back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service 4.30.23
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Let us begin our worship service this morning 00:04:15.800 |
♪ In His love and what a foretaste of deliverance ♪ 00:05:00.200 |
So if you guys do have a child that's eligible 00:05:21.600 |
and then the registration for every subsequent child is 45. 00:05:25.400 |
And so just take note that it's open only for members 00:05:31.120 |
But in the event you guys are reaching out to a family 00:05:34.720 |
and then their children are not churched or not believers, 00:05:43.360 |
And so what we don't want are, like, VBS hoppers, you know? 00:06:02.040 |
So if COVID affected your wedding, that's you, okay? 00:06:05.880 |
So we have a couple of things that are coming up. 00:06:16.480 |
But May 13th, there's gonna be a barbecue bonanza 00:06:25.800 |
But if you are a newer couple, especially to this church, 00:06:28.480 |
and you've been married around three years or under, 00:06:31.160 |
this is a great opportunity for you to meet people 00:06:43.440 |
we do like a Bible study and a time of fellowship 00:06:53.240 |
So please not only mark that on the calendar, 00:07:03.240 |
because food is involved and we do need a headcount. 00:07:14.800 |
If you signed up for that right after service at 1 p.m. 00:07:23.200 |
and they're gonna start right at one o'clock. 00:07:24.800 |
And even if you didn't sign up and you wanna come, 00:07:36.120 |
just go tell the welcome team that you're coming. 00:07:56.000 |
for fundraiser for our missions is happening on that day. 00:08:07.940 |
that's happening on August 11th through the 13th. 00:08:12.340 |
the cost is gonna go up into regular registration. 00:08:15.700 |
So even if you signed up, if you have not paid, 00:08:18.580 |
you're not registered yet, just to make that clear. 00:08:24.840 |
So we need you to register as soon as possible. 00:08:36.820 |
we're gonna have time for our sister, Sakura. 00:08:41.260 |
I forgot how to pronounce her last name, so I won't say it. 00:08:59.740 |
Gracious Father, we thank you so much for this morning. 00:09:07.060 |
with all the crazy things that are happening in the world. 00:09:14.780 |
Help us, Lord, whatever it is that we are entangled with, 00:09:18.220 |
the sicknesses of our loved ones and our families, 00:09:21.500 |
various things, Lord, that we are wrestling with. 00:09:24.420 |
I pray that this morning would be an opportunity 00:09:33.380 |
I pray that this offering, that it may be given cheerfully, 00:10:25.140 |
Church family, let's stand together for worship. 00:11:22.480 |
♪ The gathered seeds can't help but shout his word ♪ 00:12:14.520 |
♪ The blood of life was flesh for our rebellion ♪ 00:12:20.000 |
♪ And now the death arose up from the grave ♪ 00:13:13.000 |
♪ And when the skies are sanded in His Word ♪ 00:13:18.560 |
♪ And in an instant faith will turn to sight ♪ 00:14:32.100 |
♪ I have no defense, my guilt runs too deep ♪ 00:14:37.060 |
♪ The best of my works pierced your hands and your feet ♪ 00:15:02.060 |
♪ In heaviness I claim the grounds of my home ♪ 00:15:06.860 |
♪ Whatever I have is still what I need most ♪ 00:16:01.940 |
♪ The comfort I cling to in life and in death ♪ 00:17:06.860 |
♪ I'll sing of a treasure no power can destroy ♪ 00:18:13.100 |
Good morning, I'm Sakura Hyuga, first year at UCI, 00:18:27.940 |
I was born and raised in a non-Christian household in Japan, 00:18:34.020 |
I grew up having almost no interaction with my family. 00:18:42.280 |
By hearing them argue about who's gonna raise my brother 00:18:47.260 |
I thought I was the reason for their unhappiness, 00:18:49.780 |
and thus their love was something I must chase to earn. 00:18:55.820 |
I realized that they gave me attention and love 00:19:05.440 |
My decisions were based on what made them happy, 00:19:09.740 |
and I desired to be a proud, worthy daughter to feel loved. 00:19:13.580 |
However, their brokenness couldn't be fixed by me, 00:19:22.820 |
who seemed to receive all the love from their parents 00:19:26.340 |
I was depressed and judgmental, wanting to leave my family. 00:19:30.780 |
So when my dad told me about studying abroad, 00:19:39.540 |
