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READ:

Psalm 23:1

¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

EXHORTATION:

Psalm 23 is a psalm in which David expresses his personal faith in the LORD. So he said with absolute conviction, “The LORD is my shepherd”. No doubt the LORD is the Shepherd of Israel (cf. Psalm 80:1). However, here David was affirming his own faith and conviction that the LORD is also his shepherd.

David trusted in the great name of his God with total assurance of heart. The name “the LORD” refers to the great Jehovah, the great I AM that I AM (Exodus 3:14). David’s faith in the LORD brought him into a personal relationship with God, so he could boldly say that “The LORD is my shepherd”.

Every genuine believer is given the conviction by the Holy Spirit to say such words of deep love, signifying a close relationship with the LORD. Believers are constrained to say, “O God, Thou art my God.” Let us make our confessions about our God and Redeemer with perfect joy and assurance. Affirming our faith in such a confession like that of David will be a means of great comfort and courage in the midst of life’s trials.

Oh, how wonderful it is to know that He who controls the affairs of the universe attends to our individual needs! Like the shepherd who knows and calls each sheep of the flock by its name, so the LORD knows each of us and gives Himself to lead us with His whole affection and power.

Oh, how wonderful it is to remember that there exists between the LORD and ourselves a distinct personal relationship! We may be weak, obscure and despised, but He thinks of us with special love and care, and devotes Himself to lead us all the way.

Because the LORD is our Shepherd, we can say, “I shall not want.” David’s contentment arose from discovering that his sufficiency was in God. The LORD was more to him than the manna or the stream in the wilderness. He is more than sufficient for all our needs.

The LORD will make all needful provision for His flock. He will provide everything we need, whether temporal or spiritual, whether pertaining to the body or to the soul. In Psalm 34:9, we are told that “there is no want to them that fear him.” The LORD, as the Shepherd of His people, will see to it that all their real wants shall be supplied.

A Thanksgiving Reflection on Giving in Our Church

Over the past thirty-eight years of our church, God has blessed us to witness a powerful truth continually. Our growth in both local and foreign Gospel work has been significantly advanced through the generous and sacrificial giving of our members and friends.

Time and again, when God opened doors for us to proclaim Christ, whether through church planting, missionary support, evangelism, or strengthening of our home ministries, it was your Spirit-led giving that made those efforts possible. Brethren, moved by a desire to see the church advance in her endeavours for the expansion of the Gospel, have consistently responded with open hearts and open hands, giving not only out of abundance, but often through personal sacrifice.

We saw this once again just two weeks ago. When we brought before you the urgent need to meet the deficit for the current financial year, your response was swift and gracious. Many gave cheerfully and promptly, and by God’s grace, the entire shortfall was fully covered.

This is no small matter. It is a clear mark of God’s hand upon our church, working mightily through us as we walk in faith and obedience, with hearts set on seeking first the kingdom of God. Such generosity not only strengthens the ministry, but also fosters unity, faith and joy within the body.

Let us continue in this spirit. This new fiscal year, we have much more to accomplish in the local and foreign Gospel endeavours. God has given us these opportunities, and we should not hesitate to undertake them. For as we give, we grow in grace, Gospel missions, and eternal fruit for the glory of God.

The Practice of Church Giving

Giving in the church encompasses more than finances. While tithes and offerings are important, the New Testament calls the church to a wide-ranging generosity.

Giving Financially

Paul exhorted the Corinthian church to be intentional and cheerful in their giving: “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). 

Our giving should not be under compulsion, but it should flow from a grateful heart. 

Giving Time and Service

The church must also give of her time and spiritual gifts in service. The apostle Peter exhorts: “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). 

Every believer has been uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit, not for self-exaltation, but for the edification of the body and the advancement of the Gospel. When the members of Christ’s church offer their time and talents willingly and joyfully, the whole body thrives. 

Whether one has the gift of teaching, serving, encouraging, leading, praying, showing mercy, or organising ministries, each has a role to play in building up the church. A giving church is a working, serving church. And a serving church is a growing church.

Spiritual gifts left unused are like lamps hidden under a bushel. But when offered to the Lord, they become instruments of divine grace, pointing others to Christ and strengthening the household of faith. 

Likewise, time is also a sacred gift from God, woven with divine purpose. Each moment carries opportunities ordained by His providence—to serve, to grow, to bless, and to glorify Him. To value time rightly is to recognise that every hour holds a doorway to obey the will and purposes of the One who orders our steps. The stewardship of God-given time and gift is not optional; it is a sacred trust. 

Giving Love and Forgiveness

Perhaps the most powerful gift a church can offer is genuine love and forgiveness. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). The early church’s growth was fuelled by her passionate love and hospitality. They broke bread together with gladness and singleness of heart, bearing one another’s burdens, meeting one another’s needs, and welcoming strangers as family. Whether Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, male or female—all found equal footing at the foot of the cross. This Christlike love was the fragrance of the early church, drawing multitudes who longed for truth and hope. When the early church practised this kind of generosity, the results were astonishing: “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common” (Acts 4:32). Their giving created unity, eradicated need, and built mutual trust in the community.

