Pastor Sunroot Liu

Our Future and Hope in Christ

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
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Paul describing the church of the Corinthians, but also the hope that we have in Jesus...
“We are a people that do not lose heart”

Focus on the truth of Jesus and how that gives us hope

“The outer self is wasting away”

• The entropy of the world
• subjection to brokenness and rust
• brokeness that permeates through our world
• brokeness threatens to rob us of our joy
• what hope can there be in the midst of brokeness

“renewed day by day”

• our inner self can be renewed through spending time with God
• Renewal from revival nights, retreats, that only lasts briefly and the renewal tapers off. We go back into brokenness at home
• It’s not enough to be renewed once or twice a year, or even weekly.
• We need to be renewed EVERY DAY
• “Some of you are more concerned about your snapchat streaks than our relationship with God”
• we don’t have to power your renewal ourselves. We just need to plug into God and He will renew us. Just go to the source. JUST PLUG IN.

“this light momentary affliction”

• pressures, sins, brokenness, struggles, hurts
• it’s hard to be hopeful with all these wordly afflictions
• Ex: the pressure to fit into the world
• Ex: pressure to form to other’s expectations

“Eternal weight of glory”

• our momentary afflictions are NOTHING compared to the greatness of God
• when we glorify God, God bestows glory to us
• When we stop trying to glorify ourselves, when we let go of self-glorification, God glorifies us
• Our sins die with Jesus, we rise with Jesus

“the things that are seen are transient”

• are you investing in things that don’t matter?
• what is TRANSIENT, what is ETERNAL
• all the world is here today and gone tomorrow

“the things that are unseen are eternal”

• focus on what lasts forever
• DELAYED GRATIFICATION
• you can’t bring money or possessions with you into heaven, but you can bring your friends with you
• invest in those around you
• set your heart on the glory of God instead of your own glory

​Don’t lose heart cuz the task is difficult
Don’t lose heart cuz hope itself is a testimony
OUR RESPONSE to life’s pain struggles hardships: our hope points to something greater and is a witness to who Christ is!

Pastor Sam Bay

The Crucifixion

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Intrinsically we want to remember who have passed away. Clear way to honor someone who has passed. Have you taken the time to remember the cross in your day to day? The cross is the center of the Christian life.

What happened at the cross?

• If you don’t go into who Jesus was, your remembrance of what Jesus did will hazy
• The king was humiliated - Jesus was treated the exact opposite he should be treated - severe humiliation, mocking, spitting beating
• the passion of jesus is not simply limited to his death - he didn’t even fight back
• the Son was forsaken at the cross (God was affirming him up to this point). All friends abandoned him, God abandons him
• Jesus bore the full weight of being left alone by God
• Physical pain AND spiritual pain
• Jesus became sin exemplified, he became a SINNER in the eyes of God - God’s full wrath and justice towards him
• The lamb was slain: Lambs signified the sacrifice dying in place of something else
• there was no perfect substitution until Jesus was sacrificed
• when the eternally blameless Son of God was slain on the cross; his blood was shed for sins he did not commit and wrath he did not deserve.
• when we sin, blood needs to be shed for that
• DO NOT FORGET JESUS WAS MAN. Do not forget that he by definition suffered in a human way. He felt everything a human could feel

Who killed Jesus?

• We always try to blame each other. Since adam and eve. Romans, Jews, us blaming others.
• WE crucified Christ.
• Before we see the cross as done for us, see the cross as one BY us
• It’s our hands that put Jesus there
• We are not exempt from calvary. We are standing there.

Why is any of this good?

• Jesus didn’t have to die
• Jesus LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE, GIVES HIS LIFE, WILLINGLY
• No coercion
• The gospel wouldnt be news if Jesus must died. The beauty is magnified by the fact that JESUS WILLINGLY died for us, embracing the shame suffering and cross
• Jesus was not a victim. He was in complete authority the entire time.
• The cross is where Jesus’ gave his life willingly to those who would place his faith in him.
• "Why do bad things happen to good people? That only happened once, and he volunteered." RC Sproul
• John Piper - Conversation with death : “Where is your sting? It is hanging on that tree”

Pastor Ted Kau

The Humility of christ

Philippians 2:5-11

*Just by beholding who Christ is, we become more like Him*

It's imperative that as Christians, we hold Christ's mind. A lot of times we don't need to know more, we just need more conviction. If we’re serious about being a christ follower, we will seek Christ’s mind

1. Empty yourself.
Christ didn’t count himself the same as God but emptied himself of his privileges. - John 10:30 -
Tracey Bailey "I emptied myself of what I thought I deserved." All the things you think you deserve, you gladly give it up. Giving up the things you deserve is a demonstration of humility.
Caveat: Humility does not mean letting injustice get away.
"Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less" CS Lewis.

2. Be a servant Christ
Be a servant means being other-centered. Lay down your entitlement. Example: serve those who you live with!

3. Obey until your death.
Jesus suffered for us, yet we don’t deserve any of it. Day by day, be obedient!! Day by day, take the gift of life

Be a doer of His word, not just a hearer
Confess that you are proud. Ask that God will change you.
Empty yourself of your wants and desires before God.
Serve someone once a day and ask them "How may I help you?"
Obey what God has commanded you to do.