RHCCC DTM Latest Sermon

“Focused” - Jesus’ Temptation

Speaker: Pastor. Kelly J. Tam

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Trial (What is the hardship or struggle?)

Trust (What draws us closer to God?)

Transition (What is being refined?)

Transformation (Who Are we Becoming?)

Hardships are unavoidable, growth is our choice, and transformation is God’s work.

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Matthew 4:1-11

3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.""

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Deuteronomy 8:3

3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord

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Matthew 4

6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:

"'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

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Deuteronomy 6:16

16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.

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Matthew 4

9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan!

For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."

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Deuteronomy 6:13

13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.

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The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

—Matthew4:3-4

Trial: Self-sufficiency

Trust: Dependence

Transition: Endurance & Courage

Jehovah Jireh (יְהוָ֣ה יִרְאֶ֑ה)

“The Lord will Provide”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

—Matthew4:5-7

Trial: Faith

Trust: Obedience

Transition: Patience, Resilience & Confidence

El Emunah (אֵל אֱמוּנָה)

“Faithful God”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”

—Matthew 4:8-10

Trial: Idolatry and Compromise

Trust: Surrender

Transition: Humility & Peace

אֵל שַׁדַּי (El Shaddai)

“God Almighty”

“Rested”- Moses, Israel and the Manna

Speaker: Rev. Dr. Shu-Ling Lee

Scripture: Exodus 16:1-12,17-20,27-30

How has God provided in the last 40 years at RHCCC?

BIG IDEA: If you don’t trust in God’s provision, and rest/work in the way He’s designed you for, the fruits of your labour will eventually rot.

Will we, in the church, take His sabbath command seriously?

TRIAL - What does the trial look like in this story?

Background of Exodus 16

16:1-12

16:17-20

16:27-30

TRUST - What does trust look like in this story?

Can you learn to trust that God is your provider? (Reject Greed)

Can you learn to trust that God’s rest for you is part of your good? (Reject Control)

Is Jesus your ultimate reason to trust God? (Reject self-salvation)

TRANSITION - God does provide… but can you CONTINUE to trust and rest in Him?

TRANSFORMATION - What does Transformation look like in this context? In our context today?

TRULY “RESTED” - A transformed person in Christ 

 the Lord of the Sabbath… and they know the sabbath was made for them!

REFLECTION

1. Have you taking Sabbath Rest seriously before the Lord? Why or why not?

2. Will you learn to embrace your own God-given limits and trust the Great Provider?

Part 2– “Strengthened” — Israel’s in the Wilderness

Speaker: Pastor Joey Ho

Scripture: Numbers 32:13

The Series Framework: Trial → Trust → Transition → Transformation

Book of Numbers Storyline

1. The beginning of their journey from Mount Sinai (Numbers 1-10)

2. Wilderness of Paran (Numbers 10-19)

3. Wilderness of Moab (Num. 20-36)

Trials

God used 2 ways to lead and guide the Israelites during their time in the wilderness: Pillar of Cloud & Pillar of Fire

“Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.”

—Numbers 12:1-2

Trust

Trusting in God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.

- God wanted the Israelites to trust in Him for their daily dependence for manna and water.

- God wanted the Israelites to trust in Him for physical protection from the enemies

- God wanted the Israelites to trust in Him for direction as they were aimlessly following a cloud by day and fire by night without knowing the destination.

“The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.”

—Numbers 32:13

Transition

Transition: A period or phase in which change is happening

Every step of the way in the wilderness and in the people’s rebellion, God was always providing for them.

Transformation

God strengthens His people through trial, trust, transition, and transformation—using wilderness hardships not to break us, but to build us into a covenant nation.

Where has God strengthened our church in the last 40 years?

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

—Joshua 1:9

The last 40 years of YLD stand as a testimony to God’s provision, protection, and power.

“Cleansed” - Noah’s Flood

Speaker: Rev. Ho-Ming J. Tsui

Scripture: Genesis 7: 1-24

"God has to wash you clean before He can make you new.”

TRIAL: What does the trial look like in this story?

(Genesis 6:5-13)

TRUST: What does trust look like in this story?

(Genesis 6:8-9, 14-22)

TRANSITION: God’s 40-Day Wash Cycle

(Genesis 7:1-24, 8:1)

You have to trust in the WHO rather than try to figure out the WHY.

