WELCOME (15 minutes)
Choose one of the following icebreakers:
(When you have first-time guests, begin with a round of introduction and warmly welcome the new visitors.)
- Ten Things in Common
Divide the cell into groups of 4-5 persons. Tell the newly formed groups that their assignment is to find ten things that they have in common, with every other person in the group. You'll want to tell the people that they may not select body parts that they have in common or use types of clothing as commonalities. Also, tell the groups that one person must take notes and be ready to read the group's list of ten commonalities to the whole group upon completion of the assignment. Give them 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, ask the volunteers of each group to read their group's whole list of things in common.
- What do you hope for?
Leader: Have you ever used the phrase, “I hope it works out”? We all have at some point used the word “Hope” to describe something we are expecting. The very definition of hope is this: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Many of us have said things like this: “I hope I win the lottery”, or “I hope I get a better job”, or “I hope they don’t run out of orange juice”. We use this word ‘hope’ all the time, because we have a desire for certain things to happen.Ask everyone to share one thing they are hoping to happen in their lives soon.
Transition to Worship:
We serve an awesome God! His promises in our lives never fail! Let’s come to sing praises and worship Him in this place!
WORSHIP (20 minutes)
You may use the following suggested worship songs:
- Awesome In This Place – Hillsong (D)
- Forever Reign (E)
- Here I Am To Worship (D)
- Living Hope (A)
At an appropriate time encourage everyone to be still and wait upon the Lord for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Encourage the release of the gifts of the Holy Spirit - words, visions, tongues and interpretation of tongues - to minister to the people who are present.
Transition to Word:
Indeed, Lord Jesus, You are our living hope, our refuge and strength in times of need! Praise God! All glory to Jesus forever and ever!
WORD (45 minutes)
Memory verse of the week: Leviticus 23:22 (NIVUK)
‘“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.”’
Sermon Title: Future Living
By SP Daniel Khong on 12 - 13 Oct 2019
Scripture Passage: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIVUK)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Context to Jeremiah 29:11
Author and blogger Mary DeMuth addresses our misunderstanding of this verse. As she explains, the heart of this verse is “not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive” in the midst of it. The context to this verse was that the Israelites were in exile in Babylon, a punishment from God as a result of their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronted the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years. Jeremiah called out Hananiah’s lie and then stated the promise we read in 29:11.
God did indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, and it was a plan that would give them hope and a prospering future. But the thing was, before God shared this promise, He gave them this directive: “seek the peace and the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (29:7).This was definitely not what the Israelites wanted to hear! They wanted to be told that they would be going home, and that their sufferings were going to end. Instead, God’s plan was for them to stay right where they were, and to help prosper the nation that enslaved them! And then came the biggest blow of all. In verse 10, God says that He would fulfill this “after seventy years are completed in Babylon.” This meant that probably none in the current generation of Israelites would ever return to their home. What a crushing thing to be told! Yet for the Israelites, God knew the plans He had for them. And ultimately He will give them a glorious future. But they need to walk in obedience to what God had instructed for them.
With this background understanding, let us seek to apply two important truths gleaned from this passage shared at last weekend’s sermon on Future Living – How to find hope? We can find hope if we recognize that:
- the Future is Now
- the Future is God’s
Discovery and Understanding Questions:
Q1. The Future is Now
A1. We can find hope if we know that the future is Now. The future is shaped by what is done now. A wrong understanding among Christians is that because our future is in God’s hands, He will settle everything and we just sit around and wait for Him to do what is necessary to make everything ok. And we think our efforts count for nothing because everything happens in God’s timing and plan. However, the truth is what we do in the present impacts and shapes the future. Consider Jeremiah 29:4-7:
Jeremiah 29:4-7
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’
The Israelites were instructed to carry on with their normal living in the place that they were exiled to. They were instructed to continue to multiply in this foreign land. Only then would they be able to ensure their future and not dwindle. They were also to seek the peace and prosperity of this foreign land. Indeed, their own welfare is dependent on the welfare of this land. If they did not do so, and if they chose to wallow in self-pity and denial, then there would not be much of a nation remaining after seventy years of captivity.
Jeremiah 29:10 (NIVUK)
10 This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place
Q2. The Future is God’s
A2. God is the sovereign Lord who is in charge of everything, including our future. Because of this unchanging truth, we can find hope even when the situation looks bleak or things seem out of control. Know that God is still in control and He has our best interests at heart. Consider how the below verses from the same passage revealed that it was God’s plan in the first place to exile the Israelites. God is a just God and He had to discipline them because of their sin and disobedience. Yet He is not only just, but He is also good and gracious. So within this same passage, even as God punished the Israelites, He was also working out their redemption.
Jeremiah 29:4, 7, 10, 14 (NIVUK)
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’
10 This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place.
14 I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.’
When we know who God is and trust Him, we can find hope that the future is God’s. We can then go through difficult times not losing sight of Him and His wonderful plan for our lives. Let us therefore lay hold of God and His promises for our lives. God is in charge and we are His treasured possessions. He will not only provide for us, His presence will be with us always.
Jeremiah 29:12-14 (NIVUK)
12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Deuteronomy 31: 6, 8 (NIVUK)
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’
8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’
None of us can see the future, so we must live in the present. God holds the future, so we must learn to trust Him.
Application Questions:
Break into smaller groups, share, pray and minister to one another.
Q1. Are we going through some difficult times in our lives and we are feeling a sense of hopelessness?
Q2. Are we finding it difficult to surrender certain aspects of our lives to God in order to serve Him? (e.g. job/career, family, finances, etc.)
Transition to Works:
Let us continue to be His ambassadors and be instruments in His hands to bring hope to others.
WORKS (15minutes)
- Happiness Group (幸福小组)
Wave 1 Happiness Group (Pilot Launch) – Press on with the consolidation of your BESTs. Continue to build relationship and encourage them to attend our weekend Services. Challenge them to get baptized and sign them up for the next baptism. To download baptism forms, click on this URL link: www.fcbc.org.sg/pastoral-care/baptism.Wave 2 Happiness Group (19 Aug to 24 Nov) – We are into the 7th Week of XFXZ Wave 2. Well done! Press on with the remaining sessions as you step up prayers and believe God. Pray that your BESTs will return for the last couple of sessions. Set aside time to de-brief after each XFXZ session to do better. Continue to connect with other BESTs to invite them for the last few XFXZ sessions.
- 3x3 Prayer
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the strongholds that bind the people. Ask Him to set up divine appointments for us to minister His power over them (words of knowledge, healing, helps, etc.). Pray for one another to have boldness, courage and obedience to follow through.
- Inviting Friends to our Services
Continue to encourage one another to invite pre-believing friends to our weekend Services. Make time to listen to ‘The Voice of God’ for prophetic utterances that speak to our pre-believing friends’ circumstances as a prelude to inviting them. In addition, take some time to discuss, plan an activity and pray toward achieving the goal you have set as a cell.
- Consolidation of New Converts
Assimilate them! Let them have a sense of belonging with our faith community! Connect with them via phone calls; meet up with them over a meal; make home visits; introduce them to cell members and invite them to fellowship with our faith community in cell and in church.Disciple them! Introduce them to LifeClass! LifeClass is an exciting package of equipping that guides new believers through the foundations of their faith and leads them into a life-transforming encounter with Jesus. It does this through nine weeks of personal study, combined with fun and interactive classroom sessions of Bible teaching and an Encounter Weekend. Please check out the Equipping page at our website or Mobile App.
Visit https://www.fcbc.org.sg/equipping/event-listing for more details.
Announcements:
Please visit https://www.fcbc.org.sg/bulletin/ or our FCBC App for more details.