Chinese for Christ Church of San Jose

English Worship Service

Worship Service: 10:00 –11:10 am followed by snacks in the Fellowship Hall.

Call To Worship -Alison Law
Praise & Worship -Praise Team Congregation
Welcome & Announcements -Kenny Chan
Sermon  “Wake Up to Worship!” Malachi 1:6-2:9 (page 801) – Joey Wang
Communion (Lord’s Supper) – Baptized Believers
Song(s) of Response  -Praise Team  and  Congregation
Doxology (Words of Praise)
Prayer & Benediction (Lord’s Blessing) -Joey Wang

Previous Week’s Sermon Notes

Last Sunday we began a 7 part sermon series through the book of Malachi, titled, “A Wake Up Call from God.” The book of Malachi was God’s last words to the people of Israel for 400 years (until the New Testament).  The primary purpose was to wake up the people of God from complacency.

Malachi 1:1-5 “Wake Up to God’s Love”

1. Wake Up to the Word of God (v.1), (cf. Deuteronomy 32:47, Psalm 119:25-32, 2 Timothy 3:16)

– The word “prophecy” or “oracle” literally means “burden” – the implication being the word of God carries “weight” or is “significant.”

– We are reminded that we can hear from God and know His will for us through His Word (the Bible).

– When we read/hear the word of God, let us remember it is the word of God!

2. Wake up to Love of God (vv.2-5), (cf. Genesis 25-33, Numbers 20:14-21)

– In these verses, God reminds Israel of His love for them – even as Israel doubts and questions God’s love.  In response God reminds them of His love by pointing them to the past and present. Specifically, through the history of Israel, God reminds them of His love through the following:

– His grace – Israel wasn’t anything special, but God graciously chose them to be His people

– His discipline – Just as a parent disciplines a child out of love, so God reminds them that even His discipline is an expression of His love.

– His mercy – Even though Israel deserved God’s wrath & judgment, God in His mercy didn’t destroy them.

– His faithfulness – God reminds them of His love through His steadfast, persevering faithfulness to them despite their unfaithfulness to God.

– Jesus (The Gospel) – Ultimately we are reminded of God’s love through His Son Jesus Christ who came into this world and died on the cross for our sins!

Reflection & Application

– What circumstances have made it difficult for you to remember God’s love for you? Why is it easy to doubt God’s love?

– Think of a time when you’ve experienced God’s grace, mercy, faithfulness, even His discipline.

– Are there any areas in your life that you need to “wake up”?

We are glad you are here this morning to worship God together with us! As a church we believe the Gospel – the good news of God’s grace to us through Jesus Christ. This is why we sing, what we preach about, and how we live – centered on the Gospel. This Gospel is what unites us as a church community – regardless of our age, life stage, personalities/interests, or even culture or language.

Please fill out one of the pink cards in the pew and pass on to any of our ushers if you would like us to contact you with more information about our church.

Announcements

1. Baptism Class: Our Baptism Classes have started (meeting Sunday mornings at 8:30 am in the church office). Please contact Pastor Kenny (pkennychan@gmail.com) for additional information.
2. Community Groups: Our small group fellowship for adults (college, single/married, working, etc.) meets weekly every Saturday 10 am-12 pm and Sunday 4-6 pm. For more information, please contact Pastor Joey (joeywang@cfccsj.org).
3. Saltshakers (Youth Group): We will be continuing our theme of “Spiritual Discipline” this Saturday (10/3) from 7-9pm in the Fellowship Hall. For more information, contact Daniel Chen (dantchen83@sbcglobal.net).
4. AWANA: AWANA is a weekly program for children 3-11 years of age on Saturday nights. Registration forms are available on the table in the hallway. For more information, contact Pilien Huang at huangpilien@gmail.com or 408-921-0886.
5. ESL Teachers Needed:  We are experiencing a shortage of ESL teachers for our Friday morning and Sunday afternoon English classes. If interested, please contact Vicky Lan (vickylan28@gmail.com).
6. Parking: Please be considerate when parking. Do not park at neighboring businesses (Starbucks or Bill of Fare), in the church driveway, in reserved parking spaces, or in front of the fire hydrant. If street parking in residential areas, please do not block driveways and be careful of any trash cans that may be out.

Prayer Requests & Praises

1. Praise God for the safe arrival of Paul & Jamie’s son, Jake Harold Yuan, on 9/25!
2. Pray that as a church we would “wake up” in areas of spiritual complacency – that we would awaken to the truth of God’s Word, the grace of Jesus, the fellowship of the Spirit, and God’s heart for the world!
3. Pray for our ESL (English Second Language) outreach classes that meet every Friday morning and Sunday afternoon.  Pray for our teachers as they not only teach but share the Gospel through their lives and their words!
4. Pray for the AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) group that meets at our church facility on Tuesdays. Pray that these individuals would find support from one another in battling their addictions.

Commentaries on the book of Malachi

The following are some of the commentaries used in preparation for our sermon series through Malachi:

Joel, Obadiah, Malachi (The NIV Application Commentary) by David W. Baker

– A very user-friendly commentary that spends equal time on the original context (meaning) as well as the contemporary significance (application).

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries) by Andrew E. Hill

– An excellent shorter commentary that provides good background as well as exposition of the verses.

The Books of Haggai and Malachi (The New International Commentary on the OT) by Peiter A. Verhoef.
– A  very technical and detailed commentary that gets into the original Hebrew text (verse-by-verse) and interacts with other scholarly works.  Not for the faint of heart but those that want to dig deep into the passage.

New Bible Commentary edited by G.J. Wenham, J.A. Motyer, D.A. Caron, R.T. France

– The best one-volume commentary (on the entire Bible).  If you can only have and use one commentary, this is the one. While the information provided on each book won’t be as detailed as single volume commentaries on a specific book of the Bible, this commentary is a collection of the works of some of the best biblical scholars on the different books of the Bible.

New City Catechism (from http://www.newcitycatechism.com/intro.php)

We hope that this will be a tool for us to use in discipling our children, one another and ourselves as a church community.  The New City Catechism is also available online and for your smart phones.

Question 4:  How and why did God create us?

Answer:  God created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.

Passage(s):  Genesis 1:27 – “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”