After I graduated from middle school, I left Japan. 00:19:42.380 |
Unlike my expectation, I retained the desire to please them. 00:19:47.660 |
Then another trial came into my life as my grandma, 00:20:04.560 |
That made me desperate to find others to complete myself. 00:20:10.160 |
I pleased those around me by blindly idolizing them, 00:20:14.080 |
and by living this way, I committed sin repeatedly. 00:20:25.800 |
that I considered giving up on my life daily. 00:20:31.560 |
I fell for all material desire to please my flesh. 00:20:34.420 |
When my friends brought me to Berean after coming to UCI, 00:20:43.100 |
Yet my heart was hardened that I still chose to reject him. 00:20:49.560 |
brought me to recognize the true cost of my sins, 00:21:00.500 |
to believe in my fallacy over the truth of God, 00:21:12.840 |
The gospel became so personal as I confessed my sins 00:21:18.000 |
Who can ever be so loving that sending his own son 00:21:26.200 |
when I consistently rejected and wronged him? 00:21:35.080 |
"For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, 00:21:46.060 |
By understanding how simple and deserving I am, 00:21:51.120 |
I truthfully cherish him and long to be his servant 00:22:00.960 |
I still face trials and experience sleepless nights 00:22:03.680 |
that make me think darkness will overtake me. 00:22:15.040 |
"but in everything by prayer and supplication 00:22:21.100 |
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, 00:22:25.280 |
"will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 00:22:28.620 |
By acknowledging this, I will remain in peace 00:22:35.040 |
for I know he is a good God with a perfect plan. 00:22:45.120 |
- Grua, do you understand when you're going to the water, 00:23:17.300 |
- Thank you so much for that powerful testimony. 00:23:29.840 |
If you can turn your Bibles with me to Luke chapter five. 00:23:38.360 |
we're gonna be reading from verse 33 to verse 39. 00:23:50.220 |
"The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers. 00:23:53.660 |
"The disciples of the Pharisees also do the same. 00:24:00.060 |
"You cannot make the attendance of the bridegroom fast 00:24:06.140 |
"and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, 00:24:13.240 |
"no one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment 00:24:19.900 |
"and the piece from the new will not match the old. 00:24:23.240 |
"And no one puts new wine into old wine skins, 00:24:32.340 |
"But new wine must be put into fresh wine skin. 00:24:35.320 |
"And no one after drinking old wine wishes for new, 00:24:42.040 |
Gracious Father, we pray that you would help us 00:24:55.380 |
Help us, Lord God, to have eagerness of will. 00:25:03.980 |
May your word be like the hammer that molds us. 00:25:07.780 |
May it be like the fire, Lord, that purifies us. 00:25:33.520 |
What qualities do you look for in an individual 00:25:46.740 |
Actually, not a minute, that's too long, right? 00:25:50.040 |
You probably have some thoughts in your head, 00:25:57.260 |
My guess is, whatever it is that you thought of 00:26:01.300 |
is based upon what you may be good at, right? 00:26:07.400 |
so because the word of God is emphasized to the degree 00:26:11.360 |
where I think if you've been here long enough, 00:26:29.440 |
When I was an English pastor of a Korean church 00:26:34.300 |
in the Korean context, the emphasis is on prayer. 00:26:39.460 |
if I didn't come out to morning prayer at 5.30, 00:26:41.740 |
and if I didn't join the community of prayer, 00:26:45.740 |
So it doesn't matter how much Bible you knew, 00:26:52.440 |
In college, I was a part of a discipleship group, right? 00:27:12.020 |
like, what are you producing based upon your life? 00:27:21.100 |
And sometimes, the very things that we are good at 00:27:23.660 |
causes us to be blind of the weaknesses that we may have. 00:27:31.060 |
when I got really committed to homeless ministry, 00:27:39.200 |
and this is the avenue for us to glorify God. 00:27:44.460 |
because people are not coming in and helping out, 00:27:46.720 |
and, you know, everybody who joins eventually fizzles out. 00:27:51.380 |
the next phase of that is, what's wrong with everybody? 00:27:55.020 |
