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2023 Sermon Series (Priority Reset) Booklet
- 1st January – 19th February : Priority reset: should I care?
Worship and spirituality are the essence of Christian life. After their return from exile from Babylon to Jerusalem, the Israelites rebuilt the temple and the city, and life soon settled down into a routine pattern of worship and religious formalities. But old habits die hard. Hidden under their superficial worship and formalities lies deep issues of doubts, apathy, negligence, arrogance and indulgence. What about us? Some of us might have been a Christian for quite some time, but have we likewise lost our zeal for the Lord, for his Word and his work? Have we slowly slipped into the slippery slope of spiritual superficiality and apathy? Has our faith gradually moved away from the center to the peripheries of life? Now is the time to reflect, rethink, reset, refocus and rebuild our spiritual and worship life.
Date Theme Chapter 01/01/2023 Does God still love me – show it to me? * Mal. 1:1-1:5 08/01/2023 Do I still love God – what have I offered to him? Mal. 1:6-2:9 15/01/2023 Special Sunday: Joint anniversary service & vision casting to be specified by speaker 22/01/2023 Special Sunday: Chinese new-year celebration To be specified by speaker 29/01/2023 Do I still love her – the wife of my youth? Mal. 2:10-16 05/02/2023 Why bother to care – if God doesn’t seem to care? Mal. 2:17-3:5 12/02/2023 Why bother to tithe – if I don’t have enough? Mal. 3:6-12 19/02/2023 Why bother to serve God – if it makes no difference? Mal. 3:13-4:6 * Note: all these titles are tentative for preachers’ use only; chairpersons should consult with the preacher in order to obtain the actual sermon title for the week.
- 26th February – 9th July : Priority reset: the kingdom of heaven on earth
Christians often think of “going” to heaven, but Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer towards the opposite direction. He taught us to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done ‘on earth’ as it is in heaven.” We have too many misconceptions about the “kingdom of heaven.” The kingdom of heaven is not just a place to which we will ascend when we die. The kingdom of heaven is about the here and now. The kingdom of heaven should not only be a future tense, but also a present tense. Disciples should not wait for a distant future event, but go and live out the pattern of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven here and now, allowing the values of the kingdom of heaven to radically change the way we live on earth.
Jesus walked through the hills and villages of Galilee proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven is near! Repent (Matt. 4:17)! We should also repent of our superficial, lukewarm attitude to faith and take every teaching of Jesus seriously and strive to put it into practice. There are five major blocks of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s Gospel, corresponding to the Pentateuch of the Old Testament (the five books of Moses), to show that Jesus is more than Moses. If we take these teachings on the values of the Kingdom seriously and seek to put them into practice, we will find these teachings extremely radical and challenging. They will even bring us “troubles.” But perhaps the challenge is good, because these teachings of Jesus are not meant for us to be comfortable and stay in the current status. Rather, they are meant to challenge us and inspire us to live out the values of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
So let the teaching of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel challenge us to live our faith. Let us put into practice the teachings of Jesus. Let us live out the values of the kingdom of heaven on earth, here and now, and let the kingdom of heaven come to us through our practice. May the will of the Father be done on earth, and in us, as it is in heaven.
Date Theme Chapter 26/02/2023 The calling * Matt. 4:17-22 05/03/2023 The beatitudes Matt. 5:1-16 12/03/2023 The law Matt. 5:17-48 19/03/2023 Special Sunday: Mother’s day to be specified by speaker 26/03/2023 The righteous deeds Matt. 6:1-18 02/04/2023 The treasure Matt. 6:19-34 09/04/2023 Special Sunday: Easter Sunday to be specified by speaker 16/04/2023 The generous Father Matt. 7:1-12 23/04/2023 The two choices Matt. 7:13-27 30/04/2023 The apostles Matt. 10:1-42 07/05/2023 The seed Matt. 13:1-23 14/05/2023 The parable of the kingdom of heaven Matt. 13:24-52 21/05/2023 The little one Matt. 18:1-20 28/05/2023 The forgiveness Matt. 18:21-35 04/06/2023 The woes Matt. 23:1-39 11/06/2023 The signs Matt. 24:1-51 18/06/2023 Special Sunday: Father’s day (TNG Sunday) to be specified by speaker 25/06/203 The ten virgins Matt. 25:1-13 02/07/2023 The good and faithful servant Matt. 25:14-30 09/07/2023 The commission Matt. 28:16-20 * Note: all these titles are tentative for preachers’ use only; chairpersons should consult with the preacher in order to obtain the actual sermon title for the week.
- 16th July – 20th August : Priority reset: how can I worship the Lord?
