back to indexPassion Week Wednesday Devotional - 3.27.2024
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we thank you for this evening you've given to us. 00:06:08.320 |
that we can be able to worship you through music, 00:06:11.320 |
through the word, through a time of fellowship. 00:06:18.320 |
that you would remind us of why we're here this week, 00:06:20.320 |
why we are seeking to dwell upon the suffering 00:06:24.320 |
that your son went through leading up to the cross, 00:06:34.320 |
Lord, I pray that we would remember where we came from, 00:06:55.320 |
We thank you for these things in Jesus' name, amen. 00:15:09.000 |
on top of just step-by-step walking with our Lord 00:15:16.000 |
is that we get to listen to some of the testimonies 00:15:19.000 |
of our very own brothers and sisters in our church. 00:15:30.000 |
we have the privilege of hearing one of our sisters speak 00:15:37.000 |
some of the things that the God that she serves 00:15:48.000 |
but how Holly is going to be pointing to God. 00:16:12.000 |
And like many Chinese kids from my generation, 00:16:17.000 |
and also I didn't have many friends growing up. 00:16:22.000 |
and were trying to provide the best for me in their ways. 00:16:37.000 |
As life went on and different challenges appeared, 00:16:44.000 |
When some kids bullied me in elementary school, 00:16:47.080 |
when an in-law called me ugly in multiple occasions, 00:17:11.000 |
stubborn, hard-outside-but-scared-inside kind of kid. 00:17:17.000 |
I even ran away from home twice in elementary school. 00:17:26.000 |
She knew exactly I would go to a shop in our community, 00:17:40.000 |
and tasting the fun of being liked in high school. 00:17:50.000 |
and often forbidden by many schools in Beijing, 00:18:18.000 |
I had no care nor shame for what other students 00:18:33.000 |
preparing for going on a high school exchange to Denmark, 00:18:44.000 |
However, none of those good things fulfilled my heart 00:18:50.000 |
God was so good to me that such a rebellious kid like me 00:19:00.000 |
my best friend invited me out to her home church in 2014. 00:19:09.000 |
and love for one another that I'd never seen before, 00:19:22.000 |
even though I slept through most of the teachings, 00:19:31.000 |
but I didn't think it was relevant to me either. 00:19:38.000 |
and the sisters on the team kept in touch with me. 00:19:41.000 |
It was until the day of my "sprinkling" baptism 00:20:04.000 |
As I heard the choir song these lines in Mandarin, 00:20:18.000 |
where I found satisfaction started to change. 00:20:20.000 |
The girl who could never get up on time for anything, 00:20:25.000 |
to take the subway for an hour to go to church. 00:20:34.000 |
The girl who held on to being loved and taken care of 00:20:37.000 |
broke up her four-year-long secular relationship 00:20:48.000 |
The sins that used to bring me excitement and happiness 00:20:58.080 |
God gave me the grace to simply follow what I knew of him. 00:21:07.000 |
when I started to understand what a holy God he is 00:21:27.080 |
sorry, without mentioning anything about his holiness 00:21:36.000 |
I felt more distant from knowing who God was. 00:21:46.000 |
In Isaiah 6-6, the angels were worshiping the Lord, 00:21:49.000 |
saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. 00:21:55.080 |
It was a picture of how heavenly creatures like angels 00:22:05.000 |
moment of awe, bringing me to my knees to worship. 00:22:11.000 |
and showed me the depths of my past and current sins 00:22:14.000 |
of living my life for myself rather than for God. 00:22:17.000 |
The two of us sisters started praying and fasting 00:22:20.000 |
to turn away from our sins and turn to Jesus, 00:22:29.000 |
and getting to know my almighty Father and Savior 00:22:36.000 |
through reading his words and praying to him. 00:22:41.000 |
but yet was never fulfilled through human relationships 00:22:44.000 |
was now filled with the enjoyment of his infinite love 00:22:47.000 |
and his grace and mercy over a sinner like me. 00:22:54.000 |
"his own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners," 00:22:57.000 |
