O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

	8.00 am	11.00 am
Call to Worship	Dn Ian Tay	Dn Ian Tay
Opening Hymn	Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken (HGG 220)	Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken (HGG 220)
+Invocation-Gloria Patri
Scripture Reading	Isaiah 11:1-16	Isaiah 11:1-16
Hymn	Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (HGG 184)	Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (HGG 184)
Offertory Hymn	Now Thank We All Our God (HGG 5)	Now Thank We All Our God (HGG 5)
Doxology & Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
Sermon	The Elements of Justification (Zechariah 3:1-10) by Bro Mok Chee Cheong	The Elements of Justification (Zechariah 3:1-10) by Bro Mok Chee Cheong
Closing Hymn	Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness (HGG 400)	There Is a Green Hill Far Away (TSMS 284) *The Lord’s Supper
Benediction
Announcements

 

HE WHO FINDS ME FINDS LIFE!

          How often do we give a thought to matters of life and death? In the midst of all our busy-ness do we ever take time to reflect on these realities? Each time we hear of a major disaster with many fatalities we feel very sorry for those who died, and we pray that God will somehow help their loved ones in their time of grief. 

          But such happenings should also awaken us to the frailty of our life. Let us realize that if it were not for the grace of God, we would likewise perish (Luke 13:3,5). Death can come upon us at any time, and even in moments when we least expect it to come. 

          I once heard about an architect who had a clean bill of health after being examined by several doctors. Some of his friends had noticed that he was looking pale and tired and so he was worried and went for thorough medical check-ups with several recommended doctors. All of them examined him thoroughly and declared him to be well. That allayed his fears for a while. But not long after that he was diagnosed to have a cancer of unknown origin that had spread to his whole body. What a shock this news must have been to him. 

          I remember a scene in an emergency department many years ago. An asthmatic eleven-year-old boy was rushed in at night with breathing difficulties. As he struggled for his life, the doctors were trying their best to intubate him. But he soon became limp and lifeless. And all efforts to resuscitate him failed. The room was soon filled with the woeful wailing of his distraught parents. I was moved to tears for them. What I saw that night made a very deep impression on me never to take life for granted. 

          When I was in national service, I had a platoon mate whom I got to know quite well. After our three months of BMT we were transferred to different units. Then one day I received news that he had died suddenly of heat stroke during training. I grieved because I had lost a friend, but his parents’ grief was far worse because they had lost their only child. 

          It is sometimes quite frightening to see the way that some people live their lives – they live as if they have many years ahead of them. They make the most elaborate plans to fulfill their dreams and ambitions right up to how they will spend their retirement, without any thought at all about the possibility of being cut short by death. Death is the furthest thing from their thoughts. 

          Please be careful not to make this mistake. You have absolutely no control on when your life begins and when it ends. Always remind yourself that you are a mortal being. Never assume that you have many more years to live. You may have the cleanest bill of health from your doctor, eat only the healthiest food, and get lots of exercise. But one day a fever develops or a sore throat persists. And when you see a doctor, thinking that it is probably just another passing viral infection, you receive the most shocking news of your life! 

          You may be the safest driver in the world, taking every possible precaution against road accidents. But one day as you drive on the expressway, a speeding vehicle suddenly veers into your lane, and you have no time to react. The inevitable happens. Nothing can be done to remove the possibility of having to face death at any time. Your life is always hanging in the balance. When your time is up, your life will end whether you like it or not. In James 4:14 your life is described as a vapour that appears for a time and then disappears. In Psalm 90:6, Moses likens your life to the grass which grows in a field: “In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.” 

          Therefore please make it a point never to take matters of life and death lightly. Consider them as matters of grave importance. One passage of the Bible that provides very useful wisdom on these matters is Proverbs 8:32-36. These pearls of wisdom are about wisdom itself. And to be specific, they tell us about God’s wisdom, not the wisdom of the world. 

To hate God’s wisdom is to love death. 

          In Proverbs 8:36 wisdom is personified as one who says, “All they that hate me love death.” This is a very revealing statement. How can anyone love death? The very thought of death conveys ideas of darkness, desolation and decay. 

          For those of us who have been saved by Jesus Christ, physical death is only a doorway to eternal life. The resurrection of Christ has removed the sting of death, and so death is no longer fearful to us. But the word “death” as used in the book of Proverbs does not refer to physical death alone. This word refers to the awful judgment that will be faced for one’s sins. (Cf. Proverbs 16:25; 2:18; 5:5, 7:27) 

          Some people have the mistaken idea that death is the end of all things. They then see death as the way out of their troubles in life. When everything has gone wrong, and they find that there is no hope left and no way out of their troubles, sickness and suffering, they say, “I am going to end it all now, with death.” But those who take their own lives will be dismayed to find out that death does not bring an end to all their troubles, but is only the beginning of it. They discover that there is an awful judgment that they have to face (Hebrews 9:27). 

