The Cross

The Cross
1 Corinthians 2:2
Rev Renny Khoo

For I have decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified”
1 Cor 2: 2
”因为我曾定了主意，在你们中间不知道别的，只知道耶稣基督并他钉十字架。
林前2:2

1) On the cross, Jesus saved us from our sins. 在十字架上,耶稣救我们脱离罪恶。

Hebrews 9:11-15a
Everything in the Holy Place were made by hands. But Jesus was not made by hands, not of this creation, He entered once and for all with His own blood.
For this reason, He is the mediator of a new convenient.
For the eternal redemption we have.

It is finished! - Paid in FULL!

2) On the cross, Jesus defeated the devil with his minions 在十字架上，耶稣击败了恶魔。

Noone expected salvation to come through the Cross.
When the devil saw the Cross, he would have thought his dream came true, that he could kill Jesus once and for all. People expected Saviour to come with might and power.
But instead Jesus submitting himself to the Father, willing to die.

Colossians 2:11-15
You were also raised with him from the dead,
God made you alive with Him.
Nailed to the Criss, our sins permanently taken away,
Erased the record that stood against us.
We can. Know put off our old self, crucified our own self to the cross.

Serpent VS Fangless Serpant
Position and Progression

We are no longer enslaved to sins.
Romans 6:6-11
Ephesians 4:17-24
Galatians 5:24
Colossians 3:5

On the Criss, we are born again. To some, it's one incident, to some, its a journey.

3) On the cross, Jesus is the model for all Christians 在十字架上，耶稣是基督徒的榜样。

Luke 9:23-25
To live the life of the cross.
We all have our crosses in life.
That cross is not heavy, not burdensome, it is light.
Each of us have our own Crosses to carry, we can't carry other people's cross.

Applied truth sets us free.
Ewknow the truth and we can live freely.


Response : Taking up our cross daily as disciples.
回应：作为门徒，我们应天天背起我们的十字架。

Good Friday Reflection

Good - In the book of Genesis, the Lord said, "It is good." each time He took a step back and looked at the creations that he had completed. Is there goodness in every situation that we have entrusted to God and working for God?

Friday - Friday is here but Sunday is coming! There is hope for the coming of Christ, His resurrection will bring us hope.

Resurrection - We visit the graveyards of our loved ones who are asleep in the Lord and gone before us to be with the Lord. The visit is clearly not for the- dead, for they are in a better place and have no more worries on this earth, but such visit is for those who are alive and need a reminder that life is mortal and yet resurrection is coming one day.

Jesus Paid it All - re-sung by Newsboys in a faster tempo.

1. I hear the Savior say,
   “Thy strength indeed is small;
   Child of weakness, watch and pray,
   Find in Me thine all in all.”
   • Refrain:
     Jesus paid it all,
     All to Him I owe;
     Sin had left a crimson stain,
     He washed it white as snow.
2. For nothing good have I
   Whereby Thy grace to claim;
   I’ll wash my garments white
   In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
3. And now complete in Him,
   My robe, His righteousness,
   Close sheltered ’neath His side,
   I am divinely blest.
4. Lord, now indeed I find
   Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
   Can change the *leper’s spots [*leopard’s]
   And melt the heart of stone.
5. When from my dying bed
   My ransomed soul shall rise,
   “Jesus died my soul to save,”
   Shall rend the vaulted skies.
6. And when before the throne
   I stand in Him complete,
   I’ll lay my trophies down,
   All down at Jesus’ feet.

Maundy Thursday

Fundamental Questions John 18-20

Title: Fundamental Questions  John 18-20
Text: John 18-20

Ps Renny Khoo

6 Aug 2017 

Jesus asked 5 questions before the crucifixion.
An overview of John 18, 19 and 20.
John 18 – The betrayal of Jesus leading to His arrest, appear before Caiaphas the High Priest and Pilate the Governor of Judea and eventually was handed over to be crucified.
John 19 -  The crucifixion of Jesus
John 20 -  The resurrection of Jesus
Jesus asked a total of 7 questions, 5 prior to His crucifixion and 2 after it.

