The Lamentations of Jeremiah

Knowing the God of Lamentation's Jeremiah

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The Lamentations of Jeremiah and the God of Jeremiah

Lamentations 3:21-25

Sermon Statement

Justice and love comes together in our Holy God in perfect balance. The unfailing love of God goes beyond judgment to new life because He is a God of hope, love, faithfulness and salvation

Text:

LA 3:21 Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:

LA 3:22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

LA 3:23 They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

LA 3:24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;

therefore I will wait for him."

LA 3:25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

Introduction
I visited Rijksmuseum Amsterdam - Museum for Art and History in 2006, the 400 anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth. The museum has a special exhibit of many of Rembrandt’s paintings. I remember enjoying examining the paintings. It was a bittery cold day in Amsterdam but the museum was nice and warm. The painting that haunts was one about the prophet Jeemiah.

The Prophet Jeremiah Mourning over the Destruction of Jerusalem by Rembrandt van Rijn was completed in 1630, the same year he completed his oil on panel Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver, as well as Samson Betrayed by Delilah, Self-portrait with Wide-open Eyes and The Raising of Lazarus.

That year Rembrandt's father died. “The Prophet Jeremiah Mourning over the Destruction of Jerusalem” is among the early works of Rembrandt in which his leitmotif of conceptual structure was a single or totally dominant figure
that is totally bound up in the course of an historical event. Rembrandt masterfully turns an individual person, their expressions and posture, into a history painting. Seated at the base of a large column, Jeremiah mourns the destruction of Jerusalem. It was an event he had prophesied. The light falls almost exclusively on the old man and his immediate surroundings. His bushy beard, wrinkled forehead and fur-lined cloak are depicted with great precision.

Jeremiah's pose, his head supported by his hand, is a traditional attitude of melancholy: his elbow rests on a large book which is inscribed 'Bibel' on the edge of the pages, probably a much later addition to the painting. The book is presumably meant to be his own Book of Jeremiah or the Book of Lamentations. Rembrandt is a master of light in art. The lighting of the figure is particularly effective with the foreground and the right side of the prophet's face in shadow and his robe outlined against the rock. Jeremiah’s hands rested on a few pieces of gold and silver vessels which he must have managed to salvage from the burning temple.

Away from the light, on the left in the background, was the fall of Jerusalem. The Babylonian troops of King Nebuchadnezzar II are marching into the city and putting it to the torch. These events occurred in the year 586 BC. Zedekiah, King of Judah, is standing outside the city, his head in his hands. Nebuchadnezzar ordered his eyes to be gouged out.


Background
Traditions have it that the prophet Jeremiah wrote the Book of Jeremiah and Lamentations. The central theme is the fall of Jerusalem to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 BC. Jerusalem fell because of God’s judgment on the Israelites who had turned away from God. The Israelites turned to idolatry and self-dependence.

Jeremiah ministered under seven rulers
• Josiah (Judah’s last Godly king)
• Jehoiakim (ungodly, scripture burning king)
• Jehoiachin (a ninety-day wonder judged by God)
• Zedekiah (Judah’s last king)
• Nebuchanezzar (Babylon conqueror)
• Gedaliah (Babylonian appointed governor of occupied Jerusalem)
• Johanan (successor of Gediah who was assassinated)

God’s judgment on the Israelites (Judeans) was because of
• Ungodly kings
• False prophets, priests and wise men
• Idolatry of the people (return to worship of Baal)
• Refusal to listen to God

The book of Lamentations is written during the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 BC. Jeremiah was never exiled to Babylon so it shows the agony of the people left behind after the military devastation. The horrors of the conquest include
• Wholesale devastation and slaughter of kings (2:6,9: 4:20), princes (1:6; 2:2,9; 4:7-8; 5:12), elders (1:19; 2:10; 4:16), priests (1:4,19; 2:6, 20; 4:20), prophets (2:9, 20) and people (2:10-12; 3:48; 4:6)
• Starving mothers are reduced to cannibalism (2:20; 4:1)
• Judah’s people are dragged into exile (1:3, 18)
• Elaborate ceremony and worship rituals came to an end (1:4, 10)

The book of Lamentation has a chiastic structure. The chiastic structure shows the main theme of the book. Though the book is mainly about God’s anger and judgement, it also reveals some important attributes of God.


The chiasm structure of Lamentations

Right in the middle of the book, amongst all the desolation and judgements is this few wonderful passages – Lam. 3: 21-25. Jeremiah reminds us that
LA 3:21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

LA 3:22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

LA 3:23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

LA 3:24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

LA 3:25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;




Attributes of God
1. God of hope (3:21, 24-25)
2. God of love (3:22)
3. God of faithfulness (3:23)
4. God of salvation (3: 22-23)

God of hope (3:21)
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Action words
• call to mind (remember)
• hope

God of love (3:22)
LA 3:22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

Action words
• great love
• not consumed
• never fail


God of faithfulness (3:23)
LA 3:23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Action words
• new every morning
• faithfulness
A new start. Every morning is a new beginning after a night of darkness.

God of salvation (3: 24-25)
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Action words
• wait
• hope
• seeks
Seeks for God as David did in Psalm 16
Psalm 16

A miktam of David.

PS 16:1 Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.

PS 16:2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."

PS 16:3 As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

PS 16:4 The sorrows of those will increase
who run after other gods.
I will not pour out their libations of blood
or take up their names on my lips.

PS 16:5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.

PS 16:6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

PS 16:7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.

