Notes

SCRIPTURES READING: ♥Ps. 5:3, 62:8; Mt. 7:7-8, 26:36-39; Jer. 33:2-3 ♥ -All
(Let's read the Bible Text aloud two times.)


♥SERMON : “LISTENING CLOSELY”

LET US PRAISE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WHO CAME TO US AS OUR SAVIOR! PALAKPAKAN NATIN ANG DIOS!

♥♥ LEST’S PRAY TOGETHER FOR ILLUMINATION OF GOD’S WORD: “DEAR GOD! OPEN MY EYES TO SEE THE WONDERFUL TRUTHS IN YOUR INSTRUCTIONS WHEN WE LISTEN YOUR WORD.(Ps. 119:18 -NLT) AMEN!”

Today is FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. Last Wednesday was ASH Wednesday. ASH Wednesday means that during a Mass or worship service, a Pastor places the ashes on a worshiper's forehead in the shape of a cross. The ceremony means to show that a person belongs to Jesus Christ, and it also represents a person's grief and mourning for their sins – the same sins that Christians believe Jesus Christ gave his life for when he died on the cross. LENT is the period of 40 days but except Sundays which comes before Easter. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities. THEREFORE, DURING THE LENT SEASON, WE SHOULD LIVE BY PRAYER, THE WORD OF GOD, AND DEVOTIONAL LIVING, NEDITATING ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST.

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Today, we will listen to God’s Word about WHO THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST ARE.

1. WHO IS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS? (John 15:7, 13:34-35, 15:10, 12)
1)DOING AND KEEPING JESUS’ COMMANDS
Last Sunday we listened God’s Word who disciples of Jesus are. Those who bear much fruit are disciples of Jesus Christ. “THIS IS TO MY FATHER’S GLORY, THAT YOU BEAR MUCH FRUIT, SHOWING YOURSELVES TO BE MY DISCIPLES.”(John 15:8) ♥♥WHAT’S THE MEANING OF ‘BEAR MUCH FRUIT’? IT IS DOING GOOD. THE OTHER WORDS, IT IS KEEPING JESUS’ COMMAND.
“WHEN YOU OBEY MY COMMANDMENTS, YOU REMAIN IN MY LOVE, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. ….THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT: LOVE EACH OTHER IN THE SAME WAY I HAVE LOVED YOU.”(Jn. 15:10, 12)

“A NEW COMMAND I GIVE YOU: LOVE ONE OTHER. AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, SO YOU MUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER. BY THIS EVERYONE WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU LOVE ONE OTHER.” (Jn. 13:34-35)
Therefore, when we keep Jesus’ commandments, we will become Jesus’ disciples.

2)HEARING GOD’S WORDS
HOWEVER, THERE IS PREREQUIST FOR DOING AND PUTTING INTO PRACTICE JESUS’COMMANDS. ♥♥WHAT IS IT? IT IS TO HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD. For without hearing the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot do His commands. Because we do not know what the commands of the Lord are, before listen to Jesus Christ.
Hye Sook
Hye Sook Yi
2. PRAYER IS LISTENING CLOSELY (Ps. 5:3, 62:8; Jer. 33:2-3 )
♥♥WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ‘HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD’?
TO HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD HAS TWO WAY. First, It is TO READ the Word of God. Second, it is TO LISTEN to the Lord. ♥♥WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ‘TO LISTEN to the LORD’? TO LISTEN TO THE LORD MEANS ‘PRAYER.’ WE CAN LISTEN TO GOD THROUGH PRAYER. ♥THEREFORE, THOSE WHO PRAY TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST ARE HIS DISCIPLES. ♥♥ARE YOU A DISCIPLE OF THE LORD JESUS? ♥♥DO YOU PRAY TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?

“IN THE MORNING, LORD, YOU HEAR MY VOICE; IN THE MORNING I LAY MY REQUEST BEFORE YOU AND WAIT EXPECTANTLY.” (Ps. 5:3) Psalm Chapter 5 was written by King David. He prayed to God in the morning when he was suffering. He expressed “YOU HEAR MY VOICE.” It means that David and God communicated through PRAYER. God heard his voice through David’s prayer and he requested something to God, and he waited expectantly that means God’s answer.