And I remember, there was a large period of time 00:27:59.940 |
based upon how involved they were with helping the homeless, 00:28:05.140 |
It didn't matter how much you studied, how much you prayed. 00:28:19.980 |
if you don't have compassion, loving your neighbors. 00:28:55.020 |
but the son of man has nowhere to rest his head. 00:29:02.860 |
And so, I had all these Bible verses and things memorized, 00:29:05.460 |
and so, everybody, in my eyes, was measured by 00:29:09.340 |
if you were participating in the homeless ministry or not, 00:29:18.200 |
that there are strengths and weaknesses in the church, 00:29:20.260 |
and sometimes, some people are better at others, 00:29:22.340 |
and so, the beauty of the church is people who are flawed, 00:29:28.140 |
where we disciple each other through our life. 00:29:35.740 |
and instead of pointing fingers at each other, 00:29:39.400 |
We inspire each other, and we cover each other's weaknesses, 00:29:56.100 |
Even with grace, it's like, but you don't practice grace. 00:30:03.660 |
So, whatever it is that we think that we're good at, 00:30:07.940 |
Satan comes in, and he sprinkles a bit of pride in there, 00:30:12.780 |
your righteousness becomes self-righteousness, 00:30:14.940 |
and self-righteousness always end up condemning other people 00:30:28.740 |
is in the context of them trying to measure Jesus 00:30:41.180 |
Now, it's not because Jesus didn't fast, right? 00:30:44.700 |
Do you remember when Jesus came into ministry, 00:30:47.960 |
The very first thing he did was he fasted 40 days and 49. 00:30:56.900 |
My guess is Jesus himself was fasting all the time. 00:31:11.100 |
in the Gospel of Matthew, it says John the Baptist's 00:31:13.460 |
disciples were part of the group who came to question him. 00:31:21.940 |
they came to John, meaning John the Baptist's disciples 00:31:29.540 |
Behold, he is baptizing and all are coming to him. 00:31:32.380 |
Now, I want you to understand what's going on. 00:31:49.140 |
All these people by hundreds, thousands are coming to him. 00:31:51.860 |
So, he was, people were thinking maybe he's Elijah, 00:31:57.960 |
that ministry of thousands of people coming to Jesus 00:32:14.260 |
of John the Baptist, everywhere you walked around, 00:32:28.020 |
all the work that you've done, everybody coming, 00:32:33.080 |
So, some of them were wrestling with this jealousy. 00:32:48.900 |
I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him. 00:33:05.660 |
So, that famous statement where John the Baptist says, 00:33:18.500 |
you were the prophet that everybody's following, 00:33:23.240 |
he comes on the scene, and he didn't put the work 00:33:26.580 |
that you put in, years of preaching and discipling, 00:33:34.220 |
That's the context in which this conversation 00:33:51.620 |
So, you remember, up to this point, what happened? 00:34:02.300 |
were coming all the way from Jerusalem and Judea 00:34:07.100 |
and Jesus, knowing that they came to examine him, 00:34:16.820 |
and deliberately, Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven," 00:34:19.200 |
because he knew exactly what the Pharisees were thinking, 00:34:22.500 |
and as a result of that, they said, "That's blasphemy! 00:34:27.300 |
"How can a mere man say that your sins are forgiven? 00:34:30.740 |
And it never says that the Pharisees repented. 00:34:36.720 |
He comes out of there, what we talked about last week, 00:34:55.120 |
I mean, it's like, if they were disturbed by him saying, 00:34:58.180 |
"I can forgive sins," he didn't just forgive sin, 00:35:02.020 |
So remember, Pharisees came to check him out, 00:35:11.780 |
so if the Messiah is going to gather anybody to himself, 00:35:18.620 |
he goes and calls the worst of sinners, the tax collector. 00:35:22.340 |
Can you imagine what's brewing in their heart? 00:35:28.100 |
and they're thinking, "Something's wrong with this guy." 00:35:37.180 |
and goes get a tax collector to be his disciples. 00:35:40.720 |
So right after that event is this conversation. 00:35:44.220 |
So when they say, "Why don't your disciples fast? 00:35:54.220 |
Again, you have to understand that this was not simply 00:36:08.120 |