PS 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

PS 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

PS 16:10 because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

PS 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Our response
In difficult and adverse times, we have to remember as Jeremiah did that God is a
• God of hope (3:21, 24-25)
• God of love (3:22)
• God of faithfulness (3:23)
• God of salvation (3: 22-23)


I have written my response to Rembrandt painting in my blog post here:
“The painting has a powerful effect on me. As I gaze on Jeremiah’s face and hands, I felt the pain and disappointment of a man who served God but met with much opposition and ridicule. No one listened to him. Everyone did what seemed right in their own eyes. Jeremiah had talked and scolded and cajoled but it all fell on deaf ears. And because of this, he had to watch as his beloved country was sacked, Jerusalem burnt and the temple destroyed. He had failed as a prophet of the Lord to convince his people. Though the fault was not his, the guilt must have weighted heavily on his mind. The guilt and the pain of a prophet as revealed in this painting.

The painting also spoke to me of the many parents who had to watch their children go astray. They have tried their best to teach them right from wrong. However, that is no guarantee that the children will follow and make correct informed decisions. I am sure the pain in the hearts of these parents resonates with the lamentation in Jeremiah’s heart. The guilt and pain of these parents as reflected in this painting.

The painting also revealed to me the heart of God. How the heart of God must have been broken by the people He loved. He loved so much that He was willing to send His only Son to die for them. These people were so fickle minded and ungrateful. He had given opportunity after opportunity to return to Him yet they continued to spurn Him. They have chosen to chase after other gods who promised immediate gratification. The same pain and sorrow in His heart as reflected by Jeremiah and the newly blinded Zedekiah. The pain of the broken heart of God as ingrained in this painting.

Often, we take for granted, God’s love for us. Looking at Rembrandt’s painting is a graphic reminder of the danger of taking His love and God, Himself for granted.”

Soli Deo Gloria

God will make a way

God will make a way
Text: Rev. 7:1-10

Sermon Statement

God has chosen us and whatever the trouble we face now, we will one day stand before him in heaven safe and sound

Text: Rev. 7:1-10

REV 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

REV 7:5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

REV 7:6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

REV 7:7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

REV 7:8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

REV 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb."


1. Introduction

We are living in difficult times and it looks next year will be worst
Globalisation
-Petrol price increasing and increase in prices of all essential goods
-Financial meltdown all over the world
-Bank guaranteed. Otherwise lose your savings
Slaughter and blood shed
-The war in Iraq and Afghanistan
-The war in Southern Philippines
-Political instability in Thailand; Bangkok and southern Thailand
-Persecution of Christians in Orissa, India
-Political instability in Malaysia
Famine
-Famine in Africa
Death
-Natural disasters; tsunami, earthquakes
-Man-made- Melamine poisoning in China

1.1. The background of Rev 6 and 7

Chapter 7 come a parenthesis between the sixth and seventh seal.

“Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”
1st seal: white horseman with bow and crown: conquest
2nd seal: red horseman with large sword: slaughter and bloodshed
3rd seal: black horseman with a pair of scales: famine
4th seal: pale horseman: Death

5th seal: altar in heaven-souls of martyr
6th seal: great earthquake
7th seal: dramatic pause

2. Exposition of the text

John was taken up to heaven.

2.1. What did John hear?

v.4a 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

2.1.1. Who are they? The tribes of Israel?

(Gen 35:22) Jacob had twelve sons:
23 The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah: Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

2.1.2. On earth

Could they have been the chosen ones of God on earth, not just the Jews?

2.1.3. Lists

There are various lists of the tribes in the O.T.
Genesis 35:22; Genesis 46:8; Exodus 1:1; Numbers 1:2; Numbers 13:4; Numbers 26:34; Deuteronomy 27:11; Deuteronomy 33:6 Jos 13-22; Jud 5; 1Ch 2-8; 1 Chronicles 12:24; 1 Chronicles 27:16; Eze 48) and given in various orders. In 1 Chronicles 7:12 both Dan and Zebulon are omitted. Joseph is given here in place of Ephraim.

2.1.4. Comparison of lists and Revelation 7 list

Gen. 35:22
Judah
Reuben
Gad
Asher
Naphtali
Simeon
Levi
Issachar
Zebulun
Joseph
Benjamin
Dan

Revelation 7 Tribes
Judah
Rueben
Gad
Asher
Naphtali
Manassah
Simeon
Levi
Issachar
Zebulun
Joseph
Benjamin


2.1.5. The 144,000 is the spiritual Israel.
a) 144,000 = 12 x 12x 1000
b) Eleven sons and one grandson
c) Judah is mentioned first, Rueben is first born
d) Dan is missing
e) Each tribe number 12,000 exactly
2.1.5.e.1. tribes varies in size
2.1.5.e.2. ten tribes were almost wiped out by the Babylonians (sixth century)
2.1.5.e.3. Jews are usually descendent of Judah and some from Levi
2.1.5.e.4. No one can demonstrate true biological descend from any tribe
f) Spiritual Israel



2.2. What did John see?

v. 9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

2.2.1. Who are they?
a) multitudes
b) in heaven
c) white robes

REV 7:14 I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

In the Book of Revelation, white robes are symbols of blessedness and purity.

d) palm branches
Palm branches are used twice in the New Testament. John 12:13 when a great crowd welcome Jesus into Jerusalem


The earthly crowd shouted,
The heavenly crowd shouts,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!


Blessed is the King of Israel!”
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb."