in other words, enemies of God, "Christ died for us." 00:23:06.000 |
an everlasting life living for and through Jesus, 00:23:09.000 |
who died on the cross and paid for all of my sins. 00:23:45.000 |
had just been admitted to Northeastern University, 00:23:50.000 |
Rather than complaining to God about this great loss, 00:23:53.000 |
knowing his Lordship made me trust his sovereignty 00:23:59.000 |
Then the news came that his father miraculously 00:24:04.000 |
and even started to encourage and comfort his mom. 00:24:07.000 |
Together, his parents even wrote on his gravestone, 00:24:14.000 |
What a joy to witness his amazing grace in salvation. 00:24:23.920 |
with literally everyone I knew and encountered, 00:24:33.920 |
and thought everyone could just go to heaven. 00:24:35.920 |
I had no fear in my heart to share the gospel, 00:25:09.920 |
Therefore, in the two years of hopping around 00:25:11.920 |
not having a solitary to go to in southern Sweden, 00:25:17.920 |
to nourish my soul and guide me through thick and thin. 00:25:41.920 |
whenever I wanted to seeing my parents sacrifice for me, 00:25:46.920 |
to be quick to seek forgiveness and to forgive 00:25:49.920 |
because I was forgiven much through Jesus' blood. 00:26:04.920 |
to trust that he is indeed sovereign and good. 00:26:19.920 |
the more it grew me in love and desire to glorify him. 00:26:22.920 |
In a life, decisions of choosing a career path 00:26:25.920 |
and where to live, glorifying God was a priority. 00:26:32.920 |
and therefore went into the teaching profession, 00:26:40.000 |
I also chose to study at USC to come to Berlin, 00:26:54.920 |
And he kept humbling me to let go of my control 00:27:11.920 |
and my plan to see that our major theological beliefs 00:27:16.920 |
about Genesis and creation could not be compromised. 00:27:34.920 |
Staying in Sweden where my heart grew for ministry 00:27:38.920 |
and coming to the U.S. for Berean and graduate school. 00:28:01.920 |
for his plan that's far beyond my understanding. 00:28:19.920 |
and he will sustain me until the last day of my death. 00:28:30.920 |
I still came here to Berean with my faith tested 00:28:39.920 |
to encourage you to persevere in pursuing Christ alone. 00:29:49.920 |
something that we have heard over and over again, 00:29:56.920 |
that what Jesus came to do has everything to do 00:30:28.000 |
to remember that that has that connection to us. 00:30:48.920 |
than a story that we already understand and know, 00:31:24.000 |
this is something where we would call it Palm Sunday, 00:31:26.920 |
and Pastor Peter gave a sermon on it this past Sunday, 00:31:35.920 |
and they were using these big palm branches to worship. 00:31:38.920 |
And in the midst of this, this is the first slide here, 00:31:41.920 |
in the midst of this, we saw that Jesus grieved. 00:31:55.920 |
in the midst of all this worshiping that was happening. 00:32:06.920 |
And in this, again, this is a place of worship. 00:32:18.000 |
in the way you would think that he ought to act. 00:32:20.920 |
Instead of receiving the worship of the people, 00:32:23.920 |
he sits there and he begins to preach and to teach, 00:32:32.920 |
Jesus begins to pronounce the woes on the Jewish leaders. 00:32:48.920 |
These were the ones who had devoted themselves 00:32:55.920 |
And again, Jesus does not act the way we would assume. 00:33:08.920 |
and to yesterday, when parable after parable, 00:33:25.920 |
Jesus does not receive the worship of the people. 00:33:30.920 |
On Monday, he does not receive the temple worship, 00:33:33.920 |
and on Tuesday, he does not receive the worship 00:33:35.920 |
the religious leaders have set up in Jerusalem. 00:33:45.920 |
Passover was the single biggest event in Israel. 00:33:49.920 |
This is the time of the greatest form of worship. 00:34:05.920 |
that all the remnant will come back together. 00:34:15.920 |
as they're coming back year after year after year, 00:35:59.840 |
"I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams 00:36:04.840 |
"and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, 01:05:32.360 |
do I really want to raise my hand up right now?