In these days of selfishness and bitter quarrels, genuine love is very rare in this world. Even in churches and Christian families, many people cease to express genuine love and forgiveness. But the church that yields to the Holy Spirit, whom the Lord has abundantly supplied to His people, can produce the spiritual fruit of love (cf. Gal. 5:22-23).

The Promise of Church Growth

Scripture consistently connects generosity with an increase in the church’s spiritual vitality and outreach effectiveness. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 directly links generous giving to both spiritual abundance and fruitfulness in ministry. “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work”. Those who give cheerfully are promised sufficiency and grace to abound in good works, including outreach and service.

A giving church attracts, not by marketing or manipulation, but by the compelling testimony of God’s love in action. Acts 2 presents this model: “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship… And all that believed were together… And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:42, 44, 47). Notice the connection: They gave. They fellowshipped. They taught. And the Lord added. Gospel growth is God’s work, but He uses the faithful generosity of His people as His instrument.

Hindrances to Giving and Growth

When a church fails to give, her growth is severely curtailed. The Laodicean church in Revelation claimed to be rich, but Christ rebuked them: “Because thou sayest, I am rich… and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor…” (Revelation 3:17). They had ceased to give from the heart. Their spiritual stagnation came from misplaced trust in material wealth. A stingy spirit leads to spiritual starvation.

Hoarding, fear, distrust and selfishness will choke the life out of a church. But the spiritual increase promised will be enjoyed when biblical giving is maintained – freely, cheerfully, and faithfully.

Conclusion

The church of Jesus Christ is called to be a giving body because she represents the giving Saviour. The more she pours out in love, generosity, time and service, the more she will be blessed by God with spiritual vitality and numerical increase that God promised.

READ:

Psalm 119:140

¹⁴⁰ Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.

EXHORTATION:

David always had the highest regard for Scripture. He always considered it as belonging to God; hence he referred to it as “Thy word”. In Psalm 119 alone, 35 times David used the phrase “Thy word” to refer to the Holy Scriptures.

We too must read the Scriptures in the belief that we are listening to the words of our God. Through the Scriptures, God communicates with us. So with great reverence and joy, we must attend to God’s Word. We must receive the truths it teaches as divine and glorious. Nowhere else have we such a perfect body of divine truths revealed for our blessing.

We have no reason to doubt what God’s Word says, for it is “very pure”. The Hebrew words “very pure” literally means “much tried or refined”. As David said in Psalm 12:6, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” God’s Word has been utterly tried and has been proven to be absolutely pure and perfectly righteous. Its purity is the purity of its Author, the infinitely holy God.

Like David, many men, who have repeatedly relied on all that Scripture says throughout their lives, have testified unto us with utmost certainty and joy that all that it says are pure. David also confessed, “therefore thy servant loveth it.” Would anyone declare his unabated, unbounded love for God’s Word if it has ever been found defective, deceptive or unreliable? David’s open declaration of his love for God’s Word is a grand testimony to its trustworthiness. Those who trust all that it says shall not be ashamed, as it has already been tested and proven pure.

Because God’s Word is pure, it will also purify and preserve those who trust and obey its unpolluted words. Earlier in this psalm, David said, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9). It could very well have been David’s own experience, for he confessed later that “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). He also testified, “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word” (Psalm 119:101). The beauty of God’s holiness shines through every word of His Word. Those who walk in the light of His Word shall have the joy of walking in the beauty of His holiness. The pure Word of God shall keep us away from all defiling ways. So, let us love it as David did.

READ:

Psalm 12:6

⁶ The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth,  purified seven times.

EXHORTATION:

The excellence of the Holy Scriptures is powerfully presented here by David. Firstly, the phrase “the words of the LORD” points out that all the words of the Scriptures are the LORD’s. Every word of the Bible proceeds from the LORD Himself. He used men, who were His servants, to write them down. As 2 Peter 1:21 declares, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Likewise, 2 Timothy 3:16 declares, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”. The LORD is the actual author of the Bible.

Secondly, we are told that all the words of the Bible are “pure words”. The Hebrew word for “pure” has also been translated as “clean”. It points out that the Scriptures are absolutely free from all impurities of falsehood and error. Proverbs 30:5 also declares, “Every word of God is pure”.