2.3. What is the link between the two crowds?

v.5-8 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

REV 7:6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

REV 7:7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

REV 7:8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

2.3.1. The names are the key

a) Judah “I will praise the Lord’
Of Judah’s personal character more traits are preserved than of any other of the patriarchs, with the exception of Joseph, whose life he in conjunction with Reuben saved. (Genesis 37:26-28) During the second visit to Egypt for corn it was Judah who understood to be responsible for the safety of Benjamin, ch. (Genesis 43:3-10) and when, through Joseph’s artifice, the brothers were brought back to the palace, he is again the leader and spokesman of the band. So too it is Judah who is sent before Jacob to smooth the way for him in the land of Goshen. ch. (Genesis 46:28) This ascendancy over his brethren is reflected in the last words addressed to him by his father. The families of Judah occupy a position among the tribes similar to that which their progenitor had taken among the patriarchs.

b) Reuben “He has looked on me”
Jacob’s firstborn (Genesis 29:32) the son of Leah. (B.C. 1753.) To him and him alone the preservation of Joseph’s life appears to have been due and afterward he becomes responsible for his safety. (Genesis 37:18-30; 42:37) Of the repulsive crime which mars his history, and which turned the blessing of his dying father into a curse --his adulterous connection with Bilhah-- we know from the Scriptures only the fact. (Genesis 35:22) He was of an ardent, impetuous, unbalanced but not ungenerous nature; not crafty and cruel, as were Simeon and Levi, but rather, to use the metaphor of the dying patriarch, boiling up like a vessel of water over a rapid wood fire, and as quickly subsiding when the fuel was withdrawn.

c) Gad “granted good fortune”

d) Asher “happy am I”
Jacob's eighth son; his mother was Zilpah, Leah's handmaid (Genesis 30:13). Of the tribe founded by him nothing is recorded beyond its holding a place in the list of the tribes (35:26; 46:17; Exodus 1:4, etc.) Asher and Simeon were the only tribes west of the Jordan which furnished no hero or judge for the nation. Anna the prophetess was of this tribe (Luke 2:36).

e) Naphtali “my wrestling”
my wrestling, the fifth son of Jacob. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid (Genesis 30:8). When Jacob went down into Egypt, Naphtali had four sons (Genesis 46:24). Little is known of him as an individual.

f) Manasseh “making me forget”
The elder of the two sons of Joseph. He and his brother Ephraim were afterwards adopted by Jacob as his own sons (48:1).

g) Simeon “God hears me”
The second son of Jacob by Leah (Genesis 29:33). He was associated with Levi in the terrible act of vengeance against Hamor and the Shechemites (34:25,26). He was detained by Joseph in Egypt as a hostage (42:24). His father, when dying, pronounced a malediction against him (49:5-7). The words in the Authorized Version (49:6), "they digged down a wall," ought to be, as correctly rendered in the Revised Version, "they houghed an ox."

h) Levi “joined to me”
The third son of Jacob by Leah. The origin of the name is found in Leah's words (Genesis 29:34), "This time will my husband be joined [Heb. yillaveh] unto me." He is mentioned as taking a prominent part in avenging his sister Dinah (Genesis 34:25-31). He and his three sons went down with Jacob (46:11) into Egypt, where he died at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years (Exodus 6:16).

i) Issachar ‘purchased me”
"God hath given me," said Leah, "my hire (Heb. sekhari)...and she called his name Issachar." He was Jacob's ninth son, and was born in Padan-aram (comp 28:2). He had four sons at the going down into Egypt (46:13; Numbers 26:23,25).

j) Zebulun “dwelling”
dwelling, the sixth and youngest son of Jacob and Leah (Genesis 30:20). Little is known of his personal history. He had three sons (46:14).

k) Joseph “God will add to me”
The elder of the two sons of Jacob by Rachel (Genesis 30:23,24), who, on the occasion of his birth, said, "God hath taken away [Heb. 'asaph] my reproach." "The Lord shall add [Heb. yoseph] to me another son" (Genesis 30:24). He was a child of probably six years of age when his father returned from Haran to Canaan and took up his residence in the old patriarchal town of Hebron. "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age," and he "made him a long garment with sleeves" (Genesis 37:3), i.e., a patchwork of many small pieces of divers colours.

l) Benjamin “Son of his right hand”
The younger son of Jacob by Rachel (Genesis 35:18). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place. His mother died in giving him birth, and with her last breath named him Ben-oni, son of my pain, a name which was changed by his father into Benjamin. His posterity are called Benjamites (Genesis 49:27; Deuteronomy 33:12; Joshua 18:21).

1. Judah= "I will praise the Lord"
2. Reuben= "He has looked on me"
3. Gad= "Granted good fortune"
4. Asher= "Happy am I"
5. Naphtali= "My wrestling"
6. Manasseh= "Making me forget"
7. Simeon= "God hears me"
8. Levi= "Joined to me"
9. Issachar= "Purchased Me"
10. Zebulun= "Dwelling"
11. Joseph= "God will add to me"
12. Benjamin= "Son of His right hand"


Now notice what happens when the meanings of the names are combined, in the same order, into a paragraph:

"I will praise the Lord because He has looked on me and granted good fortune. Happy am I because my wrestling with God is making me forget my past troubles. God hears me and is joined to me and has purchased me a dwelling. God will add to me the Son of His right hand." (The words in italics are supplied to complete each thought.)


3. Lessons for us
3.1. God chooses us from the beginning. We are the chosen.
3.2. God’s plan of salvation is THE plan, not a plan B
3.3. No one chosen by God is lost
3.4. Expect tribulations in this life
3.5. Expect to come out tribulation victorious
3.6. Praise God that you have been redeemed

(song) God Will Make a Way

God will make a way,
Where there is no way.
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way a way for me
He will be your guide
Hold me closely to his side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way,


God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;He came to love, heal and forgive;He lived and died to buy my pardon,An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
ChorusBecause He lives, I can face tomorrow,Because He lives, all fear is gone;Because I know He holds the future,And life is worth the living,Just because He lives!
How sweet to hold a newborn baby,And feel the pride and joy he gives;But greater still the calm assurance:This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!
ChorusBecause He lives, I can face tomorrow,Because He lives, all fear is gone;Because I know He holds the future,And life is worth the living,Just because He lives!
And then one day, I'll cross the river,I'll fight life's final war with pain;And then, as death gives way to vict'ry,I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!
ChorusBecause He lives, I can face tomorrow,Because He lives, all fear is gone;Because I know He holds the future,And life is worth the living,Just because He lives!

