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WEEKLY
Volume 2 Number 42
16 March 2008
Enlarge the Place of
Thy Tent
(Message
delivered by Eld Dr Boaz Boon at the First Thanksgiving Anniversary
Service, 3 pm, March 16, 08)
Text:
Isaiah 54:1-5
Grace, peace and mercy be
multiplied unto you from our Almighty God. Praise to the Lord Jesus
Christ Who has won the victory over sin for us. It is a joy and
privilege to share God’s Word with you this afternoon in your First
Thanksgiving Anniversary of Brisbane BP Church. My family and I greet
you in the wonderful and matchless Name of our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
I would like to
encourage you to enlarge the place of thy tent. This meditation is taken
from Isaiah 54:1-5. “1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not
bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not
travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the
children of the married wife, saith the LORD. 2 Enlarge the place
of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine
habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; 3 For
thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed
shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be
inhabited. 4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed:
neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou
shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach
of thy widowhood any more. 5 For thy Maker is thine
husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of
Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
Isaiah 54:1-5 can be
understood from a reference to Galatians 4:21-31. The barren and
desolate refers to Christians, the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ –
the church. They will increase in population, and thus need a larger
tent. However, the gentiles who have been grafted in among the olive
tree (Rom 11:17, 24) should not look down upon the Israelites, the
original olive tree. The married wife refers to the Israelites bounded
by Judaism. There is freedom from the bondage of sin in Christ. This is
the precious gospel that needs to be preached to all nations.
We have three salient lessons
to learn from this meditation. They are ‘stretch forth’;
‘spare not’; and ‘strengthen stakes’.
‘Stretch Forth’
We, who have been saved out
of damnation of hell-fire because of our sin against our Creator, the
Almighty God, and assured of our heavenly abode through our Lord Jesus
Christ, has a gospel debt to pay. We can never repay this debt we owe.
God has given us the privilege to serve Him in evangelism. We need to
share the gospel with love for the people. There are great opportunities
in the family (amongst loved ones), at work, in the institutions of
learning (schools and universities), in the community (locals,
immigrants, children, teens and adults), and whoever the Lord has placed
in contact with us. We need to preach the gospel to every creature –
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Tim 4:2). Pray for a
heart of love and perseverance. Live a godly life – we can show others
the reality of Jesus in our hearts by the way we face life’s challenges.
Sometimes, our action of hypocrisy is so loud that we shut off their
interest in the gospel. We ought to repent of our sins and live
victorious sincere Christian lives.
Let us stretch forth the
curtains of Brisbane BP Church to bring in more souls to salvation in
the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a purpose why the Lord has placed you in
this part of the world at this time. We do God’s will in God’s own way
to receive God’s blessings. As we abide in the Lord Jesus Christ, He
will strengthen us – “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that
abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for
without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5).
‘Spare Not’
The Lord Jesus Christ
sacrificed Himself for us. He died on the cruel cross in our stead to
pay for the penalty of our sins. We should in turn spare not our
efforts, talent, time, resources and commitment to serve the Lord in the
church. We can help the pastor to strengthen the various ministries of
the church. Don’t only be a spectator but be actively involved. God will
bless you with spiritual growth.
The missionary to India,
William Carey once said, “Expect great things from God; attempt great
things for God.” Brisbane BP Church also needs to be ambitious for God’s
work. Not for self glory, but for God’s glory. Not with our own
strength, but in His strength. We tend to attempt great things for
ourselves, e.g., in career. We can do that in accordance with God’s
will.
But, it is even more needful
in the growth of the church. Pray, wait upon the Lord and serve Him
fervently. Don’t boast of our contributions – whether in talents or
finances. All good things that we have come from God and we need to be
good managers of His blessings towards us. Not for ourselves only, but
more importantly, for the church. Do we give our ‘crumbs’ to the Lord or
the best portions? So, spare not, lengthen thy cords so that God will
bless Brisbane BP Church in number of souls and spiritual strength.
‘Strengthen Stakes’
The church needs to grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to follow
the example of Paul, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the
counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27).
We must have a high view of
God and to fear to sin against Him. Our Christian life must be based on
the Bible – “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun
profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more
ungodliness.” (2 Tim 2:15-16).
We must love God’s Word and
abide in it – “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth;
but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe
to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make
thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua
1:8). As a church, we need to have the mind of Christ – humility and
submission to God’s will.
I pray that Brisbane BP
Church will continue to stand squarely on God’s Word and embrace the
Verbal Plenary Inspiration and Verbal Plenary Preservation of God’s
Word. Study it, believe in it and live it. May God bless the church with
spiritual awakening and love for God. God will add to the church such as
should be saved to the glory of His holy Name.
Conclusion
“Finally, my brethren, be
strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Eph 6:10). Rejoice
in the Lord and sing unto His holy Name. Thank God for Brisbane BP
Church first anniversary.
**********
To Every Creature
The blood of men and
nations is upon us,
As the church remains
distracted from the call.
The Saviour’s great
commission still unheeded,
To take His Word of
redemption unto all.
To every creature I’ll
preach the gospel,
In season out of season I
would faithful be
This was our Saviour’s
consuming passion
In every hour, it’s still
God’s power,
Unto salvation for the
world,
Unto all who will believe.
Oh, how then shall they
hear without a preacher,
That our gracious Lord is
ready to forgive?
To us it’s been committed
as His stewards,
That light to shine every
moment that we live!
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