Tag: Integrity

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Seek to Do Good to One Another

Summary of my sermon, based on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-19. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on Sunday, 5 July 2026.

The Call to Excel Still More (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2)

To understand the full context of Paul’s instructions, we have to look back at 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2:

“Finally then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that as you receive from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The version of this verse that I memorized says that you excel still more. This is an excellent reminder for us. There are congregations that genuinely strive to honor God—and I believe GCF is one of them—but the very nature of excellence is that there is always more excellence to be had. Even when you are already doing the good things God expects, the exhortation is to keep doing it more and more. Paul’s primary goal here is teaching us what it means to walk in a way that is pleasing to God.

Dynamic of Leadership and Peace (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

Looking at the opening of our primary section, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 outlines our conduct toward one another in community, while the subsequent verses cover our conduct toward God. If we accomplish what we ought to among each other, we will effectively accomplish our conduct towards God as well. Let’s look at verses 12-13:

“We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.”

It is interesting how this verse closes by telling the Thessalonians to be at peace among themselves. At first glance, it doesn’t seem directly related to the first part of the verse, which focuses on respecting leadership. However, they work together tightly. When leadership is not respected, chaos is exactly what happens—in the church and everywhere else in this world.

There are times when leadership must be opposed and rebellion against oppressive leadership is necessary. A great example of this is what our neighbors to the south just celebrated yesterday: the 4th of July, or Independence Day. This is the day Americans celebrate their independence from the British.

On July 4, 1776—250 years ago—they weren’t celebrating with fireworks the way people do today. The first Independence Day happened right in the middle of the American War of Revolution. That war started a bit earlier, in April 1775, and lasted until September 3, 1783. For eight years, the Americans were at war with the British. When they rebelled against the oppressive leadership of King George III, chaos immediately ensued. This isn’t a value judgment on who was right or wrong; as Canadians, our founders chose a different path of not seceding from Britain. The point is simply that when rebellion against leadership occurs, chaos almost always erupts immediately after.

Peaceful rebellions are rare outliers in history. As Filipinos, we are familiar with a famous example: the People Power Revolution, where Filipinos broke free from the oppressive dictatorship of Marcos through largely peaceful protests. But even in a situation without wide-scale violence, you couldn’t exactly call the situation in the Philippines during the late ’80s and early ’90s completely peaceful. I was just a small child, but I distinctly remember being home from school and seeing military jets flying directly above our house during one of the coup attempts against President Cory Aquino. Even in an outlier situation, peace is easily shattered when leadership order breaks down.

Our Shared Duty of Care (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

In the church context, leadership is specifically associated with elders and pastoral offices. However, Paul writes: “who labor among you and are over you,” without specifying exact titles. This suggests that each of us has a role to play in looking out for one another.

Paul turns his attention to the weakest within the congregation who need direction, instructing the whole group to participate:

  • Admonish the idle: Call out those who are not contributing or doing what they are supposed to do.
  • Encourage the faint-hearted: Lift up those who are overwhelmed and need encouragement.
  • Help the weak: Physically and spiritually support those who are struggling.
  • Be patient with them all: Exercise widespread patience across the entire community.

We all share a collective duty of care to step up and lead one another in the Lord when these needs arise.

The Active Command vs. Cheap Knockoffs (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

This brings us directly to verse 15:

“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”

This command has two sides: the negative restriction (repay no one evil for evil) and the positive mandate (always seek to do good). Seeing both sides is critical because our sinful flesh can easily become lazy. Avoiding retaliation is a basic level of morality. Jesus commanded this in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-39) when he challenged the old standard of “an eye for an eye” and said, “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

To understand the active depth of “doing good,” we can compare it to a much more famous text—the Golden Rule found in Matthew 7:12:

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

This concept of reciprocity is present in almost every world religion and philosophy, but there is a fundamental difference when you read their versions:

  • Judaism: “That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the whole Torah.”
  • Hinduism: “One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself.”
  • Buddhism: “Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.”
  • Islam: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself.”

While these look similar on the surface, the crucial difference is that the other versions are stated passively. They tell you to sit back and prevent yourself from doing bad things to others.

The Christian Golden Rule stands apart because it is an aggressively active command: Do unto others. You are commanded to actively go out and work for the concrete betterment of others. The passive frameworks are just cheap knockoffs—like buying fake designer bags from Divisoria. True Christian community requires active sacrifice.

Fully Relying on Christ’s Work

Scripture expands on this active standard in other places. Philippians 2:3-4 tells us to do nothing from selfish ambition, but in humility count others as more significant than ourselves, looking directly out for their interests. Romans 15:2-3 instructs us to please our neighbors for their good and build them up, drawing a direct parallel to Jesus: “For Christ did not please himself.” Christ didn’t please himself; he went to a brutal cross to absorb our reproaches.

When you pair this with Jesus’ statement in Matthew 5:48—”You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”—the real point of the command is to show you that you are completely incapable of accomplishing it on your own.