God will make a way,
Where there is no way.
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way a way for me
He will be your guide
Hold me closely to his side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness
He’ll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But his Word will still remain
He will do something new today

soli deo gloria

God is Love and Mercy

a funeral sermon

Let us be reminded that our human life here on earth does not end with death. Death is not the end but the beginning of another part of our life. Human beings are eternal beings. This is because we are created this way. According to the Bible, God created us. He created us out of the dust of earth. When we die, our earthly bodies return to dust but our spirit and our soul continues on. One day, we shall all receive a new body, a body that is renewed, no longer plagued by diseases, stroke or aging.

Why did God create us? He created us because he loves us. He created us to be his children. He wants us to be his sons and daughters. He wants us to be his sons and daughters forever. That means now, here on earth and after death with him in heaven forever. God is Love. Human beings since the time of Adam and Eve, the first humans, have rebelled against God. Yet is spite of our rejection, God still loves us. He loves us so much that he sent his son, Jesus Christ to save us.

John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
• God so loved the world…
• Gave his one and only Son…
• Believes in him…
• Not perish but have eternal life…

God loves the world. He loves us human beings. He does not want to destroy us but wants us to spend eternity with him. So he takes action. Notice that God is the one who initiate the action to save us. It is not us reaching up to a God up there; a God who does not care. It is a God up there who care so much that he initiates action and reaches down to us here on earth.

He did it by coming down himself. God is invisible. No one can see him. That is why God came down to earth as Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in God incarnate. Jesus Christ is God who took on flesh and became man. God became man and lived as man. Here is a God who understands us because he has experienced what we all experience-love, hatred, pain, anger, sadness, and joy. This happened two thousand years ago. Our calendar still date according to when God became man. God not only become man but died on the cross bearing all the rebellions of human beings. God did what no human being can do. He died for all of mankind. However, that is not the end. To prove that he is God, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day. He appeared to more than 500 people. He ate and drank with some of them. Some of them touched him to make sure that he is real. He is real. And now, two thousands years later, nobody has proved otherwise. God became man.

God has already done it. He have man possible a way for us to go back to him. It is not a difficult way. You do not have to have a million dollar to buy a ticket. You do not have to be a holy man. You have only to believe. Yes, it’s that simple. Just believe. Believe that Jesus Christ, God himself has died for you and you will receive God’s forgiveness and return to his family. God is love.

God is also merciful. He knows what is in our hearts, more than we know ourselves. He will judge each man, woman and child according to what is in their heart. Where human judges may make mistakes and condemn an innocent person, God never makes a mistake. He is God. God is omniscience, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Nothing is hidden from him. There is an incident in Jesus’ life recorded in the gospel that shows God’s mercy.

John 8:3-11
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
JN 8:9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
JN 8:11 "No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

This incident shows two things: One is that Jesus knows what is in the heart of all people; the teachers of the law, the Pharisees, the group of men, and the woman caught in adultery. The other is Jesus is merciful. He could have let them stone the woman to death. According to the law of Moses, they have very right to do so. Yet Jesus let her go because he knew what was in her heart. He discerned that in her heart, she has repented and was truly sorry for what she had done.

We can all take hope in this. God is merciful. God is love. He will not condemn anyone unjustly.

amen

A Light In the Darkness

A Light in the Darkness

15 years old Tee Hui Yee made headlines last year when she received two heart transplants within a week. Prior to that, in 2006, she was on a mechanical heart for one year in IJN (Institute Jantung Negara), making a record for the longest period anyone is on a mechanical heart. Her own heart was too weak to work. It would not have been comfortable as the mechanic heart need a battery that weighs 9 kilograms.

In October 2007, she received a suitable donor heart from a man in Perak. Unfortunately, her body rejected the donor heart within one week. On 3 October, a 20 year old mechanic was killed in an accident in Johor. The parents agreed to donate their son’s heart and Hui Yee received a second heart transplant. This time, her body accepted the new heart and she was able to be discharged in time for Christmas last year.

Finding a suitable heart for transplantation is very difficult because the heart must match our bodies. If it does not match, our bodies will reject the foreign organ. This is like kidney transplant. For Hui Yee to find and receive 2 hearts within a week is nothing short of a miracle. The down side is that for a heart transplant to occur, someone has to die. No one can give away their heart and yet live.

Now what if like Hui Yee, your doctor tells you that you have a heart problem. Your heart is not working properly and you need a heart transplant. If not you will die soon. However there is a man whose heart is suitable for your heart transplant. Your doctor has done all the tests and only one man on the whole earth has a heart suitable for you. The man is alive. To donate the heart, he has to die. Do you think that will happen? What if that man is willing to donate his heart for you? How will you feel? I have never heard of any man who is willing to donate his heart. Kidney maybe, we have two. Donors want to live too.

However, I have heard of a man named Jesus Christ. Jesus said some interesting things which are found in the Bible.

