Tag Archives: christianity

Introduction to the Book of Romans

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The Book of Romans (#1)

Romans 1:1 – 6

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Today we begin to study the book of Romans, but from time to time I may still talk about the titles of Christians and even the titles of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible mentions many titles of the Lord Jesus and of Christians, but I don’t want to dwell on a certain topic for too long. I am also eager to start the book of Romans as soon as possible. But if the Lord permits, I will still talk about some titles of Christians once in a while.

The book of Romans talks about “righteousness,” “faith,” “justification” and Yahweh God’s salvation plan.

(To justify means to make righteous; for example, to justify someone means to make him righteous. The noun “justification” is the action of making righteous; for example, the justification of someone means the action of making him righteous.)

Studying the book of Romans helps us to examine our own faith to Yahweh God and to the Lord Jesus Christ. When we preach the gospel to non-believers about righteousness, faith, justification and salvation, we can follow the method and the steps in the book of Romans step by step, point by point.

NASB Romans 1:1 – 6 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. (Rom 1:1-6 NASB)

The meaning of this passage is very deep; let’s study it verse by verse.

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Immanuel – God with Us

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Christmas Message (#2)

Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22 – 23

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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When Pastor Bentley and I were preaching the gospel in Hong Kong, I saw that every year when the Christmas season was drawing near, there would be signs “Immanuel – God with us” or simply “Immanuel” everywhere: at the entrance of buildings, on the streets, at the front doors of houses. We could hear Christmas songs all the way from the central business district to the countryside.

But many people may not know the significance of this phrase “Immanuel – God with us”; what does it mean and where does it come from?

Christmas is the date Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Around 700 some years before the Lord Jesus was born into the world, Yahweh God had proclaimed through the prophet Isaiah:

ESV Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isa 7:14 ESV)

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Stewards of God

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Titles of Christians (#13)

1 Peter 4:10 – 11

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Last time we studied the title “Farmers”; today we are going to study another title of Christians, the 13th title, which is based on 1 Peter 4:10–11:

NASB 1 Peter 4:10 – 11 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ( NASB 1Pe 4:10-11)

Here Apostle Peter says that each Christian has received a gift from God, and we ought to use that gift to serve one another. And we are to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

Yahweh God grants us different gifts, and they are not for us to boast about or to gain benefit for ourselves, but these gifts are to serve fellow Christians, and to bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.

For example: Some people have the gift of preaching; they can preach the word of God clearly and powerfully, so they can use this gift to proclaim the word of God. Some people have the gift of administration to take care of the administrative work in the church. Some people have the gift of music and dance, and can lead people to worship God with music and dance. Some people have the special gift of encourage­ment, so they can encourage and comfort those who are devastated and demoralized.

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Priests

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Titles of Christians (#11)

Revelation 1:5—6

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Today we are going to study another title of Christians. Last time we saw that Christians are compared to the living stones that build up the spiritual temple of God. Today we are going to study Christians as priests in the spiritual temple of God.

NAU  Revelation 1:5—6 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood — 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Rev 1:5—6 NAU)

The book of Revelation is a message revealed to Apostle John. This particular passage, Revelation 1:5—6, is a greeting from the Lord Jesus Christ and Apostle John. It says here that the Lord Jesus loves us; his blood which was shed on the cross washes us clean from all sins. As a result we are free from both the guilt of sin and the power of sin. (Please refer to the book “Becoming a New Person” by Pastor Eric Chang on the guilt of sin and the power of sin; I will not repeat the whole explanation here.) Then the Lord Jesus made us to be a kingdom, and priests to serve his God and Father. According to the word of the Lord Jesus in this passage, Christians are the priests of Yahweh God.

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Living Stones

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Titles of Christians (#10)

1 Peter 2:4—6

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Today we are going to study another title of Christians:

NAS 1 Peter 2:4—6 And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed.” (1Pe 2:4—6 NAS)

Here Apostle Peter is calling Christians to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Here the word “Him” refers to the Lord Jesus Christ; he is a living stone, rejected by men. They killed him by nailing him to the cross. As the Lord Jesus is a living stone, so Christians are living stones. We are being built up into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, and we offer up spiritual sacrifices to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Please take notice that in this sermon today, I only focus on the living stone. I am not talking about the holy priesthood or the spiritual sacrifices; I will discuss these topics in my next sermon two weeks from now.

This passage contains several spiritual terms, and we need to find out the meaning of these terms one by one. Now let us study this passage step by step.