Here, we can find *what prayer is. Prayer is ①to tell God, ②to request something, and ③to wait God’s answer. Therefore, I would like to GIVE A DEFINITION OF PRAYER THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT MEANING OF PRAYER: THAT PRAYER IS LISTERNING TO GOD, BUT NOT JUST ONE-SIDEDLY SPEAKING TO GOD AND ASKING GOD FOR SOMETHING. Because King David WAITED EXPECTANTLY GOD’S ANSWER.

♥♥WHAT IS YOUR PRAYER ATTITUDE? When you pray to God, do you one-sidedly tell God for your words or what you want? Or, like David, do you pause and wait for listening God’s answer? Do you really want to listen to God’s answer? FOR LISTEN TO GOD’S ANSWER, YOU MUST STOP YOUR ONE-SIDED SPEECH AND WAIT FOR THE LORD.

♥♥HOW CAN WE PRAY TO GOD?
“For Everyone Who *Asks Receives; The One Who *Seeks Finds; And To The One Who *Knocks, The Door Will Be Opened.” (Mt. 7:7-8) Jesus asked us ask, seek, and knock, and then we will receive, find, and the door will be opened. And also God told us, “Trust in Him at all times, you people; *POUR OUT YOUR HEARTS TO HIM, for God is our refuge.” (Ps. 62:8) When we pour out our hearts to God, God will answer us. So God told and promised us, “*CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU AND TELL YOU GREAT AND UNSEARCHABLE THINGS YOU DO NOT KNOW.”(Jeremiah 33:3) WHEN WE CALL TO GOD, GOD WILL TELL US great and unsearchable things we do not know.

♥♥HOW CAN WE LISTEN TO GOD’S ANSWER?
IF WE DO NOT STOP our words, our requests, our wills, our expectations, and only want to listen to what we want to hear, we will never hear the voice of God. GOD HEARS OUR VOICE IN PRAYER. GOD REALLY WANTS TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS. THEREFORE, after we tell God our circumstances and desires, *WE MUST STOP ALL AND WAIT IN SILENCE TO HEAR HIS VOICE. ♥♥God tells us THROUGH REMAINDED WORDS IN ME AND YOU THAT WE HAVE READ IT before, AND ILLUMINATING THE BIBLE’S WORDS TO RHEMA’S WORDS, AND GIVES US HIS WISDOM OR PEACE. THEREFORE, WE MUST STOP OUR WORKING AND LISTEN CLOSELY GOD’S WORDS.
Hye Sook
Hye Sook Yi
3. PRAYER IS DOING GOD’S WILL (Mt. 26:36-46; Mt. 7:21; Lk. 6:46-47a; Isa. 55:8-9)
King David told, “IN THE MORNING, LORD, YOU HEAR MY VOICE.” God listens carefully our voice in prayer. God always listens courteously us and the Lord wants to answer us our expectantly requests. For receive the answers, *we have to wait for listening Him. King David also waited for the LORD. “In the morning I lay my REQUEST BEFORE YOU and WAIT EXPECTANTLY.” (Ps. 5:3) ♥♥DID KING DAVID RECIEVE HIS EXPECTATION FROM GOD?

God tells us, “FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS,” DECLARES THE LORD.
“AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) God’s thoughts and our thoughts are so different. The Lord’s ways and our ways are also really different. The difference is as qualitative as the distance and height as like between the heavens and the earth. So sometimes God answers us different ways, but God always wants to answer us the best.

1) PRAYER’S ANSWERS: YES, NO, AND WAIT:
♥♥ACTUALLY, WE HAVE HAD EXPERIENCES IN WHICH WE PRAYED TO GOD BUT DID NOT RECEIVE ALL ANSWERS. WHY?
When we pray to God, PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED IN THREE WAYS: YES, NO, OR WAIT. THE PRAYER IS ACCORDING TO GOD’S WILL FOR US, GOD ANSWERS US ‘YES,’ ‘NO,’ AND ‘WAIT.’ If a prayer is in accordance with God’s will, God answers the prayer with “YES”, but a prayer is DISCORDANT with God’s will for us, God says “NO.” Some people do not receive the answer from God. It is because the time has not yet come for him to receive the answer, so God tells him “WAIT.” For example, If a 3-years old child asks his father to buy a Two-Wheeled Bike for him, would the father buy it for his child? No! Perhaps the father will tell his child, “I will give you it when you are more grew up and enter elementary school. SO NOW YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR IT.” Likewise, God also tells us, “WAIT” and “I WILL PREPARE IT FOR YOUR TIME.”

