Loved Beyond Measure | Pastor Yvonne Chong

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Love beyond measure, all right, we are all loved beyond measure.

And and why why do we do what we do? Why?

Small group?

Why travel all the way at our own expanse the savah?

Uh Uh? It's easier to drive a car within peninsula.

We have been doing that as well to plus small group,

you know, coursewise, but now you have to take a

plane over. It is expensive. But the team and I

are like, okay, God, you know wherever you want us

to go to bring your love to we work uh

And and we're gonna so all right, this is part

of our coming man as well. And you only our

missions trip also okay? So, and and how how God

has loved us? Uh? You know his unconditional love for

us you all today, I'm just gonna help us see

that we can actually sow it back into the lives

of other people.

All right.

So my question for us, okay, for us as as

to just pick on our brains, when was the last

time that you actually felt truly loved, not for what

you did, but for simply who you are? Truly loved

truly accepted. Uh, no judgments, but people really really loving

you and accepting you as who you are.

All right, you.

All as you think it posts, it's quite hard, it's

quite hard to think of it. But you all know

that humans love right as we love and care for

each other. It comes with conditions naturally as human beings.

And maybe maybe we may have hurt you know, Okay,

I'll love you if you behave yourself. Uh you know

some you know kids were to hear that. Or I

love you as long that as you reciprocate.

Uh.

I love you if you don't feel me. I love

you if you don't betray me. Ha Oh, it's getting deeper.

I love you if you remember to compleat your assignment,

says uh, contribute as a good assignment made.

I don't know.

That human love always comes with a condition or sometimes

we human we love bad because the person love us.

Uh.

And in Asian culture, right, I don't know what's the

English word for it, right, Sometimes you're a bit more

haart hay as a person her hair is. Anyone can

help me take it hard, I say, but how do

you say that English?

A Curtius in a way shy.

We Okay, as Asians in our culture, we respond very

well back to other people. You know, as long as

people are good to us, we feel there is a

need that I need to be good. But obligated, yeah,

obligated yes, yes, and doctor day here obligated to respond

back the same manner. And you know, I don't know,

of course, I'm not growing up in other cultures. Before

I would say Asian cultures, very.

Good to do that.

And but God's love, you know, today for us to

come to perspective, God's love is different. It is beyond

measure and it is actually unconditional. All right, I'm gonna

turn us to Romans chapter five, verse eight. And you

know in church we normally read from the New King

Jans version, but today I'm gonna just switch between different

versions of the Bible, because different versions sometimes it's either

is it to understand?

But I want to highlight some of the key points

to eat as.

Okay, Romans chapter five, verse it, so if you're there,

we can actually read it together out loud. Okay, at

might count one. You guys are theredy Yeah, okay, Romans

chapter five, verse it in one two entry. But God

showed his love for us by sending Christ to die

for us while it was still sein us all right,

a new living translation. That's where I want to call

it from it. Say, but God showed his great love

for us by sending who Jesus Christ to die for

us while we were still sein us all right. You know,

The key key point that I want to highlight from

here is God didn't wait for us to change before

he actually loved us all God, And and when Jesus did

for us, how many are you were already there?

None?

Right, we were not in existence. I'm sure our parents

and our sisters, our great grandparents were not in existence

as well. But Christ already died for us, and and

and he decided to love us while we're still seeing us.

No human beings are able do.

That, and and anyone of us naturally, if anyone were

to betray you, you know, like okay, speak to the

hand by DoD uh, you know, don't talk to me, right,

you wouldn't even lay your dive down for that person,

or a hair sacrifice a hair for that person, right,

It's like this person is just not worth my time.

But Christ didn't do that.

He loved us so that we could continuously be changed

by his love?

All right?

Uh?

And and why do I say that you will be better?

Stand it when I finish this? Okay, of course? So

first point, God's love is unconditional, right, It does not

come with terms and conditions. It does not apply lamentations. Okay,

let's look at lamentations Chapter tree, verse twenty three.

A New Living translation.

It says, Yah, great is his faithfulness. His mercies begin

afresh every morning, all right?

What does that mean? All right? Every morning when we

make up and.

We are able to wake up, that's God's mercy in

our life. Right, none of us will be able to

be in full control or control at all of the

breath that we have, all right, So his mercies begin

fresh every morning.

What does this mean? You know?

It represents God's continuous and work in our lives, no

matter how dark the night is, right, you know, when

we go to slve, it's that. But God's love brings

new light and fresh start no matter how that. Situations

that you go through in your life, or went through

your life, or you are going through your life, know

that because His mercies are you every morning you wake

up to a brighter start of the day. And and

you know you wake up to your breakthrough as well.