By understanding and recognizing the psalms in their different genres, we can learn to reset our relationship with God under different circumstances, so that we can express our worship through poetry by pouring out our hearts to God, and thereby re-establish / rebuild our relationship with God.
Date Theme Chapter 16/07/2023 Praise the King * Ps. 96 23/07/2023 The joy of forgiveness of sins Ps. 32 30/07/2023 Asking God for remembrance in Iament Ps. 137 06/08/2023 From sorrow to joy Ps. 13 13/08/2023 What shall I return to the Lord? Ps. 116 20/08/2023 Hope comes from the Lord Ps. 62 * Note: all these titles are tentative for preachers’ use only; chairpersons should consult with the preacher in order to obtain the actual sermon title for the week.
- 27th August – 29th October : Abraham: Faith of our father, faithfulness of our Father
Paul calls Abraham the father of all who are made righteous through faith. Abraham was not a perfect man nor a role model for good behaviour – the story of Genesis traces many sins and tragedies in his life and the life of his family. But God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, and he believed. In this series, we will follow the story of this covenant and of faithful God who is true to his promises (and reflect on the priorities of our lives).
Date Theme Chapter 27/08/2023 Abram and Lot separate * Gen. 13 03/09/2023 Abram rescues Lot Gen. 14 10/09/2023 God’s covenant with Abraham Gen. 15 17/09/2023 The covenant of circumcision Gen. 17 24/09/2023 The promise of a child (Mid-Autumn festival / evangelistic) Gen. 18:1-15 01/10/2023 Sodom and Gomorrah Gen. 18:16-19:38 08/10/2023 Sarah and the two kings Gen. 12:10-20, 20:1-18 15/10/2023 Abraham tested Gen. 21:1-7, 22:1-19 22/10/2023 Hagar and Ishmael Gen. 16, 21:8-21 29/10/2023 The death of Sarah Gen. 22:20-23:20 * Note: all these titles are tentative for preachers’ use only; chairpersons should consult with the preacher in order to obtain the actual sermon title for the week.
- 5th – 26th November : Special Mission Series – Subversive Mission
Mission Series Sermon Month
Theme : Subversive Mission: Discover a New Way to do MissionsWhy there are many full-time missionaries being sent from everywhere to everywhere (no longer from west to east)? What is an Integral Mission? How do tentmaking missionaries share the gospel? When is World Mission changing and Where is World Mission now?
Currently CCiL has 3 languages service (Cantonese, Mandarin & English) and 13 Sunday services (7 Cantonese, 4 Mandarin, 2 English). Each sermon is 30 minutes max in duration. Speakers to choose their own bible passages for their sermons to inspire, educate, and mobilize the church community to actively participate in God’s mission of spreading His love and salvations to all people. Some key elements include “Biblical Foundation”, “Urgency of the Mission”, “Personal Stories and Testimonies”, “Culture Relevance”, Practical Applications”, “Prayer and Dependence on God “, “The role of every believer” etc.
Date Theme 05/11/2023 Full-time Missionaries 12/11/2023 Integral Mission 19/11/2023 Tentmaking Missionaries 26/11/2023 World Mission - 3rd – 31st December : Priority reset: church in end times
Paul, Silas, and Timothy travelled to Thessalonica2 to proclaim the coming of the Messiah at the Jewish synagogue in that city (Acts 17:3). A “great many of the devout Greeks” and “leading women” believed (Acts 17:4), but the Jewish leaders of the synagogue became jealous (Acts 17:3), and Paul and his companions were kicked out of the city. After a few months they could “bear it no longer” (1 Thess. 3:1), and Timothy was sent to Thessalonica to encourage the young church. Although the text is rather brief, Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is one of the most positive, and the message spans “all tenses of salvation” – after he reminds the Thessalonians of how they turned from the past to the present, the apostle admonishes them to live in the present for the future when Christ will definitively return. The consummate reminder of Christ’s return, however, is not just a piece of information for the future, but to transform their lives in the present. We are very much in need of such advice in order to make “best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16). In view of Jesus’ return, what should the priorities of our church and our lives be?
Date Theme Chapter 03/12/2023 Priorities of church leaders * 1 Thess. 1:1-2:13 10/12/2023 Expectations for the church: take a stand 1 Thess. 2:14-3:13 17/12/2023 Straight talk about holiness 1 Thess. 4:1-12 24/12/2023 Straight talk about Jesus’ return 1 Thess. 4:13-5:11 13/12/2023 Straight talk about congregational conduct 1 Thess. 5:12-28 * Note: all these titles are tentative for preachers’ use only; chairpersons should consult with the preacher in order to obtain the actual sermon title for the week.