Jesus claims that
1. the world is sick
2. the world is dying
3. that he is the cure
4. he has to die for the cure to work
5. that he will come back from the dead

1. the world is sick

Jesus said the world is sick. The world is broken. This is not what it is supposed to be. If you look around, I am sure you are aware that there is something wrong with this world
• The crime rate is Johor Bharu is very high. You are afraid to go out. Snatch thieves not only snatch your bag but may injure you first. Want to take, take lah. No need to use a knife.
• There are more wars in the twentieth century than in the whole of human history
• There are more people starving now than in the whole of human history. It is not that there is not enough food. It is that the rich nations eat more than 80% of the world’s food. There is not enough for poor nations
• Many people in Africa are dying of AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa had 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS by early 2003. 2.4 million Africans died in 2002. Ten million young people (aged 15–24) and almost 3 million children under 15 are living with HIV.
• In some countries, parents are selling their young children, sons and daughters to be prostitute for money.

There is something wrong with the world. This is not how it is supposed to be. The world is supposed to be a good place. The Bible tells us that in the beginning the world is paradise. It is called the Garden of Eden.

2. the world is dying

Recently, a friend of mine went to Cambodia. In Phnom Penh, he visited a museum where prisoners were tortured and killed. The skulls of the victims were still there in the museum. Pol Pot of the Khmer Rouge may have killed 750,000 to 1.7 millions of his own people. During the Second World War, Hitler may have killed 6 millions Jews. How can human beings be so evil? How can we do such horrible things?

The Bible tells us that in the Garden of Eden, something terrible happened. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Because of the disobedience, our human nature changed, become evil. That made God very angry. Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden. To make this world we live in today.

There are many things our eyes can not see. This does not mean that it does not exist. We do not see the electricity, but we know it exist. Try putting your hand in an electric socket. There are angels, demons and devil at work in this world.

The world is dying. God is still angry and one day he will destroy the world. He will send everyone to hell. Hell is a place of eternal fire.

3. that Jesus is the cure

God though angry still loves us. That is why he created Adam and Eve is the first place. He loves us as a parent loves their sons and daughters. No matter how bad our children are, as parents we still love them. So God wants to save us from his judgment. The world is dying and need a cure. The cure is his son, Jesus Christ.

4. that Jesus has to die for the cure to work

For the cure to work, Jesus has to suffer and die. Jesus has to bear all our wrong doings, our evil and suffer judgment for us. He even has to go to hell for us. By doing that, our slate is wiped clean. Punished completed. The summon has been paid. The sentence of death has been carried out. This is like Hui Yee. To get a new heart, someone must die. Because of a young man’s accident death, she is alive today. His heart is beating in her. A sentence of death has been imposed upon us. Jesus has gone out and died in our place 2000 years ago. Sentence has been carried out. We are free.


5. that Jesus will come back from the dead


When Jesus’ work was finished, he rose from the dead. How many people have you met that come have come back from the dead? Even before he died, Jesus has told his followers that he will come back from the dead. Even his followers did not believe him. According to the Bible record, he was crucified and died on Friday. He was laid in a tomb which is a like a small cave and a heavy stone was placed over the entrance. That’s the way they buried the dead in Jerusalem. The governor also placed some Romans soldiers to guard the tomb. They were afraid that someone will come and remove Jesus’ body.

On early Sunday morning, some of Jesus’ female followers went to the tomb to clean up his body. When they arrived, they found the heavy stone rolled way and the tomb was empty. Jesus then appeared to them. All in all, Jesus appeared to 500 of his followers including his own brother, James who did not believe in his teaching. Then Jesus went up to heaven, promising that he will come again. When he comes back, it will be to carry out God’s judgment on earth.

This is an important point. If anyone who can prove that Jesus did not come back form the dead will show that Christianity is wrong. That all that the Christians believe in are fairy tales.

My friends, after more than 2000 years nobody was able to disprove that Jesus rose from the death. That is not for lack of trying. Thousands of people, from scholars, lawyers, CSI experts have tried. Not one can came up with any proof that Jesus did not rise from the dead.

What does that tell you? If someone who claims that he will die and then come back to life again tells me something, I will listen to him.
• He died a horrible death, tortured and crucified on the cross
• He was dead, otherwise they would not have entombed him
• He rose from the dead as he said he will

I will believe all his claims
Jesus claims that
1. the world is sick
2. the world is dying
3. that he is the cure
4. he has to die for the cure to work

Believing is one thing, but acting upon your belief is another. If Hui Yee were told that a second heart was available to her after her first heart transplant and her body was rejecting the first heart, do you think she will believe it?
• It is so hard to get a heart in the first place, now another heart within a week. She has been waiting for the first heart for so many years and was even on a mechanical heart for a year.
• So easy
She may think that the doctors may be bluffing her, trying to console her and make her feel better. What if she did not believe them? What if she refused the second heart transplant? She would be dead now. She will not be able to celebrate Christmas at home and eat Yee Sang during Chinese New year at the home of her heart donor’s family.

What if Jesus is correct?
Jesus claims that
1. the world is sick
2. the world is dying
3. that he is the cure
4. he has to die for the cure to work
5. that he will come back from the dead

That he will take your punishment and give you a second chance. No going to hell. Will you believe him? Can you afford not to take the chance? All you have to do is to believe him and accept his death for you. Then Jesus is the light in the darkness.

There is a simple prayer you can make:

Dear God, I believe that you have sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins and I accept his death on the cross for me. Please help me to understand this more. Amen.

Approach any members of this church and they will help you to know more about Jesus.

.

Our Utmost for Shalom

Our Utmost for Shalom
A New Year Resolution for 2008
Text: Matthew 22:34-40

Dr Alex Tang
Sunday sermon
6 January 2008
Holy Light Church (English), Johor Bahru

Sermon Statement

Jesus taught us that the greatest commandment is love; love for God, for our neighbours and for ourselves. Love leads to shalom which is the fulfilment of love. S.H.A.L.O.M. is how a church practices love –Story, Heart, Action, Learning, Oneness and Maturity.