1. Whom are you looking for? When He was about to be arrested. It is a question of “Identity”.
2. Am I not to drink the cup that the father has given me? Ch 18 vs 11. It is an issue of “Destiny”.
3. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them…. While Jesus was conversing with the High Priest, Caiaphas. It is a question of “Integrity” or “Reality”. His consistency of the way He lives His life.
4. If I had spoken rightly, why do you strike me? Jesus was struck when He answered Caiaphas. It is a question of “Integrity” or “Reality”.
5. Do you ask me on your own? Or others tell you about me? During Jesus conversation with Pilate. It is a question of “Identity”.

1.     Question on Destiny
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked “Am I not to drink the cup that the father has given me?”. The metaphor “Cup” can be a symbol of enjoyment and blessing. In this case it is the suffering Jesus had to undergo. It was what Jesus was destined to do and from there was able to stand with authority, power and strength when He confronted His would be captors/ accusers.
John 18:37, “For this reason I was born, and for tis I came into the world, to testify the truth.”
John 4: 34 “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
Jesus surrendered his will to the will of his father. The deep sense of destiny comes from a place of surrender to God.

A roller coaster ride of ups and downs in our Christian live with a sense of not getting anywhere is an indication that we need to arrive to a point of surrendering our will to God in our lives. This turning point will bring on a sense of purpose and destiny to our lives. God who created us special will bring forth the gifts, talent and creativity that we are destined to be. This involves a process and a progressive journey towards our lives calling. We can be honest to God when we converse with him, to wrestle the difficult questions in our lives as God is more than willing to answer them.



2.     Question on Reality/ Integrity
Jesus was brought to Annas the ex high priest  and then the official High priest Caiaphas who was a puppet high priest at that time,
Jesus recounted his work in the temple stating that he had live out a consistent, transparent and authentic life. John 18: 20 – 23. What you see is what you get. Likewise, we have to live an authentic life where we share our lives in a transparent and safe environment in particularly in the Connect group setting. We can only do this if we have the presence of God in our lives. As a people of courage and truth we must know that his presence gives us a sense of security, transparency and being real. When we live for God, it is not a matter of doing big or small thing but whether God is in it. Where God is present, even the small things can be big as it will help us to fulfil our destiny.



3.     Question of identity
Pilate asked the right question on Jesus identity. “Are you the King of the Jews”. What is our identity based on what we possess in Christ? God loves us so much that he sent his only son to die for us. We can only experience God when we know whose we are and know we are his beloved.





Questions for reflection and response

1.     If there is one burning question you would like to ask God, what would your question be?

2.     Share your 'surrendering to God' experiences. How was your experience? How did it go?
What made it easier/ harder to surrender to God?

3.      Share your thoughts on living a transparent life (being real, being consistent).

Good Friday Meditation

Good Friday Meditation

Ps Renny Khoo

14 April 2017

Peter's Confession of Christ 

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Jesus Predicts His Death 

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling- block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

The necessity of the cross

The misery of the cross

The brutality of the cross

The cross presented - He must go to Jerusalem. It's a necessity and part of God's plan at the foundation of the earth. That the creator will die for His creation.

Must does not mean Jesus had no choice. He has the choice.

He who has no sin was pinned down by sins on his body. 

He bore the emotional mockery by the people.

He endured the spiritual separation from the Father.

We cannot accept good things if we do not accept His entire plans and package. 

It is a daily taking up of the cross to follow Jesus, its dying to self. 

We belong to Christ twice - by creation and by virtue of redemption through the cross.

My personal reflection :-

This year, the church made a cross for everyone who attended the service that Good Friday, it was a very meaningful to have a "personal" cross made out for each one of us. My reflection for this Lent conclusion: Christ has loved us and may we not take His love in vain. His suffering was real and brutal, may we  not nail Him to the cross again with our repeated falling into sins.