All the work that they put in to build up their reputation 00:36:17.180 |
and then all of a sudden, they're all shifting to Christ. 00:36:26.660 |
So this is not a simple questioning out of curiosity. 00:36:35.980 |
Asking question is you wanna learn, you're asking, 00:36:40.120 |
and you can answer somebody who's asking questions. 00:36:42.720 |
Often, asking question is what leads you to grow. 00:36:45.760 |
It causes you to dig, it causes you to examine, 00:36:52.560 |
no amount of answer can satisfy somebody who's questioning 00:36:55.680 |
because they've already determined what is right and wrong, 00:37:00.120 |
They just want you to see what's wrong with you. 00:37:02.640 |
So we say, why don't your disciples fast like us, 00:37:08.940 |
Think about how often we measure other people. 00:37:23.100 |
Every righteous deed that we do, if we're not careful, 00:37:27.260 |
becomes a lens that we use to measure other people 00:37:47.060 |
I want you to understand why this fasting was so important. 00:37:53.820 |
They had the public fasting and private fasting. 00:37:55.700 |
The public fasting was only required in the law, 00:38:02.240 |
So God didn't have all these different days of fasting, 00:38:13.300 |
or maybe there's a famine, or they go into war, 00:38:20.560 |
that they would do it every Monday and Thursday. 00:38:23.780 |
Can you guess why they picked Monday and Thursday? 00:38:28.240 |
Whenever they fasted, they designated Monday and Thursday. 00:38:44.180 |
so they were kind of spreading it out, right? 00:38:50.960 |
so they would do something righteous on Monday, 00:38:54.720 |
so they just chose Thursday to just kind of even it out. 00:38:58.040 |
So that's why they said, "When we do public fasting, 00:39:01.160 |
So any time they fasted, it was Monday and Thursday. 00:39:09.680 |
Private fasting happened when they were grieving, 00:39:29.080 |
that if you are a good Jew, you fast Monday and Thursday, 00:39:37.480 |
If you're a good Christian, you do quiet time, right? 00:39:59.160 |
and when you are truly devoted, you would end up fasting. 00:40:04.440 |
It's what the Pharisees used the fasting for. 00:40:10.520 |
"The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself, 00:40:13.340 |
"God, thank you that I am not like other people, 00:40:18.680 |
"for I fast twice a week, I pay tithes of all that I get." 00:40:22.840 |
Do you see how he differentiates himself with the sinners? 00:40:37.140 |
Contrast to all the sins, but look what I do. 00:41:03.400 |
"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face 00:41:06.000 |
"as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance 00:41:08.480 |
"so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. 00:41:11.480 |
"Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full." 00:41:25.000 |
you have to make sure other people know, right? 00:41:33.200 |
and then walk around saying, "Look what I did," right? 00:41:41.560 |
if you're, like, whatever it is that you're doing, 00:41:52.680 |
I go, "Oh, there's a companion that you wanted to do this, 00:41:56.160 |
"No one's helping me, and then there's this constant cycle. 00:41:58.600 |
"Nobody's helping me, and then nobody's acknowledging, 00:42:06.580 |
"Yeah, we need to pray, we need to do a revival prayer." 00:42:44.240 |
and whenever that happens, we have a tendency to kinda, 00:43:02.440 |
who retrusted in themselves that they were righteous 00:43:07.160 |
and this is why self-righteousness is so ugly. 00:43:15.000 |
It always ends with condemnation of other people, 00:43:32.080 |
you judge other people by their lack of giving. 00:43:36.320 |
you judge everybody based upon the lack of serving. 00:43:41.840 |
all you have to do is just tweak a little bit 00:43:55.000 |
"I tell you, this man went to his house justified," 00:43:59.480 |
"rather than the other," he's talking about the Pharisee, 00:44:02.140 |
"for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, 00:44:04.480 |
"but he who humbles himself will be exalted." 00:44:07.720 |
Now, that's the context in which the disciples, 00:44:18.320 |
This was more of an indictment against Jesus. 00:44:20.200 |
In fact, every time the Pharisees come to Jesus, 00:44:31.480 |
