Sermon Text: Romans 12:3–8
Speaker: Pr Ho Kee How
Date: 15th December 2024
Sermon Text: Romans 12:3–8
Speaker: Pr Ho Kee How
Date: 15th December 2024
Psalm 20:5
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
David, having spoken about God’s people’s prayer in the day of trouble for divine help and defence, now mentions the effect of their trust in God. Notwithstanding the troubles that encompass God’s people, when they seek God’s favour and deliverance, they will experience the joy that come with God’s deliverance. Confidence in the LORD will result in joy that exudes out of God’s help and deliverance. David himself, though surrounded by constant troubles caused by his adversaries, has often spoken about his joy in the LORD’s salvation. In Psalm 21:1, he said, “The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” In Psalm 35:9, he wrote, “And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.”
If God’s people pray in times of their trials, they will find strength not only to overcome despair and despondence, but also to rejoice. We should constantly think of the LORD’s promises of salvation. We must rejoice in His power to save us from our troubles. The natural outcome of prayer and confidence in the LORD, as Psalm 118:15 attests, is that there will be “the voice of rejoicing and salvation … in the tabernacles of the righteous: (for) the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.”
Because of our joy in the LORD’s salvation, David says, “in the name of our God we will set up our banners”. We do not stand alone or on our own accord to face our trials. Instead, we stand in the name of our God and unfurl our flag. All people, when they go to war, have banners or flags, around which they rally and fight. Each nation has its own flag. God’s people gather in His name and fight their battles for the honour and glory of God.
When they rejoice, they do not sing and dance like the heathen, but simply glory in their LORD. They will celebrate His praises and triumph in His name. They raise their banners for His glory in grateful acknowledgment of His grace and help. They say one to another, “the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.” They encourage one another to depend upon the LORD. They remind one another of the fact that the LORD will hear their prayers as they face the trials of life. Oh, how important it is that we remind one another of God’s infinite power to answer our prayers!
Psalm 85:6
6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
This prayer is teeming with confidence in the power of God that He can “revive” His people “again”. It recollects the LORD’s prior act of reviving His people, and desires earnestly that He would work the same yet again for His people. Right at the beginning of this psalm, certain previous acts of God are mentioned. “LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah” (vv. 1, 2). This prayer for revival is based on the LORD’s past acts of restoration of His people back to their land from their enforced exile, and also of His gracious forgiving of the people’s iniquities.
This prayer also recognises the need for God’s work of revival in them. The people’s souls are in a poor, weak and almost dying condition. It is a dire situation that can only be rectified by the mercy of the LORD. Unless the LORD acts to revive, there would be no cause for hope or joy. No human effort is capable of reviving the people.
Like the psalmist, we also need to depend upon our Lord to revive us from our spiritual apathy and backsliding. However, do we acknowledge our dying spiritual condition and so recognise our need for revival? Our preachers, church leaders and members all need to realise that worldliness, doctrinal compromise, lack of interest in prayer, lack of zeal in soulwinning, increasing immoral conduct of churchgoers, family feuds and disintegration, all point to deep spiritual problems that exist today in our churches. Preachers growing dull and sleepy is a tragedy in the making. Greedy and worldly men, by pretending to be God-sent, are misleading the people with carnal and ungodly doctrines. Christian men and women lack spiritual devoutness and dedication when they become too obsessed with money, luxury and prestige. When youths in the church are worldly and sensual, shocking moral decay among them will result!
Should we not desire the LORD to act to renew our love and zeal for God, His truth and holiness? There is a great need in these days for God’s people to watch and pray for times of revival and refreshing from Him. We must pray for our personal revival. We must pray for the revival of family devotion and godliness in our homes. We must pray for the revival of our churches.
Psalm 25:11
11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
These words of David’s prayer for forgiveness shows how deeply disturbed in his heart he was because of the reality of sin and its guilt in his life. Every man who is aware of God’s awesome holiness will always be deeply conscious of his own sinful nature, as he constantly yields himself to love and serve God. He knows that he is not worthy of even appearing before God, let alone being His servant to carry out His holy will.
David was often very conscious of his sins and he mentioned his unworthiness many times in his psalms. Earlier in this psalm, he prayed, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD” (v. 7). In Psalm 69:5, he cried out, “O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.” In Psalm 51:9, he pleaded, “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.” David not only acknowledged his sins and unworthiness, but he also implored the Lord to forgive and cleanse him. For instance, in Psalm 19:12, he beseeched the Lord, saying, “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.”
