Lord’s Day, Vol. 2 No. 7

(1) Gazette Notification for Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church

The Registry of Societies sent this email on 11 February 2014 – “Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church was registered on 28/01/2014 under the Societies Act. The gazette notification effecting the registration was published in the Government Gazette, Electronic Edition, on 06/02/2014 vide Notification Number 305. Copies of the gazette can be purchased from Legal Publishing, Toppan Leefung Pte. Ltd.”

Thank God for His guidance in the registration of the church.

(2) Peace, Peace, Sweet Peace

When Jesus was born, the angels announced His birth, not to the Sanhedrin’s Council, but to the shepherds in the field. The shepherds, though unlearned, was endowed with faith and humility. They came with haste (Luke 2:16) to Bethlehem to witness the birth of their Saviour, wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger, as the angel had said. Luke 2:10-14 recorded:

10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
11. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
12. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
13. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The shepherds who witnessed their Saviour’s birth made known abroad this momentous truth. Jesus Christ came to bring true peace to a warring world, plagued by a most deadly disease called sin. Jesus came to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). The Christian Church chose Christmas Day each year to remember the birth of Jesus Christ.

There was an interesting account during World War I where the troops declared, on both sides of the no man’s land, a day of ceasefire. It was Christmas Day. There were enough Christians on both sides to value that reprieve, that temporary peace. Sadly, after Christmas Day, the war continued!

This world has failed to secure that most elusive commodity called “peace”. The dictionary meaning of “peace” describes the normal, non-warring condition of a nation, group of nations or the world, a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations and the normal freedom from civil commotion and violence of a community. Peace is described a state of tranquillity and serenity, a state or condition conducive to, proceeding from, or characterized by tranquillity. This world has yet seen true peace. War characterizes all the history of mankind. This is the result of the disease of sin! Only in Jesus Christ, can hatred be replaced by true love.

When God created the earth, it was to be a peaceful paradise. But Adam forfeited the harmony when he sinned. Adam’s sin was a declaration of war against God’s rightful rule of His own creation. It broke the peace of Eden. Adam’s rebellion against God had disastrous long-range effects! It set the entire human race at enmity with God. All the evils that disrupted the peacefulness of our earthly existence stemmed from the curse of sin that began with Adam.

Why the tension, bitterness, strife, conflict, violence, bloodshed and wars? Why is it that while peace is the most significant word in man’s lexicon, it is one of the most elusive word in his experience? It is sin that plunged all humanity in animosity and perpetual war. It is the result of the inherent sin nature descended from Adam.

Albert Einstein, who won the Nobel Peace Price for physics in 1921 and whose theory of relativity revolutionized man’s thinking about the nature of time and space. In the course of his lecture in 1948, he made the following comment on the threat of nuclear warfare: “It is not a physical problem, but an ethical one. What terrifies us is not the explosive force of the atomic bomb, but the power of wickedness of the human heart, its explosive power for evil.”1

Jesus Christ came to restore this peace. When Jesus was born, there was a stir in the cosmos. A cosmic miracle took place. Jesus’s birth was announced to wise men from the East by a heaven and earth shaking, cosmic sign, an Eastern Star. Following the star, the wise men travelled vast distances to come to Israel. Our great God, by the witness of the wise men, declared the birth of His Son, to Herod and all Jerusalem! Did Herod come to worship the King? No. Did the chief priests and scribes come? No. Did the people come? No. But they were all troubled! Spurgeon observed that Herod was troubled because he was a suspicious tyrant who eliminated anyone who had a remote chance of challenging his rule. That’s all he cared about. The leaders of Israel and the land refused to acknowledge Jesus. In fact, they finally crucified Him!

And look at the gifts that these wise men brought to worship the King – gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

We all know that gold is the most precious gift fit for kings. But what is frankincense? And do you know that frankincense is more expensive than gold by gram? Frankincense is a fragrant white gum that comes from a tree called the salai or olibanum found in Arabia, an aromatic resin. It comes when a thunder strikes the tree or because of wind, the branches breaks or wound caused by insects. The plant produces this resin to protect and heal the wound. It is not a natural perfume that grows from the tree but it comes from that tree. Frankincense was one of the consecrated incenses used for the worship of God in the tabernacle, fitted for the worship of God. Israel is not allowed to make incense for themselves. It is only to be used for the worship of God (Ex. 30:34-38). The wise men, indeed, brought it before Jesus, the King of the Jews, the God of Israel.

In ancient times, it is used only for kings. This incense makes the mind very clear, alert and has a calming effect. Myrrh is also very expensive. It preserves corpses for a long time from decay. The Egyptian Pharaohs were wrapped in myrrh. These three gifts were, very expensive and significant, fitted only for kings, were brought to Jesus.

By faith, the wise men worshipped Jesus finding true peace and joy with God as Paul testified in Romans 5:1, 12, 17 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)”

Jesus Christ is God’s solution to the world, to take away hatred and brings true peace.

As the hymn by Peter P. Bilhorn declared:
Peace, peace, sweet peace,
Wonderful gift from above,
Oh, wonderful, wonderful peace,
Sweet peace, the gift of God’s love.

If you are a Christian, may the Lord send you as His ambassador of peace to a dying world! If you have not a Christian, may you receive Him today, for Jesus died and rose again from the dead on the third day, victorious over sin and death, to give you eternal life! Amen.

Yours lovingly
Pr Lek Aik Wee