Left to our own sinful natures, we are simply too selfish. I’m too selfish to even avoid repaying evil for evil sometimes; it’s why I have a couple of points on my driver’s license from how I handle traffic. Avoiding retaliation is just the baseline. Actively seeking the absolute best for others and sacrificing ourselves the way Christ did is impossible in our own strength.

We can only accomplish this through the reality of Philippians 2:13:

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

This is exactly what we celebrate at the communion table. Jesus Christ died to save us from the historical penalty of sin, and at the end of time, he will remove the presence of sin completely. But right now, while the presence of sin is still around us, his sacrifice provides the power for our ongoing sanctification. Every time we take communion, we remember his death not only out of deep gratitude for our salvation, but to allow him to break through our selfishness so he can work in and through us for his good pleasure.

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The Stubborn Nature of Sin

Summary of my sermon, based on Luke 16:19-24. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on Sunday, 31 May 2026.

The Kingdom Demand for Integrity
In this section of Luke (Chapters 9–22), Jesus provides a primer on kingdom living. In Luke 16, he specifically addresses the stewardship of resources. He warns us in verse 13: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

When Jesus taught this, the Pharisees—who were lovers of money—ridiculed him. We see the core of their problem in that opposition. As 1 Timothy 6:10 reminds us, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Despite being well-versed in scripture, the Pharisees could not see Jesus as the Messiah because their hearts were fixed on wealth.

This confrontation leads to the kingdom demand for integrity. Jesus explains that the Law and the Prophets were the primary revelation until John the Baptist; since then, the good news of the kingdom has been preached. Jesus does not discard the law; he fulfills it. He interprets it correctly, exposing the Pharisees’ obsession with legalistic loopholes—such as their narrow, heartless definitions of work on the Sabbath—versus his own focus on doing good, healing, and honoring God. As Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
This brings us to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31). We see a stark contrast: the rich man is drenched in luxury, wearing purple and fine linen, and feasting sumptuously every day. Lazarus, conversely, is covered in sores, longing for the crumbs from the rich man’s table.

Death is the great equalizer, but it also reveals a great reversal. In the afterlife, the rich man is in anguish while Lazarus is comforted by Abraham. The lifestyle gap of their earthly lives is replaced by a “great chasm” that cannot be crossed.

While some scholars debate whether this is a parable or a literal account of hell, it reveals profound truths:

  • Hell is an eternal, conscious torment
  • Hell is a eternal separation from God, the source of everything good and perfect
  • Being sent to hell is the result of actions we take in this life.

The rich man, even in his torment, asks Abraham to warn his five brothers. But Abraham replies, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 16:29). When the rich man insists that someone rising from the dead would convince them to repent, Abraham delivers the sobering conclusion: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

The Sufficiency of Christ
The love of money acts as a false god. It is a replacement for God’s sufficiency. This trap is not limited to the wealthy; even if you believe that “having enough” is the key to solving all your life’s problems, you have placed your faith in money rather than God.

Money is a tool, but the love of money is a snare. We see the alternative in the life of someone like Kiwi, a former beneficiary of the Compassion program who was released from the cycle of poverty and now uses her life to share the truth of God’s love. When we view our resources through the lens of generosity rather than greed, we reflect the heart of Christ.

Scripture is sufficient. It acts as a mirror, pointing to our sin and revealing our need for a Savior. All the Law and the Prophets point to Jesus Christ. Sin is persistent, but the gospel is the glorious gift that saves us from it. May we be a people who truly love God, steward our resources with integrity, and care for those in need around us.

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The Kingdom Demand for Integrity

Summary of my sermon, based on Luke 16:14-18. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on Good Friday – April 26, 2026.

In the preceding verses of Luke 16, Jesus teaches His disciples about the proper way to steward resources, culminating in a definitive truth: “You cannot serve God and money.” This absolute statement immediately triggers a confrontation with the religious establishment, setting the stage for a devastating critique on what it means to have true integrity as a redeemed people.

The Root of the Ridicule
Luke 16:14 states, “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.” This gives us direct insight into why the Pharisees constantly bumped up against Jesus. The word used for “ridiculed” is severe; it is the exact same word translated as “scoffed” to describe the crowds mocking Jesus while He lay on the cross. The Pharisees were scoffing because they were trying to “have their cake and eat it too”—they wanted to serve God while holding onto their desire for money.

The Devastating Reality of Pretend Righteousness
Jesus’s response to their scoffing is absolutely devastating, yet He does not even mention money. Instead, He addresses the wider issue of kingdom integrity: “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts” (Luke 16:15).

The main problem of the Pharisees is that they are attempting to appear more righteous than they really are in front of the people around them. As Jesus declares in Matthew 23, they are like “whitewashed tombs.” Just as a cemetery might look beautiful on the outside—with neatly cut grass and clean tombstones—underneath the surface, it is full of dead flesh and decomposing bones. The Pharisees looked beautiful on the outside, but God saw the rotten decay at their core.

