Welcome to
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Sunday, 16th October 2022

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

Isaiah 62:1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

The Blessing of Faith

Today is the Jewish New Year 5783, which also means restoration. God promises us that He will restore us in this New Year, and He will bless His beloved. Zion is the place God has chosen and the place God dwells. In Zion, God will talk to His people and His church, until our righteousness goes forth as brightness. Genesis 15:1-5 says, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.””

God talked to Abram His promise for him, it seemed impossible, but when Abram received it willingly, God let it happened. God will bless us, but through His Way, not our ways, we just need to follow. He will take us to victory, not by our own might, but by His strength. He will restore us, let our righteousness go forth as brightness, in His own timing, and through His own ways. The nations will see our glory, everything we have will be a testimony for God, not because of our hard work, but because of God’s Heart for us. This is the blessing of faith for us, but we must be willing to receive it!

The Blessing of a New Name

God will give us a new name, the name that belongs to us only, and cannot be changed easily. Why is it so important to receive the name given by God? The name God gives us represents our identity, our crown, and who we are in the Kingdom of God. We are the royals, we are the children of the Almighty God; the old has come and the new is here. How do we see ourselves? Do we see ourselves the same as how God sees us? We are not orphans, we do not need to prove ourselves by our own ‘doings’, we do not need to compare with us, and we must not look down on ourselves. God has given us a glorious name, this is His plan for us, to restore our identity as the royals.

The Blessing of the Bride

In the restoration of 5783, He will give us the blessing of faith, the blessing of a new name, and the blessing of the bride. Being a bride represents being protected, and we are being protected by God. He is our Bridegroom, no one can take us away from Him, and no one can harm us. The church is the bride of Jesus, we are not forgotten and we are not forsaken. We don’t need to learn from others, we don’t need to chase blessings, because the blessings shall follow us. We only need to focus on God and follow God closely. We only need to seek God earnestly, from reading the Bible, from praying, from attending services… then blessings will follow us.

We will become tired if we try to chase after blessings. God’s Will for us is good, He wants us to rest in Him, and He wants to bless us. He rejoices in us, and He will restore us. Do we believe in it? Humble ourselves, look back into our lives, lay down all the burdens, and let God restore us to the images He created us in the very beginning.