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28 APRIL 2019

PRAISE AND WORSHIP

OFFERING

DOXOLOGY

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SCRIPTURE READING

PASTORAL PRAYER

MESSAGE

RESPONSE SONG

BENEDICTION Thank you for joining us today!

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Preaching Schedule

Pastor Sherman is preaching at another church this week.

Everyone’s A Theologian

Please do join us for Everyone’s A Theologian (EAT) on ‘Desiring God’

after service and refreshments on 05 May 2019. See you in class!

Church Events Annual General Meeting | 02 June 2019 AGM will be held on the 02 June 2019. In case more time for external auditing is required, the AGM will be held on 30 June 2019 instead. Mid Autumn Celebration | 6 September 2019 Celebration held by Chinese congregation. Children’s Day Celebration | 04 October 2019 Vacation Bible School | November (Dates to be confirmed) Christmas Celebration | December (Date to be confirmed)

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We are thankful for all our faithful servants in Christ this week.

28 APRIL 2019 Preacher Wei En Yi

Worship Team Jeriel Goh Chan Jing Xiong Wong Fang Yi

AV Crew Benjamin Wong Scripture Reader Penith Boolsambatra

Ushers Jeannie Wong Calvin Han Maureen Tan

Worship Updater Maureen Tan

Counting Stewards Mavis Tan Wong Mei Choo

Floral Arranger Maureen Tan Refreshments Stewards Lauw Xiu Ting’s Group

Sunday School Team Lauw Xiu Ting Margaret Ng Celia Ching

Juniors Alive Teachers Ng Yui Yun Joshua Tan

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Many thanks to our brothers and sisters who serve the Lord readily each week.

05 MAY 2019 Preacher Pastor Sherman Tjiong

Worship Team

Jeriel Goh Benjamin Wong Lim Yen Yee Lauw Xiu Ting Zebedee Teo

AV Crew Wong Yi Jie Scripture Reader Maureen Tan

Ushers Mavis Tan Chan Jing Xiong Janjira Soh

Worship Updater Ng Siok Keow

Counting Stewards Penith Boolsambatra Rose Hong

Floral Arranger Ng Siok Keow Refreshments Stewards Tan Tat Hock's Group Sunday School Team Service Juniors Alive Teachers Service

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A believer’s response towards corrupt government Micah 3:9-12

“We cannot let the government get away with it!” This is the cry of social and

political commentators who demand that justice be done upon uncovering

incidents of perceived corruption or injustice, brought about by the rule or

policies of the leaders of a country. Whether in Singapore or in the US, the

uncovered sins of the government will be the talk of the town with cries for

their resignation on every political commentator’s Facebook or YouTube

channel.

So comes the question, how should a Christian react in the face of such

corruption? We might not see such corruption in the Singapore government

now, but it might be a matter of time before our leaders lose their clean image.

Micah was facing a truly unjust and evil group of rulers. In our previous

devotions, we have just seen the extent of corruption and evil done by the

Therefore because of you, Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

Micah 3:12

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rulers of the house of Israel (v.1-4), and the prophets (v.5-8). Micah now turns

his condemnation to address all the leaders of Israel - not just the political

leaders who rule the land, not only the spiritual leaders that include the priests

and the prophets, but also the heads of the households of Israel (v.9).

Just how evil were the leaders of Israel?

They were evil right down to their very core

People who are living in sin, love their sin. This was the state of the leaders of

Israel. Instead of loving justice, they detest it. Instead of obeying and following

God’s ways, the leaders of Israel went against God’s revelation of Himself.

Despite knowing about God and His ways, the leaders knowingly went against

His laws and surrounded themselves with all sorts of vices. This led Micah to

describe them as a people who hate good and love evil (v.2).

The wickedness of the leaders was demonstrated in the way that they built up

the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. While the buildings and

infrastructure around the city may look impressive, Micah saw beyond the

beauty in what was built, and took issue with the leaders in the way that this

city was built. The leaders of Israel resorted to violence, bloodshed and even

murder to get such a wonderful city. They “build Zion with blood” and

“Jerusalem with iniquity.” (v.10)

Exodus 23:6-8 describes what God expects of his people. It is strikingly similar

to the condemnations Micah brings against the leaders of Israel. This is what

Exodus 23 says:

6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. 7 Keep far

from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not

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acquit the wicked. 8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-

sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. (Exodus 23:6-8)

It almost seems as though Micah said what is in our passage today to show

that the leaders of Israel were doing the complete opposite of what God

expects of His people in Exodus 23. Rather than working for the good of the

people, these leaders oppressed the people and built their empire on the

people’s blood. Rather than upholding justice, the leaders of Israel were taking

bribes.

They were evil to the point of being self-deceived Not only were Israel’s leaders carrying out their acts of corruption, they were

also self-deceived. They had a misplaced trust in God when they “leaned on

the Lord saying ‘is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come

upon us’” (v.11). They justified their life with half-truths thinking that God’s

presence guaranteed the nation’s security.

They thought that they were blessed by God, without reflecting on God’s

demands for their obedience, and without heeding the warnings if they did not

obey. Having the mindset of claiming the blessings of God without any thought

for holiness or obedience is a sure way to walk the same road as these

leaders of Israel.

An evil that went against God’s intentions

Micah also specifically named 3 groups of leaders who had fallen prey to the

love of money. The rulers of Israel, the prophets and the priests. The rulers in

essence were the kings of Israel, those who had authority over all the people.