          Therefore, the death that according to Proverbs 8:36 is loved by those who hate God’s wisdom is eternal death. This is the judgment that sinners deserve for all their sins – the judgment of the soul in the fires of hell. The earlier part of the same verse says, “But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul…” This confirms that physical death is not the intended meaning here, since it only separates the soul from the body. Nothing can injure the soul but eternal death. 

          Eternal death is much worse than physical death. The prospect of endless torment in the unquenchable flames of hell fire would drive anyone in his right mind to do everything possible to avoid it. Therefore, it is extremely strange, and even perverse, for anyone to love eternal death. It does not stand to reason at all. And that is precisely the point that the writer wants to make. Anyone who deliberately rejects God’s wisdom when it is freely offered to him is hating his own soul. His values are turned completely upside down. He chooses to love that which he should never love. To such people, God asks: “Why will ye die? Why do you want to die, rather than live?” (cf. Ezekiel 33:11) 

          Perhaps God is asking you the same thing. All this while, you have been turning your back to His wisdom. Time after time the wisdom of God was manifested to you when you read the Bible or when you heard someone preach from it. But instead of receiving it, you doubted it and criticized it. If this is true of you, please realize that you are being utterly perverse, and what you have chosen to love is coming your way – the death of your soul. 

          The advice you need is found in verse 33 – “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.” Let your ears be open and your heart receptive to God’s wisdom. The earnest seeker is portrayed in the next verse as one who keeps watching daily at the gates of Wisdom, as one who keeps on waiting patiently at the posts of her doors until Wisdom emerges and rewards him. And the rewards of Wisdom are worth every effort that is made to find it. 

To seek after God’s wisdom is to find life and favour from the Lord. 

          Wisdom says, “For whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.” (Proverbs 8:35) Jesus said, “I am come that they [His sheep] might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) This abundant life that Christ wants us to have is a life which is fuller, richer, and deeper than we can ever expect or imagine; a life which is much better than anything this world can offer.  He wants us to have life, and much more than life in our daily experience – a life that is filled to overflowing with His blessings! 

        One of the most fundamental questions that can be asked is: What is life? Life can be defined simply as the ability of an entity to interact with things around it. When a living thing dies, it loses all ability to interact with its environment. Animals have life, because they are able to interact with their physical environment. We human beings are capable of experiencing a higher level of life than animals, because we can interact not only with physical things, but also with knowledge, abstract ideas, and feelings. 

          But the highest level of life comes from being able to interact fully with God who is the creator of all life. We experience life in its fulness only when we can more fully know, love, and fellowship with the infinite and eternal God. But how can we know, love and fellowship with the eternal God when we cannot even see, hear or touch Him? 

          This is where the wisdom of God becomes so important for us. It is not just a collection of wise sayings and idioms to live by. It is God’s own character and will. The wisdom of God is God’s own revelation of Himself to man. You cannot know what life really is, if you do not know the wisdom of God, and through that, the God of all wisdom. Have you found God’s wisdom? If you have not, please find it, and you will also find life. 

To have Jesus Christ is to have God’s wisdom and life. 

          The wisdom of God is none other than Jesus Christ. (Proverbs 8:22-23, cf. John 1:1-4) According to Colossians 2:3, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. 1 Corinthians 1:24,30 affirms that Christ is the wisdom of God for all believers. Therefore, the essence of God’s wisdom is for you to know Jesus Christ personally as your Lord and Saviour. Through Him you will be enlightened to understand the things of God, and the true meaning of life. You will know how to relate to God and how to live your life well according to His will and purpose for your life. 

          And Christ is more than God’s wisdom to us. He is also life itself to us. Just as Proverbs 8:35 tells us that those who find God’s wisdom will find life, so those who find Jesus Christ will find life in Him. 1 John 5:11 – “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (Cf. John 14:6; 11:25; 5:26) 

          No one can claim to have life in themselves like Jesus. The life we have is not from ourselves, but from others. We derived life from our parents when we were conceived and born. But Christ is different. He does not derive life from anyone, just as God derives life from no one. Jesus possesses inherent life (cf. John 14:6). He has within Himself the power to create life, to renew life, and to give eternal life to anyone He wills. 

          And Christ will give life to anyone who will come and receive it from Him by faith. In John 10:10 He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” He is the Life-giver. Earlier on we had seen that Christ is God’s Wisdom to us. Putting both of these together now, we understand that He is both our Life as well as our Wisdom. 

          How sad it is to see that many people have not found wisdom and life, because they have not come to the Jesus. But how about you? If you are still outside Christ, your greatest need is to receive Him into your life. Please do not delay, but come to Him right now by repenting of your sins and asking Him to be your Lord and Saviour. 

          As I had mentioned at the beginning of this article, matters of life and death should never be taken lightly. Coming to Christ is certainly a matter of life and death. Please give much serious thought to what you have read, for who knows for certain whether you will live to see another day?

– Pastor

 

At the Cross of Jesus 

There is love at the cross of Jesus, an everlasting love

That could leave the courts of heaven and the glory of God above,

That could come to a world of evil for the sake of the sinners lost,

That could drain the cup of anguish and never count the cost.