All these people are coming to you, but you're fake. 00:44:34.600 |
Even after three years of demonstrating who he is, 00:44:56.640 |
because they've examined him and he fell short. 00:45:11.580 |
because they wanted to discredit what was happening. 00:45:42.920 |
"because they're gonna shrink at a different rate. 00:45:46.840 |
Okay, since if you didn't get that, let me tell you. 00:45:58.280 |
And so therefore you gotta put old wine to old wine 00:46:07.140 |
Now if you just read that through, it's like, 00:46:39.460 |
"No one tears a piece of cloth from the new garment 00:46:46.020 |
"and the piece from the new will not match the old." 00:46:49.520 |
Now just so that you can understand this illustration 00:47:00.140 |
unless you were filthy rich, only owned one garment. 00:47:34.460 |
Those of you who were born before 1970, okay? 00:47:44.900 |
I mean, right now you put the holes on purpose 00:47:50.260 |
You have no clue what Jesus is talking about, right? 00:47:53.520 |
But those of you, I mean, maybe you saw it on TV, right? 00:48:11.780 |
we're playing outside, we're skidding on grass, 00:48:17.980 |
And back then, you didn't just go out and buy new pants. 00:48:20.980 |
They'd be perfectly good pants, just has a hole in it, 00:48:23.340 |
even though today that's more expensive, right? 00:48:27.980 |
So back then, they would have this iron-on patches 00:48:34.940 |
you got one on your back and then one, two on your knees. 00:48:40.780 |
But those patches, some of those patches were not useful 00:48:43.460 |
because after they did it and they keep washing it, 00:48:46.140 |
just like Jesus says, the old garment would shrink 00:48:48.860 |
and the patch eventually would just kind of come up 00:48:55.340 |
Because it kind of had like a glossy, plasticky thing. 00:49:00.420 |
So after doing that for a while, in order for, 00:49:09.860 |
like a jean cloth or something that's gonna match this 00:49:15.060 |
So those of you who's never experienced this, 00:49:23.700 |
But you could imagine what he's talking about. 00:49:25.400 |
So for those of us who are a little bit older, 00:49:28.980 |
Every Jew would have understood this illustration 00:49:33.900 |
The meaning behind that is the old covenant is passing 00:49:53.740 |
"and it will be spilled out and the skins will be ruined." 00:49:57.580 |
Now, I have no reference to what this is talking about. 00:50:03.100 |
unless you're winos and you've experienced old wine skin. 00:50:08.100 |
But I'm assuming most of you don't have that. 00:50:10.380 |
But you can understand the illustration, right? 00:50:13.180 |
That the covenant, so he's using two different things. 00:50:32.260 |
and the old wine skin is before the covenant, 00:50:47.400 |
"and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, 00:50:54.300 |
"and you will be careful to observe my ordinances." 00:51:00.700 |
they just kind of did whatever God told them to do, 00:51:17.880 |
whether you're gonna worship on this mountain 00:51:52.420 |
It was only after you and I had become made new, 00:51:57.260 |
because we have been covered by the blood of Christ. 00:52:00.420 |
And so the Bible says we have become new creation, 00:52:15.500 |
So I said, okay, I understand what he's saying now. 00:52:30.660 |
"You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast 00:52:33.220 |
"while the bridegroom is still with them, can you? 00:52:37.900 |
"and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, 00:52:42.220 |
So he says, fasting is related to the bridegroom, right? 00:52:50.180 |
If fasting is related to longing for the bridegroom, 00:53:03.060 |
I am with them, so I'm not requiring them to fast, 00:53:24.000 |
"Yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness 00:53:26.200 |
"and in justice, in loving kindness and in compassion, 00:53:28.580 |
"and I will betroth you to me in faithfulness, 00:53:36.460 |
is about a relationship with God and his bride, 00:53:41.580 |
And so when Jesus says, "When the bridegroom is here," 00:53:48.860 |
If they were paying attention, they would have heard. 00:53:53.120 |
Not only is this man saying that he can forgive sins, 00:54:00.640 |