David also acknowledged before the LORD that pardon of his sins is entirely a matter subject to the glory of His “name”. The term “name” here refers to all that God is, even His sovereignty, divine will, attributes and works. Our plea for God’s pardon should always be based on God’s great mercy and faithfulness to keep all His promises, including His promise to forgive the sins of those who come to Him in repentance and faith. Our plea for pardon, salvation and sanctification must never be based on the merit of our feelings, nature or actions. As Paul said in Romans 9:16, “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”
God forgives us based on His own goodness, mercy and faithfulness, and for the honour of His name. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Genuine faith depends not on one’s own merit, but on the goodness and grace of God. Even when we repent of our sins, we know that we are prone to sin again. We simply cannot depend on our powers to seek His forgiveness. Oh, how thankful we ought to be that our forgiveness and salvation flow from the infinite depths of His perfections!
Revelation 3:19
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
When Christ rebuked the church in Laodicea with stern and severe words, He wanted them to know that it was His love for them that resulted in such sharp words of rebuke – “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten”. To rebuke one’s sins is not to find fault or being unjustly captious. Nor is it hypocritical nitpicking in an impatient, bitter, retaliatory spirit. Its actual intent is not to destroy a good person or action. It is the setting of sin clearly and convincingly before the mind and conscience of the erring person to convict and to turn him to the path of righteousness. It springs from nothing but pure love of a person when he sees someone whom he loves errs in his ways, which is exactly what Christ did to the erring Laodiceans.
If need be, the Lord will also “chasten” His people. The word “chasten” describes acts of discipline, correction and corporeal punishment to change one’s sinful and unwise behaviour. The Lord’s chastening can be an unpleasant and painful experience for erring Christians. Nevertheless, it is not to be confused with the wrath or the ultimate judgment of God. Its purpose is to correct and restore us to the ways of truth and holiness. It is done with love like that of a parent, who applies the rod of correction on his erring child. “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” (Hebrews 12:5-7).
One chastened servant of God confesses in Psalm 118:18, “The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.” Hebrews 12:11 says, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” The purpose of painful chastising is to lead the erring believers to repentance and to restore them to God’s blessing (cf. Jeremiah 31:18-19; Psalm 94:12). The Lord’s love for His people requires that they quickly quit the sins which they had embraced; hence His injunction to the Laodicean Christians: “be zealous therefore, and repent.” Dearly beloved, no more hesitating! Rather, be wholehearted and earnest to turn to God from our sins. The Lord desires us to come to Him in repentance, humility and commitment to do His unerring will.
Revelation 2:16
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
The Lord pronounced these words of threat against the church in Pergamos. He was displeased with their lack of doctrinal and moral integrity. He reproved that church, saying, “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate” (vv. 14-15). Being plagued with the heinous sins of fornication and heresies, their immediate repentance was a great necessity.
Thus, the Lord required them to “repent”. Repentance is the first act of souls who return to God from sin. By repenting, they acknowledge that they have erred and that they are truly sorry for their errors. It also demonstrates their willingness to separate from their sins. They then thereby yield themselves to holy living and to pleasing their Saviour and Lord, which are the signs and first endeavours of truly repented hearts. Yet, some adamantly refuse to repent while some others hesitate to repent quickly, citing that they have both time and grace available to them to repent. Delaying repentance could further harden their hearts, and the wrath of the Lord will come upon them when they least expect it. It is utterly foolish to delay repentance, especially in the light of the Lord’s unmistakable warning: “I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them”!
The Lord’s words, “I will come unto thee quickly”, warn the unrepentant people of the church that He will come against them in imminent judgment to deal with them for their unabashed continuance in sin. It also denotes that He is all set to deal with them. It is a forgone conclusion that the Lord will deal with the unrepentant at the time of His choice. This is not a reference to the final judgment at the Lord’s return, but to a judgment that He will bring upon a disobedient church or people at any imminent moment that He decides. He says that He “will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” He will fight them with the double-edged sword that proceeds from His mouth. His Word will be against them. He will not only reprimand them, but will also by His Word announce and seal their eternal destiny.
Revelation 2:4
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
The Lord Jesus Christ has just commended the church in Ephesus for several of her good deeds, such as her “works”, “labour”, “patience”, as well as her vigilance, discernment, separation from those who are “evil”, and fake “apostles” (v. 2). They were also commended for their “patience” (v. 3). Having credited them with the good they possessed and exhibited, the Lord now chides them for their spiritual declension.
The Lord has a deep, profound personal interest in the affairs of the church, for He is her Saviour, Bridegroom, Shepherd, Head, Lord and King. Furthermore, He has perfect knowledge of even the minutest thing that the church does. The Lord has taken notice of the church’s diminishing piety. He observes what is amiss, and faithfully reproves her for it.
Our Lord Jesus, as an impartial and the most holy Judge, takes notice of both the good and the bad in us. Let us not ever imagine that the Lord has not detected our drifting. Though we may have done much good, the Lord takes note with displeasure what is amiss in our hearts. All our good works will not serve as a cover for our spiritual rottenness. He will not approve of our backslidden condition.
