ND English Worship

+ Welcome | Ray Chua

Welcome to ND Church
We would love to get to know you if this is your first time joining us.

Praise and Worship - Here We Stand

Praise and Worship - Behold Our God

Focal Point: Deacon Introduction

+ Alternate Reading - 2 Peter 1

1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirming one’s calling and election
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is short-sighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Prophecy of Scripture
12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Focal Point: Cambodia Mission

Reciprocal Psalm - Psalm 64

+ Congregational Prayer

• Thank God for his guidance and abundant provision. Pray for Eric Fung, Levina Chim, Li-Shia Lo, Amy Fung, Ada Chu, Stella Yeung, Vivian Cheng, Ronald Cheng, Matthew Lee, Lawrence Leung and Steven Cheung as they serve another term on the deacon board. Pray for sustenance and wisdom as they handle matter related to our church.
• Pray for the people of Brazil in the region of Rio Grande do Sul which has seen heavy casualties from massive flooding and landslides triggered by days of heavy rain.
• Pray for tensions to settle between Australian and Chinese governments over naval exercises conducted in the Yellow Sea
• [MotM] Pray for the regular non-believers who come each Saturday as well as study the Bible each week with the Dicksons, that they will come to put their faith in Jesus. Pray also for other non-believers they are in regular contact with each month as well, as they build relationships with them, that God will open their hearts.
• [MotM] Pray for health and adequate rest for John, Denise and Sean, especially during the hot and smokey season.

+ Sermon Passage - Isaiah 24 - 27

Praise to the Lord
25 Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
2 You have made the city a heap of rubble,
the fortified town a ruin,
the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will honour you;
cities of ruthless nations will revere you.
4 You have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm
and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
is like a storm driving against a wall
5 and like the heat of the desert.
You silence the uproar of foreigners;
as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine –
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death for ever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.

9 In that day they will say,

‘Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’

10 The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;
but Moab will be trampled in their land
as straw is trampled down in the manure.
11 They will stretch out their hands in it,
as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down their pride
despite the cleverness of their hands.
12 He will bring down your high fortified walls
and lay them low;
he will bring them down to the ground,
to the very dust.

This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

+ Sermon | Douglas Fyfe

Songs of Praise

• 24 The Pub with no Beer
• 25 No Vegans in Heaven
• 26 Dead from the Dust
• 27 Lashing Leviathan

Responding Song - On That Day

Responding Song - Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

+ Announcements

Deacon Elections
Thank God for his guidance and abundant provision. At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held last Sunday 5 May, 115 members attended (24 proxies received). Members voted and 11 members were elected as deacons for 2024-2026: Eric Fung, Levina Chim, Li-Shia Lo, Amy Fung, Ada Chu, Stella Yeung, Vivian Cheng, Ronald Cheng, Matthew Lee, Lawrence Leung and Steven Cheung. We ask brothers and sisters to continue to support them in prayer.

Cantonese Basketball Ministry | Today
ND will be hosting a social basketball event on the 12th May 2-4pm (to be repeated once a month every second Sunday). The idea is to promote cross congregational fellowship and evangelism. This event is open to anyone who wants to play basketball in a friendly environment. All ages welcome.

Mothers Day Beenong Gifts | Today
ND partners with a cross-cultural worker serving people in a minority group in East Asia. “Beenong Gifts” help mothers in remote village to be financially sustainable. To thank ND for our support, on Mother’s Day, Beenong is gifting some beautiful tea towels that reflect their culture. After the service today, if you’re a mother, please go to the back of the hall to pick one up. We have limited stock. First come first serve. Please continue to pray for these mothers and that Beenong Gifts’ work will glorify our Father’s name.

Day Conference | 18 May 2024
ND's Day Conference is happening on Saturday 18th of May 2024 at EBHS. Check in opens at 9:30am for a 9:45am start for the English conference. You would have received an email on Saturday 11th of May with further details, including kids program and catering arrangements. If you haven't received the email, please reach out to Jeremy Lai.

35th Anniversary Combined Service | 19 May 2024

The combined service to celebrate ND 35th anniversary will be held at 10am on May 19th at Epping Boys Edmund Barton Hall. The combined service will be broadcast live online.

Due to limited parking spaces near the school, we encourage brothers and sisters to arrive early to ensure ample time for parking and walking to the venue.

We will partake the Holy Communion during the combined service, inviting brothers and sisters to prepare their hearts to commemorate the grace of the Lord together.

Children from Kindy to Year 6 please attend the KFC children’s worship, which will be held concurrently at 10am in the Assembly Hall (Music Hall). Parents, please bring your children to the hall and pick them up outside the hall after the service.

Preschool and Nursery class will be held in Block K as usual on that day, and the location has not changed.

At the conclusion of the service, there will be photos, birthday cake cutting and refreshments. Please stay, celebrate together and give thanks to God for 35 years of ND.

On the day, each family will receive a commemorative Tote bag for the 35th anniversary of ND. The cost of the bag is $7 each, please feel free to donate.

ND35 Anniversary Yearbook
You are cordially invited to participate in thanksgiving and celebration. Please email us your testimony, photos, birthday wishes to specialevents@ndcccs.org.au before end of May.

35 Weeks of Devotions | Weekly
ND’s 35 weeks of devotions have commenced. These are distributed each Monday on the 35th Anniversary English Devotions WhatsApp community. We encourage everyone to use these devotions on three days each week and to share your reflections with each other! Please speak to Viv if you haven’t received these devotions.

ND Short Term Mission Trip | November 2024
ND is organising a short term mission trip to Cambodia in the last 2 weeks of November 2024. To see God at work, support our missionaries Sunny and Wendy and understand the need for the gospel. Registration starts now until 19 May. Speak with Pastor Patrick to express interest or for further questions.

Staff Leave
Jeremy Lai will be on leave from the 24th of May until the 1st of June.

+ Closing & Prayer

Thanks for joining us at service today. Just a reminder for regular attendees that our direct debit details are available below for regular giving.

+ What happens during the week?

Next week Sermon Passage: Isaiah 37:31
Sermon Title: Take root to bear fruit
Speaker:

ND church does not just meet on Sunday, but we continue to spend time together, encourage one another and build each other up during the week.

Tuesday: Growth Groups 8-10pm (Uni and above)
Thursday: Playgroup 10am-12pm (Pre-kindergarten kids and their parents)
Friday: WIRED.YG FM 7:30-9:30pm (Year 7-12)
Sunday: WIRED.YG AM 9:45-11am (Year 7-12) / Kids For Christ (Kindy - Year 6)

+ Attendance and Collection Information