Word: We trust that God keeps His promises (the WHAT)

Power: We trust God’s ability to work all things out for our good (the HOW)

Speed: We trust in God’s timing (the WHEN)

TRANSFORMATION: What does transformation look like in this context?

(Genesis 8:15-22)

God’s Two-Step Cleaning Process:

Mortification: Washing away the old nature — subduing or putting to death the deeds of the sinful nature

Vivification: Bringing in the new nature — setting your heart and mind on the things of the Spirit

“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”—2 Corinthians 5:17

Reflection:

Have you resisted God’s ongoing cleansing work in your own life?

What if God has been cleaning our church for a season to come?

The world outside of our world

Speaker: Mr. Yu-Jen Yang

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

The Ultimate Gift: New Life

Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Moe

Scripture: Ephesians 4:22-24

There are three phases in the process to moving towards being set apart for God’s purposes

1. Put off Your Old Self (v.22)

2. Be Made New (v.23)

3. Putting on the New Self (v.24)

Where do we start?

• Look at yourself first

• be ruthlessly honest about our sins and shortcoming 

• Go to School

• Learn what it means to be Christian

• Live your Baptism

• “Putting off” and “Putting on” occurs during baptism, but living as a Christian is a continual process and not optional

Closing Thought – Are we still holding on to our old life or will we fully commit to the new life God has given us through Jesus?

DTM Anniversary

Speaker: Rev. Shu-Ling lee

When Trust Wavers: The Quiet Power Of Doubt

Speaker: Rev. Aaron Owen

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Casting doubt is the enemy’s tactic for destroying trust.

Trust is essential for us to deepen our relationship with God. The devil will attempt to thwart or destroy our ability to go deeper with God by getting us to distrust Him by casting doubt.

3 WAYS SATAN CASTS DOUBT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

1. Doubt in God’s PERSON (v.3-4)

• Satan tempts Jesus to question whether the Father is good & will meet His needs

• Satan similarly tempts us to question God’s Character – is He really good? Does He really love me? Can I trust Him? Maybe I need to look out for myself because God isn’t going to look after me.

2. Doubt in God’s PROMISES (v.5-7)

• Satan tempts Jesus to question: Can you really trust the Father? How do you know His promises are reliable?

• Satan tempts us to stress test God as a means to grasp at certainty & control over a situation.

3. Doubt in God’s PLANS & PURPOSES (v.8-10)

• Satan tempts Jesus with a pain-free way to get to the end result of bringing all the nations & kingdoms of the world under His authority & rule.

• Satan tempts us to get our desired results by bypassing God’s plans & purposes.

Sermon Notes

Rooted Together#5 - Hospitality: Welcoming the Stranger vs. Exclusivity

Speaker: Pastor. Kelly J. Tam

Scripture: Matt 25:31-46; 1 Peter 4:9-11

Culture of Community

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Culture of Inclusivity | Gratitude & Appreciation

Culture of Interdependence | Commitment & Faithfulness

Culture of Presence and Participation | Commitment & Faithfulness

Culture of Honesty | Truthfulness & Love

Culture of Forgiveness and Reconciliation | Truthfulness & Love

Culture of a Shared Mission | Hospitality & Belonging

Culture of Hospitality (Welcome) | Hospitality & Belonging

The practice of hospituality…

…fosters belonging and gives an invitation to shared life.

…is the intangible way that we make someone feel when they enter our space.

…literally and metaphorically making room for anyone who wants to come and belong.

Culture of Hospitality:

1. Hospitality Welcomes the Stranger and Creates a Space for Them (verse 35)

2. Hospitality Builds and Sustains Community by Showing That Everyone Is Seen and Valued (verse 40)

3. Hospitality Will Cost Us (verse 44-45)

4. Hospitality Is Countercultural (verse 34)

Call to Action:

Rooted Together#4 Truthfulness vs. Harshness/Avoidance

A Truth-Filled Community

Speaker: Pastor Angela Luk

Scripture: Psalm 86:11-13; Eph 4:17-25

1 . The inward expression: The “undivided heart”

2 . The outward expression: A community called to truth-filled living

3 . Problem: Trust is fragile, sin disrupts trust

4 . Source: Trust and the Human Heart

5 . Practice: Speak truth in love

Big Idea:

Truthfulness forms the basis for trust, and trust is essential to community