Text

34But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matt.22:34-40)
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: ”‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.

Introduction
Happy New Year. We are also in the season of Epiphany. The season of Epiphany, from the Greek epihaneia meaning “manifestation,” begins on January 6 and continues for nine Sundays, then concludes with the Sunday of The Transfiguration. It commemorates the first manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles, represented by the visit of the Magi from the East. The season goes on to encompass his baptism, followed by the first miracle at Canaan. As Advent celebrates Christ’s humanity, Epiphany commemorates his divinity.

The making of New Year's resolutions dates back to the early Babylonians in about 2000 BC. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.

The tradition of using a baby to signify the New Year was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.

Although the early Christians denounced the practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced the Church to revaluate its position. The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate the New Year with a baby, which was to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus. The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic representation of the New Year was brought to early America by the Germans.

The USA.gov posted a list of Popular New Year's Resolutions (accessed 4 January 2008). The list include
• Lose Weight
• Pay Off Debt
• Save Money
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Eat Right
• Get a Better Education
• Drink Less Alcohol
• Quit Smoking Now
• Reduce Stress Overall
• Reduce Stress at Work
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others
• Holiday and New Year Health-e-Cards

The website also offers 3 ways to keep the resolutions:
(1) Be committed.
(2) Be prepared for setbacks.
(3) Track your progress.

What are some of your New Year resolution for this year, 2008? What happened to last year’s resolutions? Did you manage to keep any of them? Making New Year resolutions are good. It allows a new start. The beginning of the year is a good time to start afresh. We leave last year behind. It is like having another chance to have another go. That is why making New Year resolutions and keeping them is important. In this sermon, we shall try to make some New Year resolutions together as a church.

Exposition of the Text
The Pharisees and Sadducees often see Jesus as a threat to the religious establishment. One group, the Pharisees who are very religious see Jesus as a threat to the basis of their divinely based religion. The Sadducees were opposed to Jesus because of political reasons. They are afraid that Jesus will set himself up as the messiah and thus incur the wrath of the Romans while diminishing their political influence. In the gospels, there are many instances of the Pharisees and Sadducees attempting to trap Jesus into saying something that will incriminate himself.

Earlier, the Sadducees had tried to trap Jesus by posing a question of a woman married to seven men consequently. This is legitimate by Mosaic Law. The brother is to marry his brother’s widow. However, whose wife will she be after the resurrection? The Sadducee do not believe in the resurrection, rejects all the extra-Torah teaching of the Pharisees and accept only what the Torah teachers. Jesus silenced them by explain a text from Exodus 3:6 by emphasis the tense of the Patriarch. "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." The present tense indicates that there is an afterlife and that in this afterlife, we shall be like angels; without families.

After the failure of the Sadducee, the Pharisee sent in their champion, a lawyer. The question seems to be simple one. Which of the commandments is the greater one? The Pharisees after searching scripture found 613 commandments. The trap is simple. The Pharisees recognises that there is a hierarchy in the commandments. Thus murder is worst that boiling a lamb in its mother’s milk (Deut.14:21). Whichever one Jesus chose, someone will ask why not this other one.

Instead Jesus answered by quoting the Schema (Deu. 6:5) which is about loving God.
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Then he adds about loving your neighbours (Lev. 19:18, 34).
LEV 19:18 " `Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
And then he concluded by stating that these two statements contains all that the Law and the prophets teaches.

Leon Morris, formerly principal of Riley College, Melbourne, Australia comments about this passage, ‘Wholehearted love for God means coming in some measure to see other people as God sees them, and all people as the objects of God’s love. Therefore anyone who truly loves God with all his being must and will love others, and this is expressed in the commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” a commandment that is repeated in the Pentateuch.’

We can summarise it as thus

Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and
with all your soul and
with all your mind.’
Love your neighbor
as yourself.


Shalom as the Fulfilment of Love

Shalom is translated as, “(1) to be in a covenant of peace, be at peace, (Qal) to be at peace,peaceful one (participle), (Pual) one in covenant of peace (participle), (Hiphil) to make peace with, to cause to be at peace,(Hophal) to live in peace; and
(2)to be complete, be sound, (Qal) to be complete, be finished, be ended, to be sound, be uninjured, (Piel) to complete, finish, to make safe, to make whole or good, restore, make compensation, to make good, pay, to requite, recompense, reward, (Pual) to be performed, to be repaid, be requited, (Hiphil) to complete, perform, to make an end of.

• Jesus made shalom through the cross (Col.1:20; Eph.2:15-16).
• When Jesus healed and forgave people, he dismissed them by saying, “Go in shalom.”
• We are to “seek and pursue it.”(Ps.34:14b as quoted in 1 Pet. 3:11 ).
• We are to be at peace, pursue it, send it, and keep it (Rom.12;18; 1 Thess.5:13; 2 Cor. 13:11; Rom.14:19; 1 Cor. 16:11).
• Shalom is an active fruit of the spirit (Gal.5:22) and a mark of the realm of God. It is about the matrix of peace, harmony, and wholeness and is both a gift and task for the very goal of our teaching and learning life together.
• shalom in Christian community is an inclusive concept, signifying a place, a dwelling and a life where we can be different together.(Eph.2:14-22)

Joldersma, in unpacking Wolterstorff’s idea of shalom writes,

“Shalom means people living in right relationships with God, themselves, each other, and nature- and in taking delight in such relationships. Shalom involves finding meaning in our experiences and celebrating the actualizing of creation’s potentials. Shalom involves recognizing in ourselves that place where Gods’ goodness finds its answer in our gratitude. Shalom is an ethical community where all the members have a full and secure place in the community. As such, it embraces a “non-abandonment” view of the creation that involves redeeming it.” (Wolterstorff, 2004, xii)

Luke uses the word shalom (eirene) to describe the early struggling Christian church . Expanding on this, Norma Everist from Wartburg Theological seminary in Duduque, Iowa writes,

“Shalom looks both backward and forward. It recalls the paradisiacal Garden of Eden, and anticipates the coming of the reign of God. Shalom is personal, and may apply to God self or to an individual human being. Shalom is communal, meaning the right relationship between friends, neighbours, a community, nation, or even all the inhabited world (oikoumene). The heart of the meaning is close to life itself.