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Saints

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Titles of Christians (#9)

1 Corinthians 1:1 – 2

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Brothers, sisters and friends, today we are going to study another title of Christians:

RSV 1 Corinthians 1:1 – 2 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: (1Co 1:1 – 2 RSV)

This passage comes from a letter that Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. In verse 2 he says the brothers and sisters of the church are those sanctified in Christ Jesus, and they are called to be saints.

Christians are called saints, the holy ones

Most people think that only outstanding Christians who have accomplished a lot for Yahweh God are called saints, and that ordinary Christians are not saints. But here apostle Paul says all the brethren in the church who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus are called saints!

Indeed according to the New Testament all true Christians are called saints! Let’s look at some passages in the New Testament to confirm this point:

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Slaves of Righteousness

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Titles of Christians (#8)

Romans 6:18

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Christians are slaves of righteousness

We have studied 7 titles of Christians in the Bible, today we are going to study another title – this is the 8th title.

 NASB Romans 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. (Rom 6:18 NASB)

Do you feel uncomfortable with this verse? We have just been freed from sin, yet the next moment we become slaves of righteousness! We leave one type of slavery only to fall into another type of slavery. Does it mean that we never have freedom from slavery? What does it mean to be slaves of righteousness? Now let’s look at the Bible to find the answers step by step.

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The Light of The World

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Titles of Christians (#3)

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Today we continue to study the titles of Christians in the Bible. Last time we studied “The Salt of The Earth”; today we are going to study another title:

NASB Matthew 5:14 – 16 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mat 5:14-16 NASB)

The Function of Light

Here the Lord Jesus says that we are the light of the world; in verse 16 he says specifically that we have to shine before men.

When we enjoy all the modern conveniences in life, we don’t realize how important light is. In the year 1993 Pastor Bentley and I went to a certain country in Asia to preach the gospel. At that time there were frequent blackouts in that place. If a blackout happened during day time it wasn’t that bad, but if it happened at night, it was really inconvenient. But the worst is when the blackout happened at night time while we were walking outside on the streets. A big part of the city would become pitch dark; it was more than just inconvenient, it was really dangerous. There were many open manholes on the roads without covers, because these would be stolen. Indeed there was an Englishman who fell into one of these manholes and died. We all had to look carefully when we walked on the roads. A few times we went out in the evening, and on the way back home suddenly there was a blackout. We couldn’t see anything on the road. I was really scared, and I turned to our Father in heaven immediately and asked Him to protect us bringing us back home safely. After that, we would always carry a flashlight when we went out in the evening.

Besides the open manholes, there were all kinds of garbage on the ground. When I walked on the roads during the blackout, I couldn’t see what was on the ground; I didn’t know what I was stepping on. It was only until we came back home, under the candle light, that I saw that all kinds of garbage were stuck to my shoes and my pants, sometimes there was even excrement!

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The Salt of The Earth

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Titles of Christians (#2)

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Today we continue to study the titles of Christians in the Bible. Last time we studied the title “Fishers of men”; today we are going to study another title:

NASB Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

Here the Lord Jesus says that Christians are the salt of the earth. What does it mean to be the salt of the earth? Today we are going to find out the meaning of this statement.

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Fishers of Men

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Titles of Christians (#1)

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Brothers, sisters and friends, in the past few months we have been studying an important topic in the Bible: “The Kingdom of God and Eternal Life”. I have put all the 14 messages on this topic on the website: http://www.gospelandsalvation.com. You can go to the website to read all those messages; you can also download a PDF copy of the messages that you like. Today we begin to look at another important topic: The titles of Christians in the Bible.

Many years ago, when a Christian sister heard the term “Titles of Christians,” she said to me, “What? Christians have titles?” She was very surprised to hear the term “Titles of Christians.” Oh yes, Christians have many titles in the Bible. We know that Yahweh God has many different titles, and that the Lord Jesus Christ has many different titles, but people don’t talk much about the titles of Christians. Indeed Christians have many different titles too, and each title carries a different meaning.

But why do I want to study the titles of Christians? Because when we understand the meanings of these titles, we will know what we should do and how we ought to live our lives in this world. We have to always bear in mind that if we live a life according to the teaching of the Bible, we will bring glory to our Father in heaven and to our Lord Jesus Christ, and the people in the world will praise Yahweh God and our Lord Jesus.

The first title that we will study today is: “Fishers of men”.

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