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Following the Master
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During February and March our Sunday Service theme is “Following the Master”. Jesus Christ is our Master and we are each to be His followers, just as the disciples were 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ spent less then four years in ministry, yet His teachings alone have impacted more than anyone else’s. Of course, He also died for our sins, as God’s Son paying the price for our failure and shame, so we can be forgiven and adopted into God’s family, also as God’s sons. Yet Christ’s teachings stand far above all the thoughts and philosophies of man.
Jesus’ very first sermon was the same one that John the Baptist preached before Jesus began His ministry. That sermon is simply, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2, 4:17). As Jesus continued preaching He explained more about the Kingdom of God and what repentance is all about. In Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount” recorded in Matthew chapters 5-7 Jesus revealed much about what a right heart attitude is like. The famous “Beatitudes” (Matthew 5:3-11) summarise much of this important teaching, and so those Beatitudes are the theme of our “Sermon in the Bush”, as we explore “Following the Master”.
Janice Mok was given the task of designing our décor for this current series and she came up with the idea of the “Sermon in the Bush” to contextualise this vital series of messages. It is important that we do not see these as ancient and irrelevant pointers suited to a culture far removed from us, but as something immediate and relevant to people living today, in Australia.
Pastor Chris Field helped convey the “Sermon in the Bush” feel by introducing our speakers each week by way of video from a bushland setting.
Pastor Roland taught on the first of these Beatitudes, “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”. It is not easy to be poor in spirit in a culture that is so full of pride and self-opinionated people.
Jon Siow and Darrel Yap have cleverly brought this truth alive in their “Follower of Jesus Christ vs Follower of Self” TV commercials to help us get better insight into these key teachings. Congratulations to both on a delightful way to illustrate the messages.
Pastor William Lau brought the second Beatitude to life, “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted”, by demonstrating the power of God to heal and bless people who are hurting. It is wonderful to have so many people who were physically healed through Pastor Lau’s ministry.
Pastor Roland then brought to life the third of the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”. Darrell and Jon also gave application to this truth through their TV ad contrasting self-willed people with those who follow Jesus Christ. Sister Evelyn took us to the half-way point in this series with her look at “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be satisfied”. Guest preacher Jeremiah Yap ministered “mercy” to us as he taught on “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy”.
As we explore these “Sermons in the Bush” we discover that “Following the Master” is not a physical journey, but one that we must make with our heart. Christ challenges many of the things we learn from our culture, showing that a truly Christlike life stands in contrast to the worldly attitudes we have been raised with. As the series goes on, our prayer is that you will be transformed as you continue “Following the Master”.
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