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* – Hannah Lee
Praise & Worship*- Praise Team and Congregation
Welcome & Announcements – Daniel Chen
Sermon “Living as Faithful Exiles…” Daniel 1 (page 737)- Joey Wang
Song(s) of Response* – Praise Team
Doxology (Words of Praise)*- Congregation
Prayer & Benediction (Lord’s Blessing)* – Joey Wang
*Please stand, if physically able. Also, please set your cell phones to “silent.”
Please exit through the ‘front’ of the sanctuary at the end of service. Thank you.
Previous Week’s Sermon Notes
“Introduction to Daniel” (Assorted Verses)
Historical Background
722 BC – The Assyrians conquer Israel (Northern Kingdom)
586 BC – The Babylonians conquer Judah (Southern Kingdom)
The events in the book of Daniel take place from ~605 B.C. – 536 B.C. during the reigns of King Nebuchadnezzar and King Belshazzar (Babylon) through King Cyrus (Median-Persian) (Cf. Daniel 1:1, 2:1, 5:1, 7:1, 8:1, 10:1)
Outline of the Book of Daniel
Daniel 1-6: Narrative (Story); Chapters 1, 8-12 written in Hebrew
Daniel 7-12 Apocalyptic (Prophecy) Chapters 2-7 written in Aramaic
Major Themes of Daniel
- The book of Daniel is the Story of God
- The book of Daniel is the Story of God’s Sovereignty
- God is in Control (Power)
- God is King (Authority)
- The book of Daniel is about God’s People Living as Faithful Exiles
Reflection/Application
- In what ways do you need to be reminded that you are a part of God’s story and plans – and not the other way around?
- What things are going in your life these days where you need to be reminded of – and trust in God’s sovereignty?
In what ways do you need to be reminded of your identity as a “Disciple” – a forgiven sinner who is learning and growing in Jesus?
We are glad that you have joined us this morning as we begin the new year worshipping Jesus together and being reminded of who He is!
If this is your first time here, please fill out one of the cards in the pew and give the card on to any of our ushers if you would like us to contact you with more information about our church.
Announcements
- Bible Reading in 2017: One of our goals this year as a church is to know God’s Word (the Bible) better together as a church community. Please join us in reading through the Bible together with the “5 Day Bible Reading Program” plan! You can sign-up online here: https://goo.gl/f0UIj8.
- Inheritance Magazine: December’s belated issue on “Homeland: Stories about Origin, Journeys, and Finding a Place to Belong” is now available! Inheritance is a monthly magazine that focuses on how Christian faith interacts with Asian and American cultures. (Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in Inheritance do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of CFCCSJ).
- Saltshakers: We will be gathering for Large Group this Saturday (1/21) from 7-9pm in the Church Sanctuary. For more information, please contact Daniel Chen (dantchen83@gmail.com)
- Growth Groups: Please sign-up if you are interested and able to commit to Growth Groups by Saturday (1/21). Growth Groups meets on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from Feb-June. See Daniel Chen for more information.
- Winter Youth Retreat (2/17-20): We are still collecting registration forms for this coming youth retreat. Deadline for regular registration ends 1/29. For more information, please see Daniel Chen.
- Summer Retreat Planning: We are looking for 2-4 individuals (adult and/or youth) to be a part of our 2017 Summer Retreat Planning Committee. Our 2017 Summer Retreat (6/16-18) will be a special entire church (English-Chinese) joint retreat. Please contact Pastor Joey (joeywang@cfccsj.org) if you’re interested (or for more information).
Prayer Requests & Praises
- Pray that as a church we would grow in greater love for God, His Word, and prayer in this new year!
- Pray for Daniel Chen as he plans to move to Los Angeles at the end of May to be closer with Sachi and his family. Pray also for Daniel as he figures out future ministry/calling.
- Praise God for Elder Stan Yang’s faithful leadership and service through the past four years and pray that his year-long sabbatical in 2017 will be a time of renewal and refreshment. Pray for Elder Raymond Hung as he serves a more active role in the English ministry in 2017.
Recommended Resources on the Book of Daniel
The following are some of the commentaries that are consulted in preaching through the book of Daniel:
Daniel (Reformed Expository Commentary) by Iain M. Duiguid
- This commentary strikes a good balance between interpreting the text (exegesis) and applying the text (application). If you can only refer to one commentary on Daniel, use this one!
Daniel (NIV Application Commentary) by Tremper Longman
- Similar to Duiguid’s Daniel, this is also a good balanced commentary for general readers.
Daniel (Word Biblical Commentary) by Jay Goldingay
- Probably the best technical (in-depth) scholarly commentary on Daniel which not only gets into the original languages (Hebrew & Aramaic) of Daniel but also interacts with other scholarly works and interpretations of Daniel.
Preaching Christ from Daniel by Sidney Greidanus
- Less a commentary but more a guide for pastor/teachers to see and teach Christ in the book of Daniel.
Daniel (Geneva Series of Commentaries) by E.J. Young
- An older but just as useful more technical commentary on Daniel. This is a good companion commentary to Goldingay’s.
New City Catechism (from www.newcitycatechism.com/intro.php)
We hope that this will be a tool for us to use in disciplining our children, one another and ourselves as a church community. The New City Catechism is also available online & for your smart phones.
Question 14: Did God create us unable to keep his law?
Answer: No, but because of the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all of creation is fallen; we are all born in sin and guilt, corrupt in our nature and unable to keep God’s law.
Passage(s): Romans 5:12