All right, So God's love is unconditional. It is not

based on our performance.

There's no KPI. Yeah, those of you who are working right.

Sometimes it's like O KPI got quite horrifying to hear that.

You know, every year, you know you have to go

your yearly go through your yearly appraisal, and that thistermins

your salary, right, that determines your survival.

But it all, God does not.

Do a KPI check or us ever in our entire

journey with him, because that it's his nature and his character,

you know.

Uh and and and a lot of times sometimes we

may be you know, just.

Confused, and and we think like, okay, you know, the

more I pray, or the more I more regularly I

come to church, or you know, if I start serving God,

or if I get what the baptize, you know, then

you know God is gonna love me more or than

only I can experience my ratel or that only I

can see a miracle happened in my life. You know, God,

it's not a transactional God, right uh And and no

matter what we do or have done, we'll be able

to learn learn earn his love, all right, because he

has already first loved us. Ephesians chapter two, verse four

to five. Emphesians two, verse four, the five let us

read together. If you're there, you can say you're amen,

all right. If you're you guys are fast, okay verse

far in one two entry. But God, who is rich

in mercy, because of his great love with which he

loved us even when we were date in trespass, made

us alive together with Christ, all right, cools amen. So

because of his great love with which he loved us,

although we were already date because of sin, all right,

trespassed some versions, as you use the word sin. And

we all know that the consequences of sin is death.

And none of us can actually redeem myself from death,

all right. But only true Christ that we can be

made alive. And because of His grace and mercy we

are saved, all right. So God's love is unconditional, and

because of who is and his love is also not

changing again, it does not change. Why am I very

certain about that? Because Jeremiah chapter thirty one, verse three.

Can you turn to it? Jeremiah thirty one, verse three.

Let's read that together. One two and three, I have

love for you with an everlasting love. I have drawn

you with an unfailing kindness. All right, So everlasting the

word here and unfailing.

Is his promise.

And because God has promised, he will not go against

his own promise.

Right.

And it does not change, It does not fluctuate like

the stocks exchange. Right, it's not up and down. But

his love to us is everlasting and unfailing.

All right.

A real story, okay, A parable from the Bible is

about the prodigal Son. Okay, Luke chapter you know, we

won't have to read the verses, but it's actually from

Luke chapter fifteen eleven to twenty four. All right, how

many of you know about the story of the prodigal son. Okay,

let me just do a quick recap because just say

a few hands. So the prodigal sound what happened was this?

I'm gonna paraphrase it, okay, Just reach that he has

two sons, Okay. One the sons decided to rebel and

immediately ask for inheritance.

Okay.

In Asia culture, it's more like that, I want you

to die now, so okay, I have it because usually, okay,

you have an inheritance when your parents pass away and

they pass it on to you.

Right.

But this son decided to say that give me my

inheritance now, or if you're gonna cruely paraphrase it, that

please drop date now so I can all my money

that we have left for me.

Yeah.

Imagine you know as a father, how the father had felt.

You're ungrateful. I'm sure right any day were like what

I fed you? Close you and this is how you

pay me?

Uh?

So the son, ungrateful son decided to take all the

money and go party.

Yeah, spent it all away.

And then because of a poor financial management, he ended

up in the farm, living on.

A farm, right.

Uh And and he had to eat animals feet, and and.

That brought a realization.

He's like, even my the helpers in my father's house live.

And eat better than me.

And and he decided to humble himself and come back

to the father and ask for forgiveness.

Guess what the father did? Uh?

You all and and without any even garage, you know.

Sometimes the father's right, You're like, huh see some of you? Right,

it was there to come back to the house.

You know, you don't ever step for with my house

over my dead body and all those kind of expressions.

Right, But the father.

Showed forgiveness and accepted despite the son's failure, the son's rejection. Uh.

And it's a very uh, it's a parable, it's a

but it's a very symbolic picture of who our father

in heaven is.

You know, a lot of times eventual actions.

Uh.

You know, we have filled him many, many, many times.

But you know, once we come to our realization, right

and come back to him, his ever faithful to welcome

us back without any condemnation, and he welcomes us back

as well with compassion.

All right, so he forgives us.

Okay, second point, all right, God's love is sacrificial. And

the verse that is from which a lot of us

are familiar with as well, is from John chapter three,

verse sixteen. So if you are there, you can say amen,

then we shall read it together.

Okay, are you guys that? Okay?

John chapter three, verse sixteen. Let's read it one, two

and three. For God so loved the world that he

gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in

him shall not perish but have eternal life. All right,

the cross itself, you know, whenever we look at the cross,

you know, it is the ultimate proof of God's love

to us, you know. And Jesus's death on the cross

is the most powerful representation of.

