O Worship the LORD in the Beauty of Holiness

	8:00 am	11:00 am
Call to Worship	Dn Timotheus Lee	Dn Timotheus Lee
Opening Hymn	I Sing the Mighty Power of God (HGG 19)	I Sing the Mighty Power of God (HGG 19)
Invocation-Gloria Patri
Scripture Reading	John 17:13-26	John 17:13-26
Hymn	’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus (HGG 522)	’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus (HGG 522)
Offertory Hymn	When This Passing World Is Done (HGG 342)	When This Passing World Is Done (HGG 342)
Doxology & Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
Sermon	All of One (Hebrews 2:11-18) by Bro Mok Chee Cheong	All of One (Hebrews 2:11-18) by Bro Mok Chee Cheong
Closing Hymn	Our Great Saviour (HGG 434)	Our Great Saviour (HGG 434)
Benediction
Announcements

IS THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT DIFFERENT FROM THE GOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT?

I sometimes hear brethren in Christ say that they prefer reading the New Testament than the Old Testament. Their premise is that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath while the God of the New Testament is a God of love. For example, in Leviticus 10, God judged Aaron’s two sons with death when they offered strange fire before Him. In contrast, Jesus forgave the adulterous woman when she was brought before Him by the scheming religious leaders (John 8).  What are the reasons that contribute to this misunderstanding of the nature of God? 

 

1. Not Reading in the Larger Context

It is wrong to prematurely define God as wrathful and devoid of love, grace and compassion solely by a single reading of a Scripture passage or a few selected portions of the Old Testament. It would certainly be deemed judgemental to label a father as wrathful because he was angry with his disobedient child on a certain day and had to discipline him. Therefore, the right thing to do is to study the whole story of the Bible to have an accurate view of Him.    

When we do that, we realize that the God of the Old Testament is the same loving and gracious God of the New Testament. His lovingkindness and grace permeate the sacred pages of the Bible from cover to cover. Let us see a few examples. 

1. God’s Grace Upon Adam and Eve

After Adam and Eve sinned by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:17; 3:6,7) God extended His grace to them by giving them the very first gospel (Genesis 3:15) instead of killing them. Moreover, He clothed them with animal skins replacing the fig leaves that they made to cover their nakedness to point to them that the ultimate atonement of their sins will be accomplished through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God on the cross.   

1. God’s Grace Upon Mankind Prior to the Global Flood

In Genesis 6:5, we learnt that God could have instantly destroyed the world with a global flood when He "saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” But He waited 120 years for the people to repent (Genesis 6:3) and appointed Noah as a preacher of righteousness to them (2 Peter 2:5).  

1. God’s Grace Upon the Canaanites

The judgement on the Canaanites was a 400-year wait for God to mete out His justice for their gross idolatry, wickedness and rebellion (Genesis 15:16). God demonstrated His love, mercy and above all His longsuffering with sinful men. He again chose to wait 400 years before using Joshua to conquer and destroy them.  

1. God’s Grace Upon His Exiled People

God graciously formed the nation of Israel, gave them His Law promising them blessings and curses for obedience and disobedience respectively. The people took an oath to obey God but broke it by sinning against Him. God sent prophet after prophet to warn and rebuke them. But they hardened their hearts against Him. When God sent them into exile, He graciously called them back after 70 years and forgave those who repented (Isaiah 40:1,2).  

1. God’s Grace Upon the Ninevites

God went all out to make the prophet Jonah go to Nineveh to preach a message of repentance to the wicked Ninevites. In contrast to Jonah’s reaction to their repentance and being spared from God’s destruction, God was compassionate towards them because they did not know their right hand from their left (Jonah 4:11).   

The list of examples of God’s lovingkindness above is not exhaustive. Indeed, He is God who is love as the Ezekiel 18:23 states, “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” (cf. 2 Peter 3:9)

 

2. Not Realizing the Accurate Portrayal of God in the NT

A closer look at the New Testament will make one realize that it does not portray the absence of God’s wrath. In the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, God judged their sin with death when they boldly lied to Him about their offering. In Acts 12, Herod received instant judgement from God and was eaten of worms and died when he unashamedly accepted the people’s praises that he spoke as the “voice of a god, and not of a man” (Acts 12:23).   

In the gospels, Jesus seeing that the money changers and merchants were exploiting the people's religious devotion by charging exorbitant prices for sacrificial animals and currency exchange and turning the temple into a marketplace for personal profit drove them all out and overturned their tables with holy indignation. (John 2:15,16; Matthew 21:9, 13).   

The supreme example of God’s wrath in full display in the New Testament was when He poured His wrath upon Jesus when He gave Himself for us on the cruel cross at Calvary to atone for our sins. Furthermore, those who reject God and refuse to repent and trust in Jesus alone for salvation will experience not just God’s wrath in history but for all eternity (2 Thessalonians 1:9 cf. Revelation 20:14; 21:8). 

 

3. Not Understanding that God is Unchangeable

We do not believe in a two-God theory. We believe in one Triune God. He is unchangeable, and that means His character and nature do not and cannot change. Malachi tells us, “For I am the LORD, I change not....” (Malachi 3:6). Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8 cf. Psalm 102:27; James 1:17). Therefore, the God of the New Testament is the same as the God of the Old Testament.

