First Slaughter of Jewish Tourists in Egypt
(Message delivered by Pastor at the True Life Church 10.30 am Service, Oct 10, 04)
Text: I Thess. 5:1-11
An explosion tore through a resort hotel on Thursday night where Israelis were vacationing at the end of a Jewish holiday, killing 30 and wounding 160. Two smaller blasts were reported at other tourist sites in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
The first explosion at about 10 p.m. rocked the Hilton Hotel at Taba only yards from the Israeli border and it came from a car bomb. The whole front of the 10-storey hotel collapsed. Dozens of people are on the floor with lots of blood and the place is burning. About midnight two smaller blasts struck the town of Nuweiba and another place.
What concerned us is that just a month ago we who were on our 11th trip to the Holy Land passed through Nuweiba and Taba without being hurt. Such knowledge brings us closer to God. Ps. 91:7 says, “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.”
What our Text I Thess. 5:1-11 says of the 30 killed and 160 wounded Israeli Tourists in Egypt is sudden destruction and no one could escape. All without Christ die without Christ and how sad is their end in darkness.
A Jewish teacher of modern Hebrew at our FEBC came to say goodbye when leaving for Israel. When I asked if she was a Christian she said no. She had hope only in this life and when she dies she comes to her sad end. That is the sorry plight of almost all Israelis today.
But we are not in darkness but in the light. We put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation. God has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us.
That is why we come to church every Lord’s Day to worship Him. For He has forgiven our sins and cleansed us from all unrighteousness. Do you know He has saved you from Hell and prepared you a place in Heaven by His resurrection from the dead? “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Rom. 10:9) This verse assures the fullness of God’s protection.
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Why Miss the Blessings of Baptism?
(Message delivered by Pastor at the True Life Church 10.30 am Service, Oct 17, 04)
Text: Mark 16:15, 16
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
What are the blessings of baptism? By this declaration from our Lord’s mouth, you who have believed the preaching of the Gospel and are baptised shall be saved. The baptism dispels any doubts or uncertainty. The baptism confirms.
We have a catechism class of at least 70 – 80 taught by Rev (Dr) Jeffrey Khoo now. Baptism which confirms your salvation coming Christmas should be your delight. If you are not in this class, quickly join it. Many times our fault comes in our procrastination.
Not only you. Paul says to the Philippian jailor, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and thy house.” Are there members of your family still outside Christ? It is offered to you to prayerfully bring them to the Saviour. A son prayed for 14 years for his father. One month before he died he accepted Christ and I baptised him. There is no doubt that he was saved.
When you believe and are going to be baptised, you, your wife and your children should be baptised together with you. This is recorded in Acts 16:33, “he and all his” – wife and children not cats and dogs. Paul sets us the example in household baptism in also baptising Lydia’s household (Acts 16:15) and the household of Stephanas (I Cor. 1:16).
We practise baptism of infants and we would be delighted to see many brought by young parents. But it is your duty to bring them up in the admonition and nurture of the Lord. You must pray for them to be saved and as they grow up to thank God for food and for God’s blessing when they retire at night and rise up in the morning.
An added blessing comes through the grandfather (from experience). I have two granddaughters stay with me at my parsonage. When they reach 6 or 7 I would get them to kneel beside me for blessing. These are my words which they repeat, “Almighty God, our loving heavenly Father, help us to love You because Jesus loved us by dying on the cross for our sins. Help us to obey our parents and grandparents. Help us to study our lessons well – Chinese, Maths and English. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” My second granddaughter automatically adds another Amen before she leaves.
My fellow grandpas. You pay much attention to send yours to school but seeking God’s help is better. Why miss the blessings of infant baptism?
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THE GOSPEL OF LIFE: Chapter VII
John 7:6-14
Time-table of Life
Our Lord’s life was strictly programmed. He lived each day according to a divine time-table. This is reflected in His statement to His brethren, “My time is not yet come ….. for my time is not yet full come” (v. 6, 8). And He knew it even to the hour (Jn 12:27). It was as it were that He wore a watch on one hand and looked at it ever so often to keep time with a programme sheet on the other. Such a conscientious spirit to fulfil a mission in life is revealed not only at this instance but on many other occasions. For example, to the disciples who brought Him food, He said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work” (Jn 4:34). At the healing of the man born blind He declared, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work” (Jn 9:4).
Herein is the secret of success. Jesus did not idle away his precious, short lifetime on earth for a single minute. Herein is also that secret of Paul’s conquering the world for Christ. He also lived a life according to a divine time-table, so that in a brief span of 30-odd years he was able to preach the gospel throughout the Roman empire, from Jerusalem to the Imperial capital. Listen to his counsel to the Ephesians, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5:17). To the Colossians, the apostle says, “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Col. 4:5).
When we are saved, our time on earth should also be saved. Lord, save me from idleness, save me from time spent at the T.V. day and night. Save me to read Your Word daily and seek to know it more and more. Save me from “Sunday morning sickness” that I will worship You in Your House. Add to this list and your whole life will be revolutionised – as you live in tune with God’s time- table for every victorious Christian.
FEBC Students, 11th Holy Land Pilgrimage (Aug 26 – Sep 11, 2004)