The purity of the Word of God is illustrated and affirmed by these words, “as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times”. This evidently refers to the ancient process of purifying silver. The “furnace of earth” is where the metal was tried and refined. It refers to something like a crucible placed on the ground, around which a fire of intense heat was made. Such structures were found near the mines where ore was obtained. The ore was then purified by smelting it repeatedly till all the dross was removed from it. Here it is said that the ore was purified “seven times”. In other words, time-consuming and meticulous efforts were made to ensure the purity of the silver. Likewise, the LORD had seen to it that every word of His is pure in His infinitely pure eyes. He shall also keep every word of the Scriptures pure through all ages. So the next verse says, “Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever” (Psalm 12:7). We can be absolutely sure that every word in the Holy Scriptures is kept pure in all ages. Today, just as David has pronounced in Psalm 119:140, so can we also assuredly say, “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it”!

The Holy Scriptures need no updating, editing, or refining. It is eternally pure and faithful. It is God’s infallible, inerrant and perfect Word. It is eternally true, relevant and enduring. It is God’s revelation kept pure for every generation. Because it is pure, it shall purify all those who live by it.

READ:

Psalm 18:30

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

EXHORTATION:

David looks back at his experience of God’s unerring guidance and protection in his endurance of many dreadful troubles, and now declares, “As for God, his way is perfect”. David does not complain against God for all his troubles, but glorifies Him with his testimony that God’s ways are perfect. He stands up for God, declaring the perfection of the divine providence.

Whatever be the circumstances through which God would lead us, He will do it perfectly. We may not always understand why He would lead us through certain situations and may even be startled at His ways, just like the psalmist who said, “Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known” (Psalm 77:19). However, we can trust Him that His ways will lead us perfectly to His glorious purpose and that we will be able to see the perfection of His way in hindsight. As it is said, “providence reads best backwards.” But let us not hesitate to walk in His way, which is unerringly perfect.

His way is according to the counsel of His Word. To walk according to His Word is to walk in His way. Hence David prayed, “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth” (Psalm 86:11). David also testified, “I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me” (Psalm 119:30). Like David, if we walk according to God’s Word, we shall experience His perfect providence, no matter what circumstances He may lead us through.

“The word of the LORD is tried”. The Bible has been tested and proven perfectly triumphant. God’s servants, who have put their trust in all that it says and stayed the course that it charters, have found it to be the perfect guide to follow. The Bible has stood the test of time. Those who mocked at it and those who sought to destroy it, have all perished; but none of its words has fallen to the ground. All its truths continue to prove faithful and unerring. “The word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Peter 1:25).

To trust God’s Word is to trust in God Himself. To walk according to His Word is to walk in His perfect providence. Everyone who trusts God and His Word shall experience His good providence – “he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” He will shield all who walk in His perfect way.

READ:

Psalm 16:5

⁵ The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

EXHORTATION:

After denouncing those who seek after other gods in the previous verse, David declares that “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup”. Unlike those who wander away from the LORD, seeking the idols of this world, his heart is joyfully settled in the LORD. This is the reason why he separates himself from the idolatrous pursuits of other men.

By calling God “the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup”, David declares that he finds his total satisfaction and delight in the LORD alone. He considers none and nothing else to be more desirable than his God. The LORD is the supreme good that his soul has found. The LORD is his true treasure.

When God gave inheritance to the Israelites, He said to Aaron, “Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel” (Numbers 18:20). David also gladly accepts the LORD as his portion of inheritance; in so doing, he needs no other.

David also refers to the LORD as his “cup”. The word “cup” refers to that which is assigned to him to drink or experience. The LORD is not only his wonderful possession, but also his enjoyment and nourishment. Nothing gives him satisfaction and delight, assurance and strength in life as much as the LORD Himself.

The LORD has not only given Himself to be David’s supreme joy and satisfaction, but has also secured it for him. So David said, “thou maintainest my lot.” No one can speak assuredly of anything as his true inheritance if he is sure to lose it. Furthermore, no man can be absolutely confident that he can secure all his possessions perpetually. However, the LORD will make sure that He will always be the lot of His servants.

All those who put their complete trust in the LORD can assuredly say, “Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:5). If we would rest in the knowledge that the LORD shall remain as our perpetual inheritance and cup, it would hush our souls amidst life’s challenges and trials. The LORD is our inexhaustible portion of blessing. We shall never reach the limit of the fullness of God. He is our secured lot.

READ:

Psalm 10:16

¹⁶ The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.

EXHORTATION:

The whole of Psalm 10 is an appeal to the LORD to intervene and deliver His afflicted people from their enemy, who is characterised as a proud boaster who persecuted the poor, showed no fear of God and lived an openly defiant and fraudulent life. The psalmist calls on the LORD to punish the wicked in verses 12-15, praises the LORD’s greatness in verse 16, and closes the psalm in verses 17-18 by expressing his confidence in the LORD’s willingness to rescue the helpless.

The verse for our meditation today expresses the grateful recollection of the LORD’s sovereignty by the poor man in his persecution and affliction. His declaration that the LORD is King for ever and ever, is a token of his confidence and joy. He remembers who the LORD is and rises up from his sufferings to engage in holy rejoicing and thanksgiving.

