Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, he brings forth spiritual fruit in his life. To serve in newness of spirit is to yield to ourselves to the mind of Christ through the diligent study of the Scripture through prayer. And it is my prayer that this begins in every Christian home. Piety begins in the home under the charge of every Christian parent.
Matthew 26:30-35 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
When we come to accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour, He has by the finished work on the cross set us free from the bondage of sin. In the sight of God, we are free men. Sin no longer binds us. We have the power to say “no” to sin and bear spiritual fruit in our lives. This, the Christian, shall see in his life, as he abides in Christ. Amen.
(1) Homegoing of Mdm. Ivy Ng Teck Cheng
Mdm. Ivy Ng Teck Cheng (Mrs. Jamieson) went home to be with the Lord on 31 December 2015 at the age of 77. Her life has touched many hearts. The Silver Hall at the Singapore Casket where the vigil service was held was packed to the brim. On 2 January 2016, her body was laid to rest at the Choa Chu Kang Christian cemetery in Christian burial.
The outworking of the commandments in the believer’s is described in his love for God and for his neighbour. There is reward forthcoming from Christ when He returns to reward His servants.
The Apostle Paul illustrates the new relationship the born-again believer has with Christ to be like the termination of a marriage covenant at the death of the spouse where the surviving spouse is discharged from the marriage contract. This freedom is likened to the freedom from the condemnation of God’s law. He is “dead to the law by the body of Christ” in that Christ bore his sins when He was crucified on the cross. Christ’s death freed the believer, discharged him, from the judgment by the law for his sins.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
The Jews were a special people entrusted with God’s law. Israel was a nation created by God to be His witness to the nations of the world. Moses wrote this truth concerning the great wisdom God’s law that exalts the nation to give glory to God.
This chapter is to be read and understood as a whole. The Apostle Paul is putting forth precious truths concerning the state of the redeemed man. He tells us firstly that the moral law, as summarized in the Ten Commandments, is not abrogated when one becomes a Christian. It is furthest from the truth that he can now live outside the boundaries of God’s law, forsake holiness, and live lawlessly, having been freed from the bondage of sin and dead to the stranglehold of the law. He can now choose not to sin (Rom. 7:6).
We must continue to struggle against sin in our lives. For our encouragement, Scripture gave to us in the book of Job, the earliest recorded writing of Scripture such a man of God – Job 1:1 “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed (hate) evil.” The word “perfect” does not mean sinless perfection but holiness. He was a man who walked with God, who made right with God by that close communion with God. He made right with God and he interceded for his children daily. God Himself pronounced him “perfect.”