Peter Chen
Psalm 127:1, Without the LORD, Frustration!

This familiar psalm reminds us that the ultimate worker and provider in all our endeavors is the LORD. While the natural principle of cause and effect is indeed taught in Scripture, this psalm shows us that that principle must always be accompanied by the understanding that the LORD is the crucial provider in all our affairs. Whether it's our homes or the house of God, our greatest need is the LORD’s provision. In this unique psalm of Solomon, the Holy Spirit teaches us that human strength and ingenuity alone do not guarantee success. It is the LORD and His provision that ensure true success. May we learn to pray, depend on the LORD, and carry out His work with hearts that wait on Him.

Peter Chen
Revelation 7:1-14 The Protection of God's People

Revelation 7 shows that the wrath of the Lamb will be poured out on those who dwell on the earth, not upon Jesus’ own beloved people. John is shown two groups that will stand despite the intense judgments to come and contrary to the unbelievers’ outcry (6:17): the 144K Israelites and the raptured Gentile church of God. This sermon is part one of two sermons on Revelation 7 on the important topic of the rapture and its implications.

Peter Chen
Micah 5:2-4 The Messianic Message of Micah

Micah prophesied of the Messiah that He is the LORD God and that He is the shepherd over His people. This is the true message of Christmas that woos us to worship Christ, to love, honor, and serve Him. May we ponder deeply the wonder of Christmas, that the LORD, the eternal God, came from heaven in human flesh, born in Bethlehem, born of a woman, in the person of Jesus, to seek and save that which was lost and to shepherd all His elect who repent and trust in Him, to guide them away from sin and in the pathway of sanctification all the way home to glory.

Peter Chen
Psalm 37 - God: Your only refuge!

Psalm 37 is a Psalm written by Israel’s greatest king, king David. It reveals only two possibilities for the end of a person’s life. The wicked will be cut off by God’s judgment. Although they prosper abundantly in the present, their end is certain. They are not satisfied with prosperity, so they seek to destroy the righteous. Yet, the righteous seek refuge in the LORD. A repeated refrain in the Psalm is, “do not fret.” The path for settling your soul is through seeking refuge in God. The Christian’s heart is encouraged through this revelation of God, who sustains the righteous. Moreover, the Psalm directs Christians to trust, with great hope, in the LORD. The result is that they can progress through life’s difficulties and into eternity because of the salvation of God. He truly delivers those who seek refuge in Him from evildoers.

Dan Lee
Revelation 4-6, The Reign of God

The revelation of the future is given from the perspective of heaven. God reigns as the supreme ruler and deity who is enthroned and worshipped in heaven. What is true in heaven becomes the reality on earth as the revelation of the future unfolds. This revelation commences with Jesus breaking open the seals and shows the backdrop against which the judgments of God will come: ordinary and natural suffering in the fallen world and the persecution of Christians and their holy prayer for justice. In response to their prayer, divine wrath is poured out upon the world (with the seventh seal [8:1] and the trumpet and bowl judgments that ensue). All of this affirms the resounding biblical call to be ready for Christ. He is indeed coming quickly. May we be dressed in readiness and keep our lamps lit.

John 12:1-8, What is Christ Worth to You? (Part 2)

Christ was worthless to Judas. His protest of Mary’s lavish gift puts on display what was in his heart: atheism and contempt. He has no understanding of God who is to be worshipped, who is revealed in the Son of God incarnate; and he expresses disdain for the Lord whom he values far less than Mary’s perfume. This is the heart of the unconverted: worship-less and contemptuous toward Jesus. But to the converted, Christ is everything to us, and we long to worship the Lord day and night forever and ever, as we will in heaven, for we are His worshippers.

John 12:1-8, What is Christ Worth to You?

John takes us from the conspiracy of the Jews to Jesus’ triumphal entry by way of a burial preparation. Jesus heads to Jerusalem to die. In this transition passage, John highlights for us the worthiness of Christ. The Son of God who bore our sins is worth more than anything else in this world. We find this front and center through two individuals of Mary and Judas. Christ’s worth was superlative and supreme for Mary. The opposite was true of Judas. May the Holy Spirit probe our hearts and help us see just what Christ is worth to us.

John 11:45-53, No Setbacks for Our Sovereign God

The aftermath of Lazarus’ resurrection may be seen as a setback to Jesus’ ministry. While many of the Jews who had come to Bethany believe, some take word to Jesus’ enemies, the Pharisees, and this triggers a chain reaction that sets the stage for Jesus’ crucifixion. Is this all a setback in the plan of God? No. This is all a part of God’s plan of redemption. Whether it is hostility in general or it is the highest level of government authority, God is bigger them all and weaves the black thread of evil into His beautiful tapestry of redemption, to bring many sons to glory, first His only begotten Son, then His many adopted sons.

John 11:40-45, Jesus is no hyper-Calvinist

We live under the sovereign control of God whose purpose cannot be thwarted. But should this make us passive and lazy in our sense of participation in the works of God? In this study of the gospel of John, we see Jesus also living under the sovereignty of God, and yet He is in no way passive. He actively maintains a sharp focus on the purpose of God, He prays and seeks for God’s purpose to come to pass, and He actively participates in the work of God to raise Lazarus ultimately for the glory of God. May we like Christ actively pray and labor to bring to pass the revealed will of our sovereign God.