 

Conclusion

We should not hold on to our misunderstanding of the Bible. It should not be read as one Testament versus another Testament. The 66 books of the Bible make one complete Book revealing the same unchangeable, loving, gracious, merciful, compassionate, faithful and holy God throughout history. Therefore, we are not to shy away from reading the Old Testament. I pray that we will love and read the Old and New Testaments, for “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

– Rev Quek KK

Shorter Catechism Question 34

34. What is adoption?

Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of, the sons of God.

 

 

Appointments for the Week

Monday, Feb 10

        7.30 pm     ERBL: Counselling in the Local Church (Mr Joel Seah)

Tuesday, Feb 11

        8.00 pm     Prayer Meeting (Eld Ng Beng Kiong)

Wednesday, Feb 12

      10.00 am     SF Meeting

Thursday, Feb 13

      10.00 am     Ladies’ Prayer Group

        7.30 pm     ERBL: The Epistles of Peter (Rev Bendick Ong)

Friday, Feb 14

        7.30 pm     MM Meeting

Saturday, Feb 15

        3.00 pm     LTF / YLM / MM

Sunday, Feb 16

 8.00 am Christ, Our Greatest Deliverer Hebrews 3:1-6 (Rev Quek KK, with Holy Communion)

 8.00 am Choir Practice

 9.15 am Library (Sanctuary Balcony)

 9.40 am Sunday School / Catechism Class

10.15 am Coffee Corner

11.00 am Christ, Our Greatest Deliverer Hebrews 3:1-6 (Rev Quek Kk)

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

Vacation Bible School (VBS) 2025

VBS is back this year for N2-P6 children!  
Save the Dates: 4-6 June (Wed-Fri)
Details on how to register will be coming your way soon—stay tuned!

 

Door to Door Evangelism

16 February 2025 (Next Sunday)

Meet in Beulah Room 2-11, 12.30pm

Contact: Desmond or Amos 

 

Traffic Warden Service

We welcome all church members to join in this work. Our TW’s role is to provide godly service to facilitate worship. We need help in following time slots for Sunday: 7.30-8am or 10.30-11am with a frequency of once or twice a month.
Please contact Dn Chan Yong or Bro Kelvin. 

 

Library Ministry

Members are invited to serve in the Library Ministry. If you are available on Sunday, please contact Sis. Mimi Sim  or Bro. Paul Cheong for more details.

 

Holy Communion Elements Preparation

Lifers are invited to serve in the Holy Communion elements preparation, clean-up and washing. Those interested may contact Jenny Kan or Wendy Lun.

 

Mailbox Club Bible Correspondence Course (MBCC)

Another Church Outreach Ministry invites Lifers to register their young children, teens, or grandchildren with our MBCC. Those whose loved ones, friends or colleagues who are either young in their faith or being non-believers, are interested to know and explore more of Christianity, are also invited to register with us by filling in the registration forms which are now available at the Church front counter and post them to:

Life B-P Church

No.10, Gilstead Road

Singapore 309064

Attention: Mrs Ong Chuay Ying

 

Thanksgiving

Brother David Cheong and family wish to thank pastors of both Chinese and English services, Session and Lifers for their condolences, prayers and words of comfort during the bereavement of his mother, Cheong KY.

 

Far Eastern Kindergarten Online Registration 2026 Intake

Pre-Nursery (Morning and Afternoon Vacancies): Children born in 2023
Nursery (Vacancies in PM only): Children born in 2022
K1 (Morning and Afternoon vacancies): Children born in 2021
Priority registration for church members: 1 February to 14 February 2025
Register online at http://www.lifebpc.com/fekedu/registration.html
It will be on a first-come-first-serve basis after 14 February 2025.
Please visit our website http://www.lifebpc.com/fekedu/ or call 6251 3676 for more information.

  

Senior Fellowship Medical Seminar: Coping with Critical Illnesses

Date: 26 April 2025

Time: 4-6pm

Venue: Beulah MPH

Speaker: Dr Loh Keh Chuan

Register by 13 April https://www.lifebpc.com/sfseminar

 

Gospel Sunday Choir Presentation

The Life Church Service Choir will be presenting the song “Grace of God” for Gospel Sunday on 30 March 2025. The practices will be held at Beulah 4-2 from 0830 – 0930 hrs on Sundays 9, 15 and 23 March

We welcome all church members to join us for this presentation! Please contact Yoong Chiang for more details.

 

Missions Trips 2025

Lifers are encouraged to participate in Mission Trips. You may sign up as an individual, a family, a Fellowship Group or an NBC. https://forms.gle/Cc4Q22b8csiFmqEY6 

 

Church Camp 2025

Save the date! Please mark your calendars for our upcoming church camp!

Theme: Are We Prepared to Meet Christ?

Dates: 17-20 June 2025

Venue: Radisson Hotel, Batam, Indonesia

Speaker: Rev Ian Goligher, Retired Pastor of Free Presbyterian Church in Cloverdale, BC Canada.

Join us for a blessed time of spiritual growth and fellowship as we explore the messages from the letters of Christ to the seven churches in Revelation.

Camp registration will start from today, 19 January 2025. You may go to the church's website at https://www.lifebpc.com/church-camp-2025 to register online. Availability will be on a first come first serve basis. Please do register early to avoid disappointment. If you require any assistance with registration, please contact Josiah Seah at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For any questions about camp, please contact Dn Chen Wei'an.