The sin that Christ charged the Ephesus church with was their decay and declension in holy love and zeal. He chided her: “thou hast left thy first love”. He was not saying that she has left and forsaken Christ as the object of her love, but that she has lost the fervour and zeal of her love which she has first demonstrated. He will definitely rebuke and chastise us for our failure to love Him wholeheartedly.
The decline in enthusiasm in Christians’ love for their loving Lord and His kingdom is a prevalent spiritual malady in the church. Many begin their Christian life with great warmth of affection towards Christ, His Word, His church, His work, prayer, worship, holiness and heaven. However, their lively affections soon abate and cool off, grieving the Lord deeply. Christ is very displeased with His people who grow remiss and cold towards Him. If we are in such a condition of diminishing love for Christ, let us turn towards Him with deep contrition of soul to love Him with all our heart, mind and strength. Let us seek His help at once to retain our ardour for our loving Saviour and Lord.
Hebrews 10:23
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).
The early Jewish Christians were under much pressure to give up their faith in Christ. It is apparent that the people to whom this epistle was written were under persecution (cf. Hebrews 12:4-15). They were also in great danger of being apostatised by the Judaizers and other early false teachers. The epistle taught the Hebrew Christians why they should not go back to the rituals of the old covenant, as Christ has fulfilled them all as their perfect High Priest and unblemished Lamb of God. Considering the hostility and enormous pressure that they were subjected to, the apostle exhorted them to hold fast the profession of their faith.
The Greek word for “profession” (homología) literally means “confession” or “saying the same thing”. The Greek word translated “faith” (elpídos) emphasises the hopeful or confident nature of our faith. We ought to speak boldly and assuredly of our faith. So, the exhortation to us Christians is that we ought to “hold fast” the profession of our faith. We should continually acknowledge and confess our solemn faith in Christ.
We Christians must lay hold of Christ and never let go (not even in the slightest) of our faith in Him. We are urged to hold firmly to the faith that we profess. We are also exhorted to be “without wavering”. Regardless of the attempts by the opponents of the Gospel of Christ (be they persecutors or false teachers), we must remain unswerving in our faith. Let not our faith be shaken by opposition, trials or false teachings!
The solemn profession of our Christian faith is not just an initial confession that we make, but also the way we continue in it by words and actions. The confession of our faith must be maintained all through our lives, regardless of difficulties and hindrances. We cannot halt, but must always progress in the profession of our faith. Many make a “confession of faith”, but fail to “hold fast” the same. It is easy for someone to avow that he is a Christian, but it is most difficult indeed to live the life of one.
We are given an additional encouragement (in parenthesis) to hold fast our profession of faith, i.e. the fact that He who has promised us salvation and blessings is faithful. God, who has promised eternal life to us, is faithful to all that He has said. Since God is so faithful to us, we ought to be faithful to Him.
The BOE has been prayerfully discussing and considering the appointment of new members to serve on the committees of our church’s various ministries and fellowships. By the Lord’s guidance and grace, the BOE has finalised the selection of committee members to serve for the next three years (2025–2027). These newly appointed committee members will assume their responsibilities for planning and organising programmes, in alignment with the instructions provided by the BOE from time to time, following their installation on the first Sunday of January 2025.
In the interim, the BOE directs all current committees to plan the meetings and activities for the first four months of 2025, as the newly assigned committees will be responsible for organising those activities starting in January 2025. We thank the Lord for the dedication and faithfulness of the brothers and sisters who have diligently served as committee members in their respective ministries and fellowships. Their wholehearted efforts and fervent commitment have been a blessing to the church. May the Lord richly reward each of them for their labour of love and faithful service in His kingdom.
Church committees advance the church’s mission through prayerful decision-making and a Christ-like attitude. To ensure that their service is consistent with our church’s biblical principles and goals, they should plan and organise all the activities according to the BOE’s directives. For this purpose, every committee functions under an Elder of the church who serves as an Advisor. All who serve in the committees need to be mindful that they ought to be submissive to the biblical authority of the Pastor and the BOE, as our church’s constitution stipulates:
Article 12.2—The spiritual oversight of the Church in matters of doctrine, principles of government, church elections, admission and discipline of members and the administrative oversight of the Church shall be the specific responsibilities of the BOE.
Article 15.7—The Lead Pastor shall be the ex-officio member and advisor of all committees connected with the Church, except that he may delegate such role to a Pastor or an Elder.
