his father to get the birthright and ultima

Scripture Passage Luke 14:1-7-14 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script In or Out In or Out? This is very important to so many people. Nobody wants to be out. Everybody wants to be in. It is not a good feeling to be rejected. Everybody wants to be wanted and welcomed. Even among friends, we get hurt when we feel excluded. One of the greatest headaches in planning the wedding is to decide who to invite and not only that – where to seat them. I think It was the same 2,000 years ago. That's why Jesus used a parable of a wedding banquet. Not only people want to be in but they want to be at the highest place. Jesus said this, knowing what people wanted: do not sit down at the place of honour (Luke 14:8) People measure their worth by how well accepted they are. So people try so hard to be accepted. To feel important. To feel worthy. If that is the measure of your worth, Jesus did not do very well. He was rejected, hated, abandoned, and killed. But Jesus never measured his worth by how well he was accepted. He

Scripture Passage Luke 13:10-17 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Bent Over Today we see a woman who was bent over. She was unable to stand up straight. She lived like this for 18 years. Not an easy life. Her life was crooked in a literal sense. She always had to see people sideways, from the corners of her eyes. She couldn't see people straight. Always a sideways glance. That was how she had to see the world. Not only was she bent over physically but her existence became shrunk. It was all shrivelled up. She came into the synagogue after Jesus started teaching. In other words, she was late coming for the worship. Maybe, she sneaked into the service after everyone was gone into the service, hoping that she wouldn't be noticed. She wanted to see this famous healer. Like the woman who touched Jesus' clothes in secret. She could never take for granted what most people took for granted. Even for worship, she could not come freely. Other people could come early and they even had their own seat but not th

Scripture Passage Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Through Faith Today's passage is a familiar passage to all of us. It is a passage on FAITH. Hebrews writer paints a grand, sweeping picture of our so-called ancestors' of faith. We come across familiar events and names, like the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. We hear about the great and wonderful things that were done because of faith. And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. (Hebrews 11:32-34) These are triumphant and glorious moments. Achievements that are worth mentioning. Things we ourselves can't even dream of doing. Shutting the mouths of lions? As the Hebrews writer says, the list can go on and

Scripture Passage Luke 12:35-40 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Providing Breakthrough I want to reflect on the word breakthrough It gives me the image of breaking through an obstacle. Overcoming strong resistance. Our stories from the Bible are stories of breakthroughs. They don't take place when life is good. They arise when people's backs are to the wall. When the Israelites fled from Egypt, the Pharaoh sent his chariots racing after them. The Israelites were cornered. The chariots were breathing down them on one side. On the other side was the Red Sea. Despair and panic set in. There was no way out. But God provided the breakthrough they needed. God parted the Red Sea and created an opening for escape. That is the theme of the Bible: God who provides the breakthrough and a way when there seems to be no other way. Jesus came to a people who were desperate for a breakthrough. They were suffering under horrible conditions. All the joy of living had been sapped out. In Jesus they saw the opening

Scripture Passage Luke 12:13-21 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The Fool Jesus called the rich man a fool. Why was he foolish? He didn't call him a bad man or an evil man, but a foolish man. His land produced abundantly. He worked hard. He did not cheat anyone. He did not exploit others to do so. He was a person that many of us would respect. When the land produced more than his barns could store, he did what any prudent investor would do. He tore down the old barns and built up bigger ones. Then he wanted to relax and enjoy life. Didn't he deserve to enjoy the fruits of his labour? Some of you are nearing retirement, and you're making sure that there is indeed enough stored up to enjoy for many years to come. I don't think there's anything foolish in that. It is not the fact that he was rich, or the fact that he wanted to enjoy the wealth he had accumulated that made him foolish. Working hard, being successful, and wanting to enjoy the fruits of those labours is not foolish. Many of you have had

Scripture Passage Luke 11:1-13 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Thirst We all know that prayer is important. Without prayer, our spiritual life will become dry. With prayer, we will be able to overcome our worries and anxieties. Through prayer, our faith will grow and we can live a more meaningful and confident life. Prayer is so important and so good. God gave us this precious gift to take care of us. Then what is prayer? Many people think of prayer merely as one of religious activities. To them, prayer is simply what they do. When we look at prayer simply as what we do, we won't be able to see the fruit of our prayers. Prayer is not just what we do or what we say. Just because you are not articulate, that doesn't mean that you don't know how to pray. Prayer is for everyone. Prayer is not limited to just few devout people. Anyone can pray. You can get so much help through your prayer. TO ME, PRAYER IS DESIRE. Prayer is my soul's desire. It is my desire to know God. It is my desire to live. As a de

Scripture Passage Galatians 6:7-9 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Life’s Simple Truth Life is about sowing and reaping. If you sow what is good, you will reap what is good. If you sow what is not so good, you will reap disaster. If you sow potato, you will reap potato. If you sow tomato, you will reap tomato. From pear tree, you cannot expect apples. That was what Jesus said. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. (Matthew 7:16-18) It is life's simple truth. That was what St. Paul said in today's passage. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. (Galatians 6:8) It's like you have the flesh and the Spirit within you. They are like fields. If you sow to the field of the flesh, you will reap c

Scripture Passage Proverbs 8:22-31 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Wisdom in the Darkness In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1, 2) This is a familiar image we have about creation. Before God created the heavens and the earth, there was nothing but a formless void and darkness. Empty and dark: That was what was like before creation. But today's passage tells us something else. There was something else, something more than emptiness and darkness. There was wisdom. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. (Proverbs 8:23) This I' is the Wisdom. When you read the whole chapter, you will see that. There was wisdom right from the beginning before the creation of the world. Wisdom has been all along in this world. The world was created by this wisdom and therefore, the world is permeated with wisdom. So wisdom