Shalom is linked with truth and justice in the Hebrew Bible, especially by Jeremiah. Forgiveness, righteousness, justification, reconciliation, pardon, restoration, good news, and salvation-words which point to harmony in any relationship- are all part of the semantic domain of shalom. In Paul’s theology in the New Testament Bible, justification by faith gives shalom with God through Jesus Christ.”

Shalom is the all inclusive term that means loving God, loving ourselves and loving our neighbours. This is what Paul taught in 1 Cor. 13. The greatest of these is love.
Loving God ---- loving others and self --- shalom

Expressing Shalom in the Church
What are some of the ways we can express our love that leads to shalom? How do we as a church learn to love God, love ourselves and love our neighbours?
We may do that by incorporating certain components in our church community life.

They are:
• Story telling- telling the meta-narrative of God’s great plan of redemption and also our own stories and see how our own stories fit into God’s meta-narrative. Hence the importance of testimony telling and sharing of experiences. Sharing love.
• Heart matters; a call for emotional maturity- acknowledging, embracing, mastering, and detachment from our emotions or feelings. The will include experiential encounters with God (orthokardia). Emotions are important part of our makeup and our spirituality. We are called to love God with our heart, soul and mind. Experiencing love.
• Action: Incarnational living - narrowing the gap between what we believe and and how we live, thus living an incarnational lifestyle (orthopraxis). An incarnational lifestyle is a lifestyle of love, as Jesus lived out his human life as a sign of his love for us. Acting in love.
• Learning: transformational living- age appropriate learning of the knowledge of God through the Word, creation, and from others (orthodoxis). Knowing God means receiving the revelation of God. God has reveal himself to us through his Son, the Bible and nature. Thinking love.
• Oneness in community– development of committed relationships within and without the church. Relationships are very important. Living love.
• Maturity in Christ. This is our ongoing spiritual growth. Growing in love.

The acronym for this is S.H.A.L.O.M.

In addition, these components of shalom includes
(1) the restoration of the Imago Dei (the Image of God)- the love for God and ourselves
Maturity, Heart and Learning
(2) The Missio Dei (the mission of God)-the love for others
Oneness, Story telling and Action

Conclusion
Jesus taught us that the greatest commandment is love; love for God, for our neighbours and for ourselves. Love leads to shalom which is the fulfilment of love. S.H.A.L.O.M. is how a church practices love –Story, Heart, Action, Learning, Oneness and Maturity.

Our New Year resolution for 2008 is
This year we shall love our God, our neighbours and ourselves more.

soli deo gloria

A New Form of Worship

Text: Hebrews 9: 1-14

Summary
Jesus Christ is the new High Priest who by His blood leads us to a new form of worship: Presence and Power.

Text (Hebrew 9:1-14)
HEB 9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

HEB 9:6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

HEB 9:11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Introduction
In the last sermon, we studied Jesus Christ as the High Priest of a New Covenant. This covenant replaces the covenant of the Law of Moses. The new covenant can be summarised in Heb. 8:10.
HEB 8:10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

No longer are we ruled by an external law but from an internal law-our conscience. This week, we shall look at how God has made it possible for the new covenant to come into being.

As a reminder, the writer of Hebrews was addressing Jewish Christians who came from a background of Temple cultic worship. Hence they are familiar with the tabernacle, which later was built as Solomon’s temple (First Temple) when Israel settled into the Promised Land. They had been worshipping in Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem before they became Christians. Now, because of persecutions and hardships, they were thinking of reverting back to Judaism. The writer of Hebrews was reminding them that Jesus is a superior High Priest that superseded all human high priests in the tabernacle or temple worship.

(1) Sanctuary
In Hebrews 9:1-10, he reminded them of the tabernacle worship and the makeup of the tabernacle.
HEB 9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

HEB 9:6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance

Then he made a comment that the Holy Spirit used this arrangement as an illustration.
8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

Worship in its true sense is not a matter of food and drinks. It is not a matter of what we do, or what the priests did on our behalf. There are two points he made:
(1) The access into the Most Holy Place is still not known as long as the tabernacle was still standing.
(2) The sacrifice is not able to clear the conscience of the worshippers.
Therefore it is an incomplete system of worship.
· It did not bring people into the presence of God.
· It did not clear the conscience of the worshippers.
· It did not bring full forgiveness of their sins.

(2) Access
Jesus Christ, however as the great High Priest, brought a complete system of worship. He brought the worshippers into the Most Holy Place itself.
Heb. 9:11-12
HEB 9:11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

In the tabernacle/temple worship, only the priests are allowed into the Holy Place every day. The high priest enters the Most Holy Place once a year for the Day of Atonement. Before the high priest enters, he has first to sacrifice a bull for his sins and the sins of his family, then another bull for the sins of the people of Israel. Then he enters the Most Holy Place to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat. The people can only be in the outer courts where the laver and the braze altar were. They will never see the inside of the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. All their lives, they will be limited to worship in the courts of the tabernacle.