In fact, John himself says in John 3, 20 to 30, 00:54:07.200 |
"Aren't you concerned that everything that we've done, 00:54:13.180 |
And John says, "You yourselves are my witnesses, 00:54:25.160 |
"rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice, 00:54:37.380 |
So instead of being jealous, John the Baptist says, 00:54:40.960 |
"They're all going to him because he's the bridegroom. 00:54:47.880 |
"he's the one that they've been talking about." 00:54:55.260 |
they don't need to fast because the bridegroom is here. 00:55:03.120 |
in our spiritual disciplines is about Christ. 00:55:24.680 |
Your longing has been satisfied because I'm here. 00:55:30.080 |
he was praying and waiting for the consolation of Israel. 00:55:33.640 |
Anna the prophet, prophetess, in her old age, 00:55:38.960 |
she never left the temple and he prayed and fasted 00:55:41.840 |
because she lost her husband when she was young. 00:55:53.300 |
there's one particular lady, she was in her late 70s, 00:55:59.720 |
and every morning she would say the same thing. 00:56:02.940 |
It was so depressing because of her in the beginning. 00:56:20.000 |
So for a younger person, hearing somebody in the crowd, 00:56:30.320 |
After some time went by, I was able to sit with her 00:56:40.920 |
Found out that she was widowed when she was young. 00:56:45.920 |
She was married to her husband no more than seven weeks 00:56:53.360 |
And during the Korean War, within the conflict, 00:56:59.880 |
So she's been living as a widow all those years. 00:57:05.600 |
And every day, all she does is writes the Bible. 00:57:12.640 |
And I don't know if she would have, even though. 00:57:14.520 |
She just took the Korean Bible and she just copied 00:57:17.980 |
And she would open up her notebook and show me 00:57:28.500 |
So she wasn't saying, "Oh, life is miserable. 00:57:34.160 |
She's been longing, longing to see her husband, 00:57:41.740 |
And so when she says, "Oh, I'm here another day. 00:57:49.840 |
And I can imagine when she passes how happy she would be. 00:58:08.540 |
"You fast thinking that somehow that gets you ahead 00:58:24.200 |
That's why they don't fast 'cause I'm there with them. 00:58:26.180 |
But one day I will be taken away and then they will fast. 00:58:29.100 |
In 1 John 3, 2-3, "Beloved, now we are children of God 00:58:32.780 |
"and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. 00:58:35.540 |
"We know that when he appears, we will be like him 00:58:45.460 |
They were so aware of this in the early church 00:58:50.880 |
that in the old covenant, they would say, "Shalom, shalom. 00:59:03.340 |
And maranatha in Aramaic basically means Lord, come. 00:59:11.180 |
They understood because the bridegroom has gone. 00:59:14.060 |
When Jesus ascended, all they could think about 00:59:25.860 |
all to eagerly wait for the coming of Christ. 00:59:30.340 |
When our righteousness becomes anything less than that, 00:59:37.420 |
When every spiritual endeavor that we pour our energy into 01:00:12.740 |
that deserved any more than any other person in here 01:00:22.260 |
I don't care how many passages you've memorized. 01:00:24.680 |
There's not a single person in this room, including myself, 01:00:27.980 |
that earned our way to have this relationship with Christ. 01:00:32.220 |
So he calls us, he calls us to continue to pursue him, 01:00:38.460 |
continue to celebrate him, continue to long for him, 01:00:43.640 |
and that our worship would simply be a reminder to us 01:00:55.520 |
Let's take a minute to take some time to pray. 01:01:01.600 |
And let the word of God richly dwell in your hearts. 01:01:17.140 |
and allow the word of God to judge the thoughts 01:07:21.960 |
while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 01:07:24.960 |
These things I remember, and I pour out my soul within me, 01:07:30.960 |
and lead them in the procession to the house of God 01:07:48.960 |
Lord, we pray that the longing of our hearts, Lord God, 01:08:01.960 |
I pray that You would help us to kindle that continued longing, 01:08:11.960 |
that we would desire Maranatha for You to come, 01:08:22.960 |
not on temporary gains, but in eternity, Lord, 01:08:29.960 |
So for that end, I pray that wherever You send us,