Love that mankind will ever know.

And if you look around, there is no other person

who went through pain, Okay, a lot of pain, all

right before Jesus was hung across, a lot of humilation,

a lot of betrayal, but he took it all on

himself so that mankind can be forgiven, so that mankind

can have eternal life.

All right.

That's what John Tree sixteen says. And I hope you know,

I remember. We are reminded of what Jesus has done

across we are reminded about his love, unsacrificial love towards us, okay,

And by dying on the by him dying on the

cross as well, he will was symbolically also taking our

place as the perfect lamb. Okay, Isaiah, okay, let's look

at that, Isaiah, chapter fifty three, verse five. If you're there,

you can say, amen, h is Ah chapter fifty three,

verse five.

Amen.

Yeah, okay, let's read it one, two and three. But

he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for iniquities.

The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by

his stripes we are healed. Okay, so by Jesus ding

a cross for us since uh, you know, it was

an exchange opposition, right, none of us are able to

earn eternal life because we are a sinful being. But

because of the exchange that Jesus did, he took seen

upon himself, now we are able to have an eternal life,

all right, So you can see.

Her clearly, you know.

It was just you know, God didn't say I love you, uh,

you know, and some other religions also do put that

in a like whoever name you know lost because I've

seen it on their calas stakers before ourself. You know,

it is actually just not the feeling like I love you,

you love me.

We are a happy family, all right.

You don't know who okay, Barnie Okay, it's not a

Barnie song only, but it is a choice. It is

a sacrifice to what redeem. The ultimate plan was to

redeem us, uh. And Jesus paid it all for us

because we cannot afford to pay at all.

All right.

He took the penalty of sin, which no amount of

actions that we try, no amount of good diss that

we do, will be able to redeem us for that

from that. Okay, the consequences of sin, we can't afford it.

By Jesus paid for it all right, third point okay,

and good with time okay. God's love is personal. Wow,

person getting personal? Okay?

Isaiah Chapter forty three, Verse one, can someone? Can you

say amen when you are there? Okay?

Isaiah Chapter forty three, Verse one, Amen. Okay, that's really

together one, two and three. But now sas says the

Lord who created you, oh Jacob, and he who formed you,

oh Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by your name. You are mine.

God's love is personal because I call this verse as well.

He knows us.

By name, right, And when you are able to know

the person by name, not just like Samantha by name name,

but really knowing who she is means there is a

relationship right going on?

And and.

Thank you for the okay, And he knows you by name,

He knows your struggles, he knows your tears, your dreams,

and all your fears as well. Because you know, God

says that we are his right, you are mine, okay?

Uh?

And and what is personal as well? Which I want

to turn us to this next verse some hundred forty

seventh verse three. If you're there, you can say amen,

and we can read it together.

Amen. All right, let's read it one, two and three.

He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.

It is personal because he knows us by name, but

he also is close enough to be able to heal her,

heal us as well.

He heals our wounded heart. All right.

A lot of times, you know, different ones, MA think like,

you know, God, I am so unworthy.

Uh.

You know I did this the last summer. How can

a God that is so loving like you love someone

like me or forgive someone that like me? But know

that you know, God loves you as who you.

Are, not what you have done. Right. I started with that.

And he loves you now, uh.

And and and and he loves you enough to say that,

you know. I give you a future and a hope.

You know, sometimes because of our unworthiness, you feel like, okay,

there is no tomorrow, right and you know, because I've

done and all just ground place, open up and slow

me up.

Right.

But God is saying that I love you enough to

see and give you a future that is bright and

a hope as well in your life. Okay, when we realize,

you know, when we realize that God loves us unconditionally,

it also does change us towards how we love others

as well. You give us a bit more grace, a

little bit more grace, patience and forgiveness towards the other

people also, Okay, next point, God's love is transforming.

Wow.

First John chapter four, verse nineteen. You know, if you're there,

you say, yay, okay, one two and three love because

He first loved us. Yes, the more we understand God's love,

the less we will live in fear or strive right

and and loust. His love, his perfect loss will free us,

you know, from guilt and every you know, any bondage

that actually holds us now okay, So because of that,

you know, it will transform us into a new person.

It changes Okay, God's love changes who we are. You know,

when they starts, when you come to a realization that

you know God loves me, that itself is already a

transformation happening, all right, and acceptance happening. You know, if

you can see I think that's a respondor if you

kind of recognize that it's the pole process of metamorphosis, right,

and how a caterpillar does not stay ugly forever? All right,

Somewhere in my fat catapillars kill love because they are

like fat, but some is quite scary looking. But you know,

you know, I'm gonna give just a figurative picture for us.