These were the 3 offices that God had appointed to show to people what the

work of the coming Christ would be like. The 3 groups were a shadow, meant

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to give an image of the work that our Lord Jesus would accomplish. These 3

offices were meant to show God’s glory. And the leaders of Israel had

perverted every single one of those offices.

The prophets, meant to be the messengers who speak to the people of behalf

of God, were taking payments to pronounce false prophecies upon the people.

The priests who were to represent the people before God, acting as mediators

between God and men were selling their services out to profit from their God-

given roles. The rulers of Israel, who were to uphold justice and protect the

vulnerable, were judging based on bribes.

Such a perversion of the offices that God installed in Israel certainly

demanded God’s justice upon them. How should a worshipper of God then

respond to such leaders?

A believer’s response

Political commentators sometimes take it upon themselves to bring to light the

evils done by the government, so that they can call to action the power of the

people to vote their preferred government into power. And this is a common

observation among political activists, talk show hosts, taxi drivers and any

opposition party member; Justice has to be carried out now. But how should a

believer respond or think when being placed under a government like this?

The first words of Micah’s response were “hear this” (v.9). In essence, telling

the leaders of Israel to pay attention to the warnings and threats that are

coming.

A true prophet’s warnings are not those that threaten to remove these people

from power, threaten to throw them in jail, or replace them with another group

of leaders who might be more God-fearing. A true prophet of God has an

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eschatological concern; his mind is looking towards the time beyond our lives

here on earth, which is the coming judgement of God.

Another learning point is that nothing is hidden from God. While many of the

deeds of the leaders of Israel appeared to have been done in the shadows

(bribery, murders, giving injustice to the marginalized of society), God sees all

that is happening in the land. Not only vengeance, but also justice will be

brought about in His time. The leaders of Israel may get away with what they

are doing right now, but God sees it all and no one can escape His

punishment.

So this is the promise of God; that the Judge this earth will do right. May we

strive as a community not to resort to grumbling about our government or

being discontented with them. But let us fully trust in the provision of God,

humbly live under their rule and trusting that God is fully in control of what

happens in our nation.

– The End –

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Without Good Friends, You Will Die Message Excerpt

John Piper “Exhort one another every day.” (Hebrews 3:13)

You know why it says every day? Because you’re being lied to every day. You

are. Your flesh is lying to you, the world is lying to you, the devil’s lying to you.

Remember Andy Nasselli’s message. Social media and all advertising, all TV

programs, all movies — they all lie. All of them lie. Every day they’re lying to

you. So, it’s no accident that Hebrews 3:13 says, “Exhort one another every

day”.

If you have a small group that meets every two weeks, that’s fine. Just use

email and be on the phone a lot. In other words, the pocket gatherings —

weekly or bi-weekly — are to establish relationships that get this thing going

for every day. You think you don’t need this every day. You don’t know what

you’re up against. I’m so thankful for email and people that love my soul and

have the courage to tell me things.

This is your calling. This is your calling as a Christian. No matter what

occupation or vocation you do, this is your calling.

Christian friendships exist for this: to say things that keep each other believing.

Small groups exist for this: to say things that keep each other believing.

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Christian counseling exists for this: to say things that keep each other

believing.

Church planting teams — in Afghanistan or wherever — exist for this: to keep

each other believing.

Christian marriage and parenting exists for this: to keep her believing. Yes,

wives, keep him believing.

Whatever you have to say, whatever you have to do, is it not clear what we

need to say? If the essence of deceit, sin, hardness, unbelief, falling away,

eternal destruction, if the essence of the deceit is God is less to be desired

than ___, what are you going to say? “He’s better, He’s better! Christ is better!

His way is better — in a thousand experiential and biblical ways. He’s better!”

That’s what you’re going to say. Hebrews 11 illustrates it with, “Even the

reproaches of Christ are better than the pleasures of Egypt” (Hebrews 11:26).

If that’s the positive thing we’re going to say, the negative is also true. You’re

going to die if you don’t turn around. You’re going to say, “The pleasures of

Egypt are fleeting, don’t go there. You will perish in the Red Sea if you go

there. You’ll die in the wilderness if you go there.” And we will warn them.

I have a letter here that was sent to me. I love to save letters. This was back

when people wrote letters, 1992, handwritten by a young woman who was

going here in the eighties and she was living in fornication and her conscience

was bothering her and she came to see me. We drew that out, and after a little

while I said to her, “You know, don’t you, that if you continue in this, you’ll go

to hell?”

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Here’s what she wrote seven years later. We talked in 1985. This was written

in 1992:

I wonder whether you remember a very much younger me sitting in your office

and telling you I was afraid God would have to use a car accident or some

other awful event to get my attention. You pointed out that the consequences

of my deliberate choice to continue sinning would be nothing short of hell itself.

No one had ever before told me I was headed for hell, missionary kid that I

was, ‘saved’ at age six. It was a turning point in my life and I have wanted to

thank you and tell that ever since. I assured mom that a warning such as that

conversation in 1985 made me feel the more loved, after I heard what you

really think of it in listening to your message. That you cared enough to tell me,

a stranger at the time, means more than ever with the echo in my ears, your

compassion came through to me.

You say, “He’s better!” And you say, “If you don’t turn and fight this, you’re

going to perish.” You say that to your roommate, you say it to your child, you

say it to anyone.

- The End -

Piper, J. (2019). Without Good Friends, You Will Die. Retrieved from https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/we-need-each-other/excerpts/without-good-friends-you-will-die