Scripture Passage Romans 8:14-17 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script A Strong Anchor It is important to have an anchor in life. What is the anchor? The anchor is what holds us together no matter how strong the wind may be. A boat with a strong anchor will not be drifted away even though there is a strong wind. In the same way, when we have a strong anchor in life, we will not be drifted away when life's storms hit us. Last week, I received very difficult phone calls from all kinds of people. A person who just discovered she had cancer. A person whose marriage almost ended. A person who has a serious issue with her child. It all happened in one week. Life is not easy. Our circumstances are not always good and stable. I prayed for them. Do you know what I prayed for? Of course, I prayed for their problems to be resolved. But I also I prayed that they may have a strong anchor. I don't know how they are gonna handle all these problems they are facing right now. I felt for them. They need an anchor. What i

Scripture Passage Acts 16:16-34 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Culture in Christianity When you go to Europe, you will see so many beautiful churches and cathedrals. Their culture has been totally rooted and entrenched in Christianity. So many famous artists produced their master pieces with Christian ideas. So many genius musicians composed beautiful music with Christian themes. So many brilliant writers wrote wonderful books about spiritual ideas Jesus taught. Christianity has influenced the whole Europe. Politics, culture, art, architecture, and lifestyle. Do you know where it all started? It was at Philippi. It all began from Philippi. We read the story today. This story was the beginning of European mission. Philippi was the first city in Europe to receive Jesus' teaching through Paul. The entrance gate for the Europe mission. It was Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy who started the mission to Europe. The very first European Christian was a woman and her name was Lydia. She was a business woman

Scripture Passage John 5:1-9 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Beth-zatha Beth-zatha! Its meaning is house of mercy. But it wasn't really a merciful place. The pool had the reputation of healing people. That's why there were a lot of sick people. In these lay many invalids blind, lame, and paralysed. (John 5:3) Once in a while, an angel would come to the pool and stir up the water and if you went into the pool when the water was stirred up, you would be healed. But there was a condition. Only the first person who entered into the pool when the water was stirred up, would be healed. Imagine what would happen when the water was stirred up. Imagine how they lived their lives there. How they had treated each other every day. They could not be friends. They were competitors. It was not a merciful place. Only the best of the best could benefit the healing. Only one person who was the fastest could get the reward of healing. Is that mercy? Mercy – It is hard to understand the concept because we don't see

Scripture Passage Acts 11:1-18 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script What Peter Saw It is a very interesting story and a weird story. Many of you may not even understand what the issue is here. What's with these animals and eating them? Why was Peter so reluctant to eat them? There are a lot of questions to be answered. It is hard to make sense of this story unless you understand the culture of that time, 2000 years ago. But I won't go there. Peter was praying and he had this weird experience. I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. (Acts 11:5-6) I don't know exactly how Peter saw this. Was it a dream? Did he fall asleep while praying? Or did he have some kind of supernatural vision? We don't know. But that was what he saw. Not only he saw this wonderful

Scripture Passage Revelation 7:9-17 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script John’s Vision The passage we read is a beautiful vision of the future. Multitudes from all the nations worshiping God together. No more hunger or thirst. Every tear wiped away. What a vision! But this vision was far from the reality of the community that this letter was addressed to. John, the writer of Revelation, was writing to people going through great difficulties. They were under great pressure. They faced persecution because of their faith. They were weak and powerless politically, socially and economically. The world they lived in, the world as it was, was not a world that was favourable for them. In these undesirable circumstances, John had this vision of a very different future. It was so different from their present reality. It was a vision of faith. This is where I realized: faith is a vision for a different future. Faith is having a vision and belief that this future can come into being. The Hebrews writer said this:

Scripture Passage John 21:1-19 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Peter’s Pain Jesus asked Peter, Do you love me? Why did he ask this question? He could have said many other things but he asked only this one question three times. We automatically assume that he asked this question because Peter denied Jesus. Definitely, this must have been in Peter's mind. He connected Jesus' question with his denial. So when Jesus asked him the same question three times, Peter was hurt. He said to him the third time, Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, Do you love me?' (John 21:17) This question was a very difficult question to answer for Peter. A very uncomfortable question. He must have asked himself this question numerous times. Do I really love Jesus? If I do, how could I deny him, not just once but three times? What a coward that I am! Peter was going through a painful time. Deep sorrow and deep regret! When Jesus said, everyone will become a deserter,

Scripture Passage John 20:19-31 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Honesty Thomas said, Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe. (John 20:25) He was very specific. He knew exactly the condition for his belief. He demanded this condition to be met before he said he would believe. Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was resurrected. Unfortunately, Thomas wasn't there. The other disciples told him that they saw the Lord. But that wasn't enough for Thomas. He needed to see Jesus with his own eyes. He needed to feel him with his own hands. I can understand how he felt. He could not pretend that he believed when he did not have this conviction. He was honest. I think there is a lesson for us to learn. Honesty is the first step of faith. Honesty is where our spiritual journey begins. Fake Faith Faith is not something you can fake. Faith is not something you can pretend to have. What is the use of it even if

Scripture Passage Isaiah 65:17-25 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The Importance of Easter HAPPY EASTER! May God fill you with hope on this Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is the most important day of the year for many Christians. It may not be the most fun day. It is not like Christmas. During Christmas, we see bright lights, sing carols, and exchange gifts. Easter is not like that but it is the most meaningful and important day. Easter is the season of welcoming new life. Long winter is now almost over and spring is on the way. Flowers are budding. New life is beginning. We are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not only the resurrection of Jesus Christ we celebrate, we also celebrate the resurrection of ourselves. This is what St. Paul said. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. (Romans 8:11) There is the Spirit within us. That is the same Spir