GCF NAGA English Sermons

The Lord Jesus warned His disciples about hypocrisy. The warning covered giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. He wanted His disciples to veer away from the examples of the hypocrites. Hypocrites were actors who wore masks on stage. In this context, it meant showing off piety or religiosity. To avoid being a hypocrite, the Lord did not want His followers to make a performance of their righteou...

Series Break Warning vs. Hypocrisy (Matthew 6:1-4) The Lord Jesus gave a warning to His disciples. The warning covered giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. He wanted His disciples to veer away from the examples of the hypocrites. Hypocrites were actors who wore masks on stage. In the context of the text, it meant religious counterfeit. To avoid being a hypocrite, the Lord did not want them to...

Core Values - Part 10  Vision, People, and the Law (Proverbs 29:18) One would observe that ancient Hebrew poetry often used parallelism. Parallelism occurs when the second line conveys the same meaning to the first line. Proverbs 29:18 shows this. The first line warns about people going wild or having no restraint. The second line shows how blessed is the person who keeps the law—in other words, h...

Core Values - Part 9 Iron Sharpens Iron (Proverbs 27:17) Every member of the body of Christ, which includes genuine believers in our church community, should grow. Another way of saying it is that all members should sharpen themselves in their spiritual and earthly responsibilities. Yet one member cannot do it alone as a sword cannot be sharpened by itself, so a person needs others to become sharp...

Core Values - Part 8 Church Leadership (Acts 6:1-7) The early church encountered a minor problem, leading to more significant issues if not addressed. Most likely, the rapid growth of the church caused the neglect. However, it is also possible that there were prejudicial undertones. The apostles addressed the issue by identifying the problem, revisiting their priorities, and involving the church c...

Core Values - Part 5 Proclaim the Gospel (Luke 24:44-47) After his resurrection, the Lord appeared to His disciples. He showed His resurrected body to them so he could comfort them and ease their doubts. The Lord even asked for something to eat. Then the disciples gave Him boiled fish. Perhaps he ate the fish to prove that He is physically present and not a spirit (Luke 24:36-43). After eating, th...

Core Values - Part 6 My Story & the Gospel (Acts 26:1-32) When Paul visited Jerusalem, but the Jews started a riot and clamored for his death. Roman soldiers put him under their protection because of the riot. Paul narrated his story before the crowd. He described who he was before and how God called him (22:1-21). Yet the crowd accused him and demanded his death. The soldiers brought Paul to...

Core Values - Part 5 Excellence (Ecclesiastes 9:10, 10:10, & 12:13-14) One of our core values in our church community, GCF Naga, is excellence in life and ministry. A core value is something that we value. We give importance to it. It is a guiding principle. Moreover, we strive to develop it in ourselves and our community. It should eventually be part of our DNA as a community, meaning it is w...

Core Values - Part 4 Devoted Practice (Acts 2:42) Peter preached a powerful sermon after the coming of the Holy Spirit. The people felt convicted and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter replied and said, “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:37-38). The Lord added three thousand that day. After repentance and baptism, Luke recorded that they practiced four main endeavors consistently. They would add other...

Core Values - Part 3 Appointed, Trained, and Sent (Mark 3:14) The Lord called twelve disciples to be with Him for a few years. When the Lord called them to follow Him, they immediately left what they were doing and followed Him. For three years, they listened to His teachings and observed all that He did. The Lord taught them many things in private. However, the Lord also brought them along in His...

Core Values - Part 2.2  Approved by God (2 Timothy 2:14-19 ) Timothy must continue to pass on what he learned by teaching faithful men who will teach other faithful men (2:2). Paul instructed Timothy to remain committed to the mission. He illustrated his message using the imagery of a soldier, athlete, and farmer (2:3-7). Paul also used himself as an example of dedication despite suffering, includ...

Core Values - Part 1.2 God’s Word: Guard, Seek, and Store (Psalms 119:9-11) Psalm 119 is the longest psalm with 176 verses separated into 22 stanzas, representing the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the stanzas is composed of 8 verses. Each verse in a stanza begins with the same alphabet. It is a very structured and poetic psalm. The theme of the psalm is the Word of God. In the second stanza, the Psalmi...

