City Harvest Church Weekend Sermons

As Easter approaches, Wu Yuzhuang shares a timely message about Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a donkey. He had sent His disciples to bring the donkey, telling its owner that “the Lord has need of them” (Matt 21:1-3). In the same way, the Lord has need of each of us—it is our privilege to be needed, desired and wanted by Jesus. The people He uses are those who are accessible, who are at the right place at the right time; those who are imperfect—if God can use fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, a little boy and his lunch, He can use you; those who are available—He uses the least likely to do the most mighty; and those who are willing to work hard. Be encouraged to be used by the Lord to reach out to the broken and needy—be a donkey who carries Jesus’s hope and peace to those who need it most.

After a time of spiritual retreat with the senior leadership of City Harvest, Pastor Kong recapped selected topics discussed during the retreat.Featuring pastors Sun Ho, Aries Zulkarnain, Bobby Chaw and Wu Yuzhuang, the conversation centred around the focus of the church and the responsibility of every Christian. Why do we need to define our doctrine? What is systematic theology? What kind of a church is City Harvest? How do we handle “hot seat” subjects involving society, ethics, morality and today’s culture?  As we delve into understanding who we are as a church, clarity will be the foundation of our purpose. May we learn how to navigate differences and maintain the unity that holds us together as a church family.

We are all born with a fallen sinful nature which the Bible calls the flesh. As believers of Jesus, we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us. Until we get to heaven, every Christian possess two opposing natures—the spirit and the flesh; and there is always the temptation to sin. But Paul gives us the key to victory over sin—the Holy Spirit—who reminds us of how we can walk in the likeness of Christ. We do this by daily crucifying the flesh (mortification), making a firm decision to repent from sin; and by daily making a conscience effort to walk intentionally in the way of the Spirit (vivification). As we do so, the fruit of the Spirit will grow and develop in our lives, making us more like Jesus!

Something always happens when we pray, because prayer is aligning our thoughts, intentions and desires with God. In this powerful sermon, Bobby Chaw explores three of Jesus's prayers that demonstrate how we, as Christians, also should pray. First, Jesus prayed "Father not my will but yours be done": when we wrestle with God and bring our will into submission under Him, things begin to happen. Second, "Father, forgive them": we are to pray for our enemies, not curse them. Finally, "Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit": when we give ourselves wholly unto God, nothing can snatch us out of His hands. Listen and let Pastor Bobby's message do a work in your heart today.

A key element of CHC's Vision 2021 is to love unconditionally. In this message, Aries Zulkarnain shows how Jesus' disciple John was transformed from being a person of absolutes to the Apostle of Love through learning how Jesus dealt with sinners such as the adulterous woman (John 8:1-11), Simon Peter who denied Him (John 18:17-18) and the ones who put Jesus to death on the Cross despite His innocence (John 19). From Jesus, John learned that love is a balance of grace and truth, and a balance of forgiveness and restoration. Listen and enjoy more of Pastor Aries' revelations from the Book of John, a book that captures what love truly is.

The world has gone through a dark time this past year and it’s not over yet. But God wants teach us how to create a new world out of the broken pieces of our lives. In this powerful message, Pastor Erwin McManus of Mosaic Church, Los Angeles preaches out of Isaiah 61: in a terrible season, we are to proclaim the good news of the Lord by seeing what God sees about our future that no-one can imagine right now. The world has fallen into a state of hopelessness and woundedness, and the church is positioned to bring hope and healing. God will use all our failures, brokenness and scars to create a new future for the world. Be strengthened and inspired by this message of hope.

If we want to draw near to God and enjoy Him forever, we must be sanctified—set apart and purified. In this second part of his teaching on growing  in holiness, Kong Hee unpacks “mortification”, to kill every evil and self-indulgent habit in our lives daily (Rom 8:13 KJV) and to live a righteous life. This is internal spiritual warfare, and it can only be fought in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pastor Kong lists four steps to this daily war against sin: know your enemy (sin); know your objective (to drain life out of sin); know your superiority (sin has been defeated) and know your resources (grow, watch, pray). Listen to this sermon and go deeper with God today.

God calls us “to be holy, as I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16). In this sermon, Kong Hee explains why we can never fully love God and enjoy Him forever, until we ourselves are like Jesus. The holier we are, the fuller our joy. What does it mean to be holy? It is not about keeping a set of rules, but about being like Jesus: reflecting His character through the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Be encouraged and strengthened by this message as Pastor Kong shares five aspects of holiness: we grow into holiness daily through the processes of vivification and mortification, dying to carnal selves as we become more and more like Christ.

In this powerful message, Bobby Chaw explores the significance dining with Jesus. First, when Jesus receives us and dines with us, He offers protection even in the presence of our enemies. Second, reconciliation happens as people dine together, even enemies. Finally, healing and deliverance take place when we break bread with Jesus. Start 2021 right and dine daily with Jesus through spending time in the Word, gathering with the saints and loving like Him.

Things may remain challenging in our COVID-ridden world this year, but Wu Yuzhuang teaches that though we may be under such circumstances, but it’s not over for the Christian. When our faith is under fire, Pastor Zhuang encourages us to choose obedience to God over the outcome we hope for. Jeremiah 29 exhorts the children of Israel to “plant gardens and eat their fruit”. Even in a time of difficulty, God’s people are called to flourish as Psalm 1 describes: to be like trees planted by the rivers—God is our source—bearing fruit in every season, never withering, but prospering in all we do. Be strengthened by this call to walk in obedience and thrive in 2021.