The Pastor welcomed the congregation and read out a word of God from Psalm 95:1-6. It was followed by praise and worship led by the Worship team which was concluded with an offertory prayer by Deacon Kamsuanthang.
Pastor conducted the Child Dedication ceremony of:
Baby Lunmuanlal s/o Thangminlian Simte and Nuamhauniang
Pastor then delivered a sermon on the Piching Sunday School Lessons- 22- "BELAMPU HOIH JESU" (JESUS CHRIST- THE GOOD SHEPHERD)
Memory Verse: John 10:11 "I am the good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep".
23- "LATKHIAKNA ANKUANGLUINA A THUSINSAK (THE PREACHING AT THE FESTIVAL OF DEDICATION)
Memory Verse: John 10:28 "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand".
A. INTRODUCTION
SINLAI 22- (John 10:1-21)- This is in continuation to the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees from the last lesson. Here Jesus tells them the difference between a thief and a real gatekeeper. When the real gatekeeper comes and opens the door for the sheep because they recognize their gatekeeper's voice but when a thief or robber comes they will never follow as they do not recognize their voice. This figure of speech that he used was not understood by the Pharisees so Jesus explained to them again. He explained to them by calling himself as the Door/ gatekeeper. He calls himself as the good Shepherd because he would provide them food, shelter, rest and even protect them from any kind of harm.
SINLAI 23 (John 10:22-42) - While Jesus was at Solomon's Colonnade, the Pharisees saw him and went to him to ask if he really was the "messiah" or not? To this he replied to them by telling them that they had never neither believed him when he told them who he was nor all the works that he did in the name of his Father. When Jesus saw the Jews picking up stones to stone him, he asked them the reason for doing that. They told him that they were doing so because of Blasphemy, because He claimed to be God. To this Jesus replied to them by saying that even if they did not believe in what the scripture had written then they could at least believe the works. They tried to seize him again but he escaped their grasp and went back across Jordan where John had been baptizing in the early days.
B. EXPLANATION OF SOME IMPORTANT WORD/PHRASES :
1. THE SHEEP AND THE SHEPHERD : a. The sheep is always in or moves in flocks. Have flock behavior.
b. The sheep is near sighted.
c. Tends to stray easily
d. Need a good shepherd who will take good care of them.
e. Dependent entirely on the Shepherd for their food and safety.
2. DOOR/ GATE : a. A common place where one enters or exits a place.
b. Jesus alludes to himself as the Door/Gate.
c. Jesus refers the Pharisees as the thieves and the robbers that enter through other means except the door.
d. The Pharisees rejected the grace of salvation through total faith in the Messiah but tried to earn salvation by keeping the laws that were given through Moses.
3. THE FESTIVAL OF DEDICATION : a. The Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes raided the city and temples of Jerusalem in 167 B.C.
b. About 40,000 were killed and around 40,000 were taken as slaves and sold elsewhere.
c. He sacrificed Pigs to the Lord of Jupiter in the Temple.
d. A rebellious group called the Jewish Maccabeus rebelled against the king and finally overthrew him from the throne in 164 B.C.
e. In honor of this day they had started this festival of dedication in the month of Kislev (DECEMBER 15) and lasted for about 8 days.
4. "I HAVE OTHER SHEEP THAT ARE NOT OF THIS SHEEP PEN"(verse 16) : a. The other sheep here means the people other than the Jews- the Gentiles were also given the grace of salvation through Jesus Christ.
b. The grace of salvation through Christ was for everyone who simply believed and accepted Christ.
c. It also talks about how everyone who had/will have the grace of salvation would be in the same flock and under one faithful and loyal Shepherd- Christ.
5. SOLOMON's COLONNADE : a. It was a colonnade/porch located on the eastern side of the Temple's outer court(women's court) in Jerusalem.
b. Named after King Solomon.
c. A place of shelter from rain or the place to keep oneself warm in winters.
d. Place where people visit regularly so Jesus chose this place to teach and preach.
C. MORALS
1. JESUS- THE DOOR AND THE GOOD SHEPHERD : Jesus alludes to himself as the door in John 10:1-9. the idea of the door is used in conjunction with the shepherd and his work. The larger house in Palestine had a courtyard surrounded by a high wall; in the country places that courtyard served as a fold for the sheep at night. The courtyard had only one door and at that door, the gatekeeper was in constant watch. any honest man on any honest errand would seek admission through the door and would be admitted immediately. The one who had an evil purpose would avoid the door and try to get in by climbing over the wall. The one who really cared went through the door, the man who was out to hunt the flock sought some other entrance. So Jesus said,"I am the door". Another picture is a fold on the mountainside which was a simple ring of grass surrounded by a stone dyke or a hedge of thorns. This kind of fold had no door at all. It simply had an opening, and across the opening the shepherd lay at night, so that he was literally the door and so that no sheep could get out and no foes could get in except over the shepherd's body. Jesus is the way his flocks enters into safety and whereby they are protected from danger. So the shepherd is willing to provide whatever he can to keep his flock of sheep alive and healthy and would go to any length even if it means to risk his life.
So then the picture of Jesus as the door and the good Shepherd tells us certain things about him: 1. It is Jesus alone who is the way to the Father and family of God and by exercising faith in his son and obedience to His Son's will, we would have the privilege to become His children/sheep. 2. Jesus is the only door to eternal glory.3. He is the door to the knowledge of God. He is the door to security and everlasting peace as one would not lack anything (Psalm 23).
2. "I HAVE AUTHORITY TO LAY IT DOWN AND AUTHORITY TO TAKE IT UP AGAIN." (Verse 18) : In life when somebody favors us more than anyone especially at workplace if a boss favor you more, it feels like Christmas and you automatically tend to please that person blindly and make them your top priority. In that process of pleasing that person, we often neglect the one who made and put us all in that position. Because the one who put us up there can very easily bring us down. We should not be forgetting to keep Him as our top priority even in our relationship with people- with spouse, with parents and children. Therefore let us be careful in choosing the right person to please because as seen in Psalm 24:1 the earth and everything that is in it is the Lords and that he has the ultimate power.
3. "JUST AS HOW HE LOOKS AFTER HIS SON(JESUS CHRIST), HE LOOKS AFTER US IN THE SAME WAY" : a. "Looks after" here means he would defend, help, protect and even deliver us in our times of trouble and would take care of all our needs.
b. Jesus said that whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.(Matt.16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 8:35)
c. The Satan/Devil is only able to work when God allows to. Like in the case of Job God allowed in fact challenged the Devil. He allowed the Devil to do whatever he could to Job with an exception to spare his life.(Job 1:8-12)
d. Even the demons need Jesus' permission to enter into the wild pigs. (Mark 5:10-13)
# If we are willing to accept the grace of salvation by exercising complete faith in Jesus Christ and if we make him our top priority then we will please him and would lack nothing in this world and for eternity.
After the sermon Worship team led praise and worship which was concluded with a benedictory prayer by Deacon Tuanmuanthang.