May the Lord help all the new committee members to be diligent and servant-hearted to serve together in unity. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). Committees must ensure their actions and policies align with biblical principles, avoiding compromise with worldly standards or practices. Committees should welcome input from church leaders, pastors, and other members to ensure well-rounded and informed choices. “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). Decisions should always be guided by the Word of God. Hasty decisions can lead to mistakes. Committees should take time to seek God’s will, trusting His timing rather than reacting impulsively to circumstances. Every decision should be evaluated, based on whether it glorifies God. Committees exist not to promote personal agendas, but to advance God’s kingdom and honour His name.
Chinese Service
Pastor Koshy (Advisor)
Pr Daniel Lim
Eld. Alan Choy
Dn Gan Chin Hwi
Bro. Francis Tan
Filipino Fellowship (GFF)
Pastor Koshy (Advisor)
Dn Norefel Resuma
Bro. Anthony Evangelista
Bro. Jordan Ballega
Bro. Juffrey Balicao
Malayalam Fellowship
Pastor Koshy (Advisor)
Dn Benny Skariah
Dn Lijoy George
Bro. Joish Paul
Pastoral Visitation
Pastor Koshy (Advisor)
Eld. Ng Poh Kok
Eld. Lim Ah Sang
Dn Tan Eng Huat
Bro. David Tan
Evangelism Outreach (GEO)
Eld. Low Boon Siang (Advisor)
Pr Jeremiah Sim
Bro. Chan Tuck Whye
Bro. Gerry Lee
Seniors’ Ministry (GSM)
Eld. Mah Chin Kwang (Advisor)
Eld. Ng Poh Kok
Pr Jeremiah Sim
Pr Daniel Lim
Men’s Fellowship (GMF)
Eld. Lim Ah Sang (Advisor)
Dn Lijoy George
Bro. Benjamin Cho
Bro. Ignatius Law
Bro. James Chen
Bro. Jomart Tindaan
Ladies’ Fellowship (GLF)
Pastor Koshy (Advisor)
Sis. Julie Skariah
Sis. Lim Chow Lin
Sis. Low Hui Lin
Sis. Merisa Teong
Sis. Tan Beng Yan
Children’s Ministry (GCM)
Pastor Koshy (Advisor)
Bro. Jordy Kay
Bro. Matthew Mah
Sis. Charlene Mae Abrena
Sis. Choy Luan Kheng
Sis. Rhodora Resuma
Adults’ Fellowship (GAF)
Eld. Francis Lee (Advisor)
Bro. Andrew Teong
Bro. Aron Ong
Bro. Lim Peng Kwang
Bro. Matthew Mah
Bro. Shaun Ng
Dn Benny Skariah (Mentor)
Youth Fellowship (GYF)
Pastor Koshy (Advisor)
Pr Cornelius Koshy
Dns Diana Chan
Bro. Amoz Choy (Auxiliary)
Bro. Gideon Lee (Auxiliary)
Bro. Marcus Chee (Auxiliary)
Bro. Rayson Tan (Auxiliary)
Sis. Judy Chan (Auxiliary)
Young Adults’ Fellowship (GYAF)
Eld. Low Boon Siang (Advisor)
Bro. Andronicus Koshy
Bro. Benjamin Chong
Bro. Goh Yong Wei
Bro. Matthew Peh
Bro. Raphael Ko
Young Mothers’ Fellowship (GYM)
Pastor Koshy (Advisor)
Sis. Jenice Chee
Sis. Joey Peh
Sis. Law Sze Huey
Sis. Tan Hua See
Sis. Sophia Zhang (Mentor)
Sis. Tay Su Ling (Mentor)
Encouragers’ Ministry (GEM)
Eld. Mah Chin Kwang (Advisor)
Dn John Zhang
Dn Lijoy George
Dns Diana Chan
Bro. Edward Wong
Sis. Lee Kim Lei
Defenders’ Ministry (GDM)
Eld. Francis Lee (Advisor)
Pr Samson Hutagalung (Consultant)
Pr Cornelius Koshy
Dn John Zhang
Dn Tan Eng Huat
Bro. Jonathan Tay
Church Library
Pastor Koshy (Advisor)
Bro. John Peh
Sis. Chairine Chayadi
Sis. Chong Shu Mun
Sis. Jenice Chee
Sis. Ruby Seng
Sis. Yeo Geok Hien
Ushers’ Ministry
Eld. Low Boon Siang (Advisor)
Dn Benny Skariah (Overall IC)
Bro. Marcus Chee (2IC)
Bro. Matthew Peh (AV IC)
Bro. Cayson Chok (SingPost Store IC)
Sis. Sarah Yong (Sunday Slides IC)
Sis. Karen Quek (Sunday Refreshment IC)
Dn Norefel Resuma (Holy Communion Coordinator)
Sis. Yeo Geok Hien (Holy Communion Preparatory Team Leader)
Sermon Text: Psalm 96:1–13
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 8th December 2024