Core Values - Part 1.1  Scripture Inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:14-17) Paul wrote 2 Timothy in a Roman dungeon. The letter was Paul’s last letter before his death in AD 67. The apostle updated the young apprentice of his situation to make Timothy aware. Yet Paul gave Timothy essential reminders, which he had probably taught the young worker. Paul was concerned about sound doctrine. He fought for it...

The author inserted a postscript, a P.S., in the letter. First, he encouraged the readers to listen to his brief exhortation, which of course, meant the whole discourse. The main point, Christ is superior. Therefore, do not fall away, or you will face the consequences. But the P.S. was more like a humble appeal. Then, perhaps, he wanted to reintroduce the relationship tone, which was evident in th...

Epistle to the Hebrews - Part 46 Final Words of Blessing (Hebrews 13:20-21) The author closed his letter with a blessing. Some call it a benediction. The author mentioned two titles in the benediction, one describing the Father and another describing the Son. The author addressed the Father as the God of peace; he addressed the Son as the great Shepherd of the sheep. The phrases "God of peace" and...

The author explained that leaders who take care of God’s flock are accountable to God. The author was referring to spiritual shepherds, in other words, pastors, teachers, and elders. The author also explained that the members of God’s flock, his readers, are accountable to their leaders, reflected in the instruction to obey and submit to the leaders. Every believer should submit to God’s sovereign...

Part of the author's closing remarks were instructions on praising God, defined as verbal thanksgiving and sharing goodness to others in His name. All of which are considered pleasing sacrifices to God. Christ’s sacrifice was made once and for all time. There was no need for animal sacrifices, and there was no need to sacrifice Christ again. However, believers can offer sacrifices of praise.

The author declared that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He also warned the readers of the letter to avoid getting carried away with false teaching, but instead, they should strengthen themselves in the grace of God. The author would then encourage the believers to bear the reproach of Christ, to suffer in His name, to remain faithful even if their fellow Jews treated them...

The author redirected the readers' attention back to Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. The statement reflects the deity of Christ, which the author established earlier in the epistle. It also reflects the confidence of faith that every believer has in Christ. Like most New Testament books, the author warned against false teaching. But, conversely, the author encouraged the readers to...

Marriage and money are vital aspects of every believer’s life; these were issues for the Jewish believers then, the letter's recipients. Yet, marriage and money are still relevant issues today. The author’s point was about honoring marriage, which also meant sexual purity. In today’s world, many try to remove moral standards. Others try to redefine it. We must honor marriage according to what is b...

Paul, the apostle, instructed Titus, a fellow servant, to continue their unfinished work in Crete. Unfortunately, Cretans have a reputation of being liars, drunkards, and worshipers of Zeus, which would make it challenging for Titus. Nevertheless, he needed to put things in order. An essential aspect of putting things in order was to appoint the right elders in every town. The words elder, pastor,...

God will shake the heavens and the earth most terrifyingly. The author warned the readers of the letter to listen to Christ, who warns from heaven. On the other hand, the author encouraged the Jewish believers who were the recipients of the letter. The believers received an unshakeable kingdom in Christ. God will shake everything shakeable, but God will not shake those in Christ through faith and...

The author contrasted the Mt. Sinai event to the Mt. Zion experience. God shook the earth with thunder, lightning, whirlwind, and fire; even Moses admitted fear in Mt. Sinai. However, Mt. Zion is a different story. God brought believers to His Son and Himself. He also brought them to the assembly, the church of the firstborn. Christ is the firstborn and the mediator of the New Covenant. And God br...

The author urged the letters’ readers to pursue peace and holiness. He instructed them to guard the community of believers from bitterness, immorality, and godlessness. The author would once again explain the eternal blessings in Christ. The author would contrast the Mt. Sinai event to the blessings in Christ, which was a regular theme in the whole epistle. The conclusion is clear. Do not exchange...

The author encouraged the letter's readers to pursue peace and holiness, which no one will see the Lord. But, before that, the author explained that God disciplines those He loves because they are His children. Many speak about God’s love, but they seldom speak of His discipline. But it is made clear that one of the expressions of God’s love is His discipline. Therefore, believers should view God’...