 

There is light at the cross of Jesus, though dark is the world around;

It was there He opened heaven, and the way to God was found;

It was there the tempest gathered and broke on His thorn-crowned head,

When He bore our stripes and sorrows, and suffered in our stead.

 

There is peace at the cross of Jesus, where God was reconciled,

Where we know our sins forgiven and hear Him say, “My child”;

Where He bore the world’s transgressions and all our debt was paid;

Where the weight of the Father’s anger on His tender heart was laid.

 

There is life at the cross of Jesus, where the victory was won,

Where sin and death were conquered by the sinless, deathless One;

O grave, where is thy triumph? O death, where is thy sting?

For the Lord of life and glory passed through thy gates a King!

 

- Annie Johnson Flint -

 

Appointments for the Week

Monday, Mar 4

        7.30 pm     No ERBL Lecture

Tuesday, Mar 5

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Dn Mark Heah)

Thursday, Mar 7

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     ERBL: Bible Geography (Ms Lilian Lee)

Friday, Mar 8

        7.30 pm     MM Meeting

Saturday, Mar 9

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM / MM

Sunday, Mar 10

  8.00 am Not by Might nor by Power Zechariah 4:1-7 (Eld Ng Beng Kiong)

  8.00 am Choir Practice

  9.15 am Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  9.30 am Exploring Christianity (Rm 2-1)

  9.40 am Sunday School / Catechism Class

10.15 am Coffee Corner

11.00 am Not by Might nor by Power Zechariah 4:1-7 (Eld Ng Beng Kiong)

11.00 am Children’s Ministry

11.00 am Chinese Service (MPH)

11.00 am Filipina Service (Rm 1-6)

12.15 pm Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

  2.30 pm Thai Service (LMH)

  4.00 pm Indonesian Service (Rm 1-6)

 

Announcements

Life BPC Job Vacancies

1. Estate Management Officer (EMO)

Responsibilities:

EMO plans, oversees and coordinates all property management and preventive maintenance activities associated for the church premises. Coordinates facilities usage for a range of Church activities and Church’s authorized users using the premises. The EMO reports to the Church Operation Manager.

Qualifications:

• Diploma or equivalent
• 5 years’ experience in real estate management and maintenance
• Certification in real estate management and maintenance is an added advantage
• Lifers are preferred 

2. Administrative Executive (AE)

Responsibilities:

The Administrative Executive reports directly to the Administration Manager (AM) to provide administrative support for the Church office and ministries.

Qualifications:

• GCE ‘A’ level or higher
• 3 years’ experience in administrative support
• Skill in Microsoft Office, database and general computing is mandatory
• Lifers are preferred 

Candidates with relevant qualifications and experience may submit your application and CV to the Church Operations Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 

Door to Door Evangelism

3 Mar 2024 (Today) Meet in Beulah Room 2-11, 12.30pm Contact: Desmond  or Amos 

 

Infant Baptism on Easter Sunday, 31 March 2024.

Parents, please email the church office, with your full names, contact numbers, and your child’s name and date of birth by 10 March 2024.

 

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is back!

Theme: Champions for God
Date: 29 May - 31 May 2024
Lifers needed for the available areas of service: Teaching, Logistics, Craft, Games, F&B and Traffic/Security. To register, visit lifebpc.com/vbs  

Note: Children’s registration (4-12 years old [N2-P6]) will commence at the end of March. 

 

Batam Mission

The team would like to extend collection of new or used items in good condition (Clothes, English Books and Board Games) from Lifers to support the  student library for newly reopened Pionir School (Suluh Aditya Bangsa Batam). Please drop off your donations in Beulah Centre Rm 2-5, before 24 March 2023. If you have further queries, please contact Matthew Sim 

 

Traffic Wardens

Lifers are invited to serve our Lord as Traffic Wardens on Sunday. Kindly contact Dn Choong  or Bro Kelvin  if you are available.

 

Church Camp 2024 will be held from 10 June to 14 June (Mon to Fri) at Resorts World Awana, Malaysia. 

Speaker: Pastor Tan Soon Yong

Theme: Truth Matters 

Registration for Church Camp 2024 is now open. You may go to the church's website at www.lifebpc.com/church-camp-2024 to register online. Availability will be on a first come first served basis. Please do register early! If you require assistance, please contact Josiah Seah

at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

 

YF Camp 16-20 Dec 2024

Mark the dates! For 17-25 years old!

 

Seniors Fellowship Seminar: Bones of Contention: Osteoporosis

Date: 27 April 2024

Time: 4-6 pm (followed by dinner)

Venue: Beulah MPH

Register at https://lifebpc.com/sfseminar

 

Seminar: Pornography & Sexual Lusts

Date: 6 April 2024

Time: 2-6.30 pm (followed by dinner)

Venue: Beulah MPH

Register at https://forms.gle/Kf1aZefXGTvU3ojFA