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 12:33-36, The Time Is Short

Sometimes we live as though life will just continue forever. In this passage from John 12, Jesus reminds us that the time is short and that we must: 1) stop making excuses, 2) seize the opportunity, and 3) heed God’s warnings, for the purpose of walking and believing in the light, for the purpose of putting into practice the truth of Christ and trusting in Him from the heart. May our God grant to each of us the wisdom to sense the urgency to be faithful disciples who help make more disciples for the glory of God in Christ.

John 12:28-32, The Triumph of Christ

Christ triumphed over Satan. In this remarkable passage, Jesus shows us that through His death on the cross (“lifted up”), He dethrones Satan and redeems sinners from his agenda of sin and separation from God. Through the atoning blood of Christ, all the resources for spiritual victory has been given to us. May we stand guard as soldiers of Christ on high alert, and not tootle along as civilians oblivious to our spiritual enemy.

John 12:27-28, A Portrait of Christ

We kick off 2022 with a portrait of Jesus from this passage from John 12. In this text, Jesus gives Himself as an example of self-denial and commitment to the will of the Father. Jesus is uncompromising, steadfast and worshipful. May we turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face over and over again in 2022. May this text of Scripture give us another portrait to hang on the walls of our minds to behold the glory of the Lord and thus be conformed to His likeness.

John 12:25-26, Whom We Serve and Follow

Christ is whom we serve and follow. As we come to the end of year 2021, we consider how we should evaluate this past year and our lives en toto. The question inevitably arises as to what standard by which we should make this evaluation. In this text of Scripture, Jesus gives us the grid by which we should examine our lives. In two words, the standard is lordship and imitation. How have we honored Jesus as Lord over our lives (“serve Me”) and how have we become more like Him (“follow Me”). May the Holy Spirit grant to us open eyes to see our lives rightly.

John 1:1-14, The Word Became Flesh

“The Word became flesh.” With these simple yet profound words, John begins to show the eternal significance of the Christmas story: the eternal and uncreated Son of God took on humanity, dwelt among ordinary people, and revealed the glory of God in the fullness of His grace and truth. In this sermon, we conclude with the apex of the grace of God in Christ: Shared sonship. Christ shares with us His nearness to the Father and gives us the right to become the children of God (1:12). He does so by paying the ultimate price of the cross to take away our sins as “the Lamb of God” (1:29). Jesus speaks the truth of God and grants to us what we do not deserve, the grace of God in sonship. This is the Christmas story according to the Apostle John.

John 12:25-26, The Cross of Discipleship

No one can grasp hold of the cross of Christ which atones for sin without also taking hold of the cross of discipleship. When Christ calls a man to salvation, He calls him to self-denial and the cross. The call to salvation is the call to the cross. In this study, we examine not only the words of Christ in this text but also the rest of the gospels and the epistles to see this resounding message of Christ that all who are saved indeed bear the cross of discipleship to serve and obey the Lord.

John 12:20-27, The Glory and Fruit of the Cross

Jesus saw His cross as the means of displaying the glory of God’s grace and as the way to usher in the nations to the salvation blessing of God. It is through Jesus’ willing self-sacrifice on the cross that the gates of heaven were opened up to us, the nations. Jesus hears the meager request of the Greeks for a meeting with Him and speaks of a gift beyond their wildest imagination.