You know, a caterpillar can represent our old self, right,

and sometimes the old self fel like, okay, God, I've

done this. I look ugly. A rider go into hiding

into my own cocoon. Uh, And and sometimes in the

cocoon you will feel like, okay, I'm going to be

forever here, you know, when you see the cocoon like okay,

when are you coming out? You know, when it's the

butterfly coming. And that's just the waiting involved. And sometimes

you go into the hiding and realizing that, okay, maybe

I'll just be in this cocoon forever and no one

will see me because I don't see them, right. It

sounds like right, as long as I close my eyes,

like nobody knows that I'm here ready, you know, and

they play hid and sick. But you know in that cocoon,

God still sees this, and then you know he decides

to come to our lives and cause a transformation to happen. Right,

And when new life happens, or it's about to happen, right,

the old caterpillar breaks off the cocoon and you see

a beautiful butterfly emerging, and and you know that's who

we are as well, know, from an ugly caterpillar hiding,

you know, to it's just a beautiful butterfly that is

loved and admired, you know, by God's creation as well.

And as long as we stay in God's presence, as

long as we allow God to continue to work in

our lives, a change happens from the inside out. And

a lot of times it does not happen drastically. You

can ask any of your leadershire it does not happen

drastically for us. But daily, you know, God transform us

bit by bit, and after that, you know, years later

you look by like, oh, yeah, you know, I used

to be this chubby little caterpillar or hairy little caterpillar,

but now I'm a beautiful butterfly.

All right.

That helps with multiplication of life because I start bringing

where's that flowering again?

Polland nector whatever?

Laha, you're no, you know, go around and then you know,

more lives happen, more flowers, blue, more fruit trees.

It'll come about, all right.

And the second part to God's love is transforming is

from First John.

Chapter four, US eighteen.

If you're there, you can say amen, amen, first Oh

got the slight help? Okay, sorry, okay, let's read it together, one, two,

and three. In love, but perfect love dries out all

fear experience his perfect love.

Amen. Amen, all right. So I would like to summarize this.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love dries

out fear.

Okay. He transforms his love just who we are.

His love drives out every fear that we will have

in our life, the fear of what if I feel

the fear of like what if I step out of

the glass door after church, you.

Know, the tree falls on me?

Or you know, the fear of like you know, can

I actually pass and finish up my degree years here

or my postgrad you know, the fear of missing out.

I don't know for more, all right, But God, his

perfect love will drive out every single fear, right, Okay,

So how do we respond to God's love?

Okay?

And I think we can just show all the three points.

The first is we need to receive it, okay, accepting it,

receiving it, and I say, you know, God's love is unconditional,

so we don't have to earn.

You know, sometimes different ones try.

To work to earn because that's how the world is.

Right.

You have everything in that's around us. In our environment,

everything is on transaction. Okay, Yet to produce something on

you get it back but not it's not for God's love, okay,

So we don't have to earn it. Just accept it,

all right. Open out your heart and receive his grace.

Allowing God's unconditional love to feel you to transform your

life from the inside out.

Okay, let it. Let his love fill you with peace

and also with hope. All right.

Second one, how do you respond to God? How can

you respond? Is the rest in it? Okay, rest in

his love. Let God's love define your worth, all right.

A lot of times we define our worth by the

five seats that you'll have right your condole, cash card,

car career. Yeah, we like that define us. We let

our degree define us. We let society define our worth.

But for us, you know, as as believers, our worth

is from the Lord. Okay, trust him completely, let go,

let it go, Yeah, let go of all your worries

all right, and experience his peace and let God.

Feel you from the inside out. Okay, does that?

And last, how you can actually respond is to reflect. Okay, reflect,

not just reflecting, but reflect, you know, like how a

mirror reflects.

You know, love others the same way. Okay.

As we experience God's love, we are called to reflect

it to others. We are called to show it to others.

You know.

Let's continue to be kind Okay, to the most unkind

person that you mean, the most difficult assignment man or

roommate that you have, be compassionate, show grace uh and

his love to the community that God has placed us.

In Romans chapter eight, verse thirty eight to thirty nine.

Are readers this creature and need the closing. Okay, For

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels

nor demons, neither the present nor the future will be

able to separate us from the love of God that

is in Christ Jesus our Lord, nor that nothing can

separate us from the love of Christ.

You know no sin, nor amout sin.

No size of anything, no failure, no doubts, no distance

are able to separate us from Him.

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ahead for you. God bless