When the wicked men of the earth afflict the godly, let it not be thought that the LORD has ceased to reign. It is absurd to reason that the LORD and His greatness are confined by time and space. Indeed, the Lord is King for ever. He has, and ever will have, the supreme power.

The psalmist was terribly unsettled and despondent in his heart by the ungodly, merciless conduct of the enemy. However, he taught his heart to think of the greatness and everlasting majesty of God. Likewise, we also should instruct our hearts to believe and affirm the eternal greatness of our God in the midst of our affliction. Let us not think for a moment that the LORD would aid and establish those who live wickedly. Such men may seem to flourish, but the Lord will see to it that they meet their destruction. The LORD’s kingdom shall never be thwarted. His authority shall be vindicated, His absolute rule over all men shall be made manifest in His chosen time. He shall overcome all His foes.

Today we do experience all kinds of torments by people who live in their sin and unbelief. Even in the church, we often see carnal men upsetting the peace and unity of the church. The apostle Paul has warned in Acts 20:29 that “grievous wolves (will) enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” Their perverse ways often afflict the hearts of those who seek to live godly and faithful lives. Yet as the apostle Peter declares, such will be damned and shall “bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).

READ:

Exodus 18:11

¹¹ Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

EXHORTATION:

These are the words of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, when he arrived in the camp of the Israelites. Jethro was the priest of Midian, a heathen nation. However, he must have surely heard in the past from Moses about the LORD God of Israel. Now, having listened to the news of the LORD’s great deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, Jethro had come to see for himself what the LORD had done for Moses and His people, Israel. Upon his arrival, Moses greeted him and invited him into his tent and “told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them” (Exodus 18:8).

Then Jethro “rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians” (Exodus 18:9). Jethro also blessed the LORD for delivering Moses and Israel from the hand of the mighty Egyptians (Exodus 18:10). He then confessed, “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods”.

Jethro, like most of the heathen, could have believed in many gods; in fact, he had hitherto regarded the God of the Israelites as merely one among many equals. He now rejects that “creed” and unequivocally declares his newfound faith in the LORD God of Israel who is above all other gods. Having heard Moses rehearse at length all the great things that the LORD had done in delivering and bringing Israel out of Egypt till “the mount of God”, which is Mount Horeb (cf. Exodus 18:5), Jethro was moved to renounce his heathenism, and proclaim the LORD as greater, higher and stronger than all other gods.

In declaring the matchless superiority of the LORD God, Jethro also said, “for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.” In other words, though the Egyptians dealt with Moses and Israel scornfully and tyrannically, the LORD showed Himself to be above them and their magicians, above their chariots and horses, above their mighty army, above their king and above their god. The LORD dealt with the proud Egyptians and drowned them in the sea. The proud dealings of the Egyptians were easily defeated by the LORD. He emphatically put them to shame as He triumphed over their arrogant deeds against His people.

Sermon Text: Luke 14:25–35
Speaker: Pr Kelvin Lim
Date: 6th July 2025

READ:

Romans 8:1

¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

EXHORTATION:

The Christian’s freedom from condemnation is declared here – “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (v. 1a).

The phrase, “There is therefore”, refers us back to the previous chapter, where the Christian’s spiritual struggles against the flesh are discussed. However, it ended with a great shout of victory and joy – “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:25).

After reminding us of our spiritual conflicts, the apostle Paul declares: “now no condemnation”. In this great statement, Paul seeks to eradicate whatever doubt a Christian may have concerning salvation, which has started the reality of the spiritual battle within every Christian. What does our present struggle with the flesh and its lust prove? Does it mean that we are not saved yet? Are we still under the bondage of sin and the curse of the law? Amidst our present struggle against the temptations of the flesh, it is unequivocally declared unto us for our comfort and strengthening – “There is therefore now no condemnation”!

The word “no”, though it appears as the fifth word in our translation, is the first in the Greek text. Paul placed it at the front in order to emphasise in the strongest possible way that there is no condemnation. Moreover, Paul used a stronger word of negation than is typically employed in the Greek language. So one might translate: “No condemnation – none whatsoever”. The word “condemnation” (katakrima) indicates a “damnatory sentence”. There is no sentencing or punishment for those who have believed on Christ. The just penalty incurred by our sins has been paid for by the death of Christ.

The freedom from the condemnation of sins belongs “to them which are in Christ Jesus”. All those who are joined to Christ by faith are declared to be absolutely free from God’s judgment. Every Christian is “in Christ Jesus” spiritually. Those who are in Christ Jesus are also described as those “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”. He who has first of all been freely justified, is to thereafter walk after the Spirit to be a sanctified vessel. Justification leads to sanctification – and not to further moral and spiritual degeneration or corruption (cf. v. 4).