They performed this pretend righteousness solely to receive the praise of the people around them. Jesus calls this purpose “an abomination in the sight of God.” An abomination is not just a minor misstep; it is the complete opposite of what is acceptable to God. Saying and doing the right things in public is not enough if the heart remains untouched.

A New Era of Salvation
In verses 16 and 17, Jesus outlines a shift in God’s story of salvation: “The law and the prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.”

Since the very beginning of the need for salvation in Genesis 3 (the protoevangelium), God promised a Savior. Jesus’s arrival marks the fulfillment of that promise. The phrase “everyone forces his way into it” conveys the active acceptance required to enter the kingdom. It is a decision so radical—turning away from the things the world values, like money and public praise—that it requires forceful, decisive action.

However, this new era does not negate the moral law. Jesus clarifies, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the law to become void.” The moral components of the law continue to reflect God’s holy character.

The Standard of Integrity
To prove His point that the moral law remains, Jesus makes what seems like a weird right turn by providing an example regarding divorce (verse 18). While this is not a comprehensive teaching on the subject—Matthew 19 expands on biblical exceptions such as sexual immorality, alongside other justified reasons like abuse or abandonment—He uses it to demonstrate that the Kingdom of God does not lower its moral expectations.

The Kingdom demand for integrity moves us past simple black-and-white, rule-based concepts. For instance, the New Testament standard for giving shifts from a strict 10% tithe to genuine generosity. The standard for morality aligns with Philippians 4:8: whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, and commendable.

Because our hearts are naturally “rotten to the core,” this standard is unattainable on our own. True righteousness is only possible through a transformation of the heart—a heart of stone replaced with a heart of flesh—accomplished entirely through the saving work of Christ on the cross.

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He is Great: Daniel and the Lion’s Den

Summary of my sermon, based on Daniel 6:19-24. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on October 8, 2023.

As we delve into the Book of Daniel during the Babylonian Exile, it’s essential to recognize the relevance of Daniel’s story in the context of contemporary challenges. From conflicts in Israel to the increasing hostility against the Church, the nations seem to be raging against God and His people. Today, we’ll explore the story of Daniel and learn how to navigate hostility with integrity, drawing valuable lessons for our faith journey.

The Babylonian Exile marked a significant period in Israel’s history when the Kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonian Empire around 618 BC. This event ended Israel’s sovereignty for nearly 2,500 years, until its reestablishment as the State of Israel in 1948. However, Israel’s existence remains far from secure, given ongoing conflicts with groups like Hamas.

The constant attacks on Israel and the excessive number of resolutions passed against it by the United Nations beg the question: Why is Israel the target of such intense hatred? Psalm 2:1–2 suggests an answer: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed.”

The significance of Israel in God’s plan and the world’s opposition to it raise crucial questions about the relationship between the Church and Israel, with two primary viewpoints: Supersessionism and Zionism. Regardless of one’s stance, it’s evident that both the Church and Israel are perceived as representatives of the God of the Bible and face increasing hostility.

Now, let’s explore the story of Daniel, who was among the Jewish captives taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. His exemplary life in captivity is a testament to faith and integrity.

Daniel’s Integrity
One of the key lessons from Daniel’s life is the importance of civil obedience and disobedience. Daniel obeyed Babylonian laws as long as they didn’t conflict with his faith. Romans 13:1 emphasizes the need to submit to governing authorities, recognizing that they are instituted by God. While Daniel exemplified obedience, he also demonstrated that civil disobedience may be necessary when laws contradict God’s command.

The story reveals how high officials targeted Daniel’s faith by exploiting his spiritual disciplines, especially prayer. Spiritual disciplines, such as reading the Bible and prayer, play a pivotal role in a believer’s life. Colossians 3:16 encourages us to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly, highlighting the importance of these disciplines in maintaining our faith.

Daniel’s Character
Daniel’s character played a significant role in his positive relationship with King Darius. His integrity, kindness, and excellence made him well-liked even among his captors. This exemplifies the importance of upholding true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and excellent values, as mentioned in Philippians 4:8, within a foreign culture. Daniel’s ability to do so while standing firm in his faith serves as a remarkable example.

In Galatians 5:22–23, we find the fruit of the Spirit, which includes qualities like love, kindness, and self-control. These qualities can guide us in maintaining our integrity and acting with grace, even when facing hostility.

The story of Daniel offers valuable lessons for navigating hostility with integrity. Daniel’s life of obedience, civil disobedience, spiritual disciplines, and exceptional character serve as an inspiration for believers in the face of contemporary challenges. As the world continues to rage against God’s people, we must remember to shine as lights in a crooked and twisted generation (Philippians 2:14–15) and to remain blessed when insulted for the name of Christ (1 Peter 4:12–14).