2) PRAYER IS DOING GOD’S WORDS: PRAYER IS FOLLOWED BY ACTION!
Jesus told us, “Not Everyone Who Says To Me, ‘LORE, LORD,’ Will Enter The Kingdom Of Heaven, But ONLY THE ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN.”(Mt.7:21) Only the one, who does the will of God, will enter the Kingdom of God. And also Jesus told us on LUKE, “WHY DO YOU CALL ME, ‘LORD, LORD,’ AND DO NOT DO WHAT I SAY? AS FOR EVERYONE WHO COMES TO ME AND HEARS MY WORDS AND PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE,” (Lk.6:46-47a)
We must know the truth that even though we call the Lord Jesus, “Lord! Lord!” but we do not enter the kingdom of heaven. Because Jesus said that we must listen to God’s word and do God’s will and put it into practice. ♥♥WHAT’S THE MEANING? The qualification to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and the qualification to become a disciple of Jesus are the same. It is not in words, but in actions of obedience. Even though listen to God’s word but do not do God’s word and His will, and do not practice it into their life, they are not disciples of Jesus Christ. THEREFORE, *TRUE PRAYER WORKS AND ACTS! For example: A certain man pray to God for weather because he is a vendor selling umbrellas and raincoats. He prays to God raining but when he leave his house, he takes slippers to sell it. It is nonsense, right? IF WE HAVE PRAYED TO GOD, WE MUST ACT ACCORDINGLY. ASK-SEEK-KNOCK which is the principles of PRAYER are the MOVING WORDS. THE TRUE PRAYER IS INCLUDED FOLLOWING GOD’S WORDS.

3) PRAYER IS DOING GOD’S WILL:
TO LISTEN TO GOD’S WORDS IN PRAYER IS TO CHANGE MY WILL FOR GOD’S WILL AND DO GOD’S WILL. Jesus Christ prayed at Gethsemane before the Lord Jesus crucified on the Cross. Matthew 26:39 says, “HE FELL WITH HIS FACE TO THE GROUND AND PRAYED, “MY FATHER, IF IT IS POSSIBLE, MAY THIS CUP BE TAKEN FROM ME. YET NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS YOU WILL.”(Mt. 26:39) Actually, Jesus did not want to the suffering of the cross, so the Lord prayed earnestly to God three times. But the Lord laid down His will and said that He would do God’s will. So the Lord Jesus died on the cross.
Likewise, when we pray to God and if we are aware of God’s will , we change our desires to God’s will. This is what a true disciple of Jesus Christ looks like.
Hye Sook
Hye Sook Yi
4. IN CONCLUSION, when we bear much fruit, we will become disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bearing much fruit means doing Jesus’ commands and obeying God’s words. However, since we cannot do the commands of Jesus without listening them. So listening the words of the Lord is prerequisite to become a Jesus’ disciple. Listening God’s words is PRAYER. ①Prayer is not one-sidedly talking to God, but it is listening to God. So after pray to God, stop talking to God and try to listen to God. God will tell you great thing and God’s will for you. Finally, ②Prayer includes doing God’s words and commands, and ③following God’s will.
Therefore, we have to change the attitude of PRAYER and also learn to pray to God.

I hope and pray for us that we learn true prayer to God, so that we become true disciples of Jesus Christ. God bless you all.♥

♥MEMORY VERSES:

PSALM 5:3, “IN THE MORNING, LORD, YOU HEAR MY VOICE; IN THE MORNING I LAY MY REQUEST BEFORE YOU AND WAIT EXPECTANTLY.”

ISAIAH 55:8-9, “FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS,” DECLARES THE LORD.




























“AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.”

♥ PRAY TOGETHER: All
1. PRAY TO THE LORD GOD BLESS US TO BECOME TRUE DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST.
2 Pray for us to be honest to people and God, and to live faithfully in our lives.
3. Pray to God helps our lives, and protects and saves us from COVID-19 and Mutated Viruses.
4. Pray for UKLAINE peace and Russia stop the war.
5. Pray for that COVID-19 will be quickly exterminated in the world, SO THAT WE GETHER TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD.
6. PRAY FOR GGCC’S WORSHIPING PLACE.

♥ CLOSING PRAYER : Let's all bless together....

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Amen (Numbers 6:24-26)

♥ THREEFOLD AMEN: A-men, A-men, A---men-