This is like going to watch Spiderman 3 at the Cathay Cineplex at City Square, Johor Bahru. You went there and bought your ticket. However you are only allowed to stnad outside the cinema, where they sell the popcorns and tickets. Only your elders were allowed to enter and stand outside cinema where they are able to hear the sounds of the movie but they are not allowed to enter into the cinema itself. They are not allowed even to peep inside. Only the senior pastor is allowed into the cinema to watch the whole movie!

The Jewish people had been taught that the Holy Place represent earth and the Most Holy Place, heaven. They know that it is a representation. They also knew that God Himself come down from heaven to the Most Holy Place. Jesus Christ brought us all to the real tabernacle. This tabernacle was not made by human hands but by God. Jesus Christ brought us into the heavenly tabernacle- the Throne room in heaven as described by John in Rev.4:2-11.
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

"Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come."

REV 4:9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

REV 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."

The people are no longer limited to the outer courts. In the new form of worship, everyone enters into the Holy Place and even the Most Holy Place. Jesus is the High Priest forever. We are all priests.

(3) Blood sacrifice
We are able to enter the heavenly sanctuary because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Heb.9:13-14
13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

In general, the sacrificial animal for sin offerings depended on the status of the sinner offering the sacrifice;
-for a high priest or an entire community, the sacrifice was to be of a young bullock;
-for a king or a prince the offering had to be a young male goat;
-for other individuals the offering had to be either a young female goat, or a female lamb;
-for poor individuals unable to afford these, a turtle dove sufficed.
Like the other types of sacrifice, the sacrificial animal had to be completely unblemished.

The ritual of the sin offering began with the offerer confessing their sins over the head of the victim; in the case of community offerings the elders performed this function; in the case of the Day of Atonement, the high priest performs this task. The animal would then be killed by the offerer, or the priest if the offerer preferred, and the blood carefully collected by Levites in an earthen vessel. In the case of sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem, some of the blood would be sprinkled in front of the veil covering the entrance to the Most Holy Place, except on the Day of Atonement, when the blood would be sprinkled in front of the mercy seat; this was done seven times. The remainder of the blood was poured out at the base of the altar, and the earthen vessel that had contained it would be smashed, while the fat, liver, kidneys, and intestines, were burnt on the altar.

Lev 17: 11
11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.

By offering his blood from the perfect sacrifice, Jesus gave us a new form of worship that completely cleanses our conscience and earned us complete redemption from God.

Lessons for us
(1) The new covenant brings a new form of worship
(2) Jesus Christ the High Priest has given us direct access to the Most Holy Place by the shedding of His blood
(3) There is power in His blood. His blood has brought completely cleansing of our sins and complete redemption from God
(4) Our worship is now in the Presence of God

The new form of worship in the new covenant can be summarised by two P; Presence and Power.
· Presence of God in our everyday life, easy access, and relational.

Let us never forget what privilege it is to entry the presence of God. Just think of getting an appointment to meet the Menteri Besar. You have to go through his appointment secretary, then political secretary and then many layers of bureaucrats before you can even fix a date. Even then, you can never be sure he will be there for the meeting. How about arranging a meeting with the Sultan of Johor? Or with the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong? Yet, the King of kings, the Lord Creator has allows us instant access to his Most Holy Place, anytime we want. It is sad that we often take such access for granted.

· Power of the blood of Jesus Christ gives us forgiveness of our sins and completes redemption. It is a bondage breaker. It breaks the bondage of sin over our lives and of the power of Satan over our lives.

This account is from Steel in his Soul: The Dick Hillis Story.

“One day as a missionary Dick Hillis preached in a Chinese village, his sermon was interrupted by a piercing cry. Everyone rushed toward the scream, and Dick’s co-worker, Mr. Kong, whispered that an evil spirit had seized a man. Just then, a woman rushed toward them. “I beg you help me!” she cried. “An evil spirit has again possessed the father of my children and is trying to kill him.”

The two evangelists entered the house, stepping over a filthy dog lying in the doorway. “An evil spirit has possessed Farmer Ho,” Kong told the onlookers, “Our God, the ‘Nothing-He-cannot-do One’ is more powerful than any spirit, and he can deliver this man. First, you must promise to burn your idols and believe in Jesus, son of the Supreme Emperor.”

The people nodded. Kong asked Dick to begin singing the hymn, “There is power in the blood.”

“Now,” continued Kong, “in the name of Jesus we will command the evil spirit to leave this man.” Kong continued praying fervently. Suddenly, the old dog in the doorway vaulted into the air, screeching, yelping, whirling in circles snapping wildly at his tail. Kong continued praying and the dog abruptly dropped over dead.

Instantly Dick remembered Luke 8, the demons of the Gadarenes who invisibly flew into the herd of swine. As Kong finished praying, Farmer Ho seemed quiet and relaxed, and soon he was strong enough to burn his idols. At his baptism shortly afterward, he testifies, “I was possessed by an evil spirit who boasted that he had already killed five people and was going to kill me. But God sent Mr. Kong at just the right moment and in Jesus, I am free.” (Robert J. Morgan, Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World’s Greatest Hymn Stories, Volume 1, p. 249)

Conclusion
Jesus Christ is the new High Priest who by His blood leads us to a new form of worship.

The hymn, There is Power in the Blood was written by Lewis E. Jones during a camp meeting at Mountain Lake Park, Maryland.
Would you be free from the burden of sin? Would you over evil a victory win?
Would you be free from your passion and pride? Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide
Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow? Sin stains are removed in its life giving flow
Would you do service for Jesus your king? Would you live daily, His praises to sing?

Soli Deo Gloria

The Resurrected Christ

Summary

The resurrection of Christ on Easter is about remembrance, renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

Introduction
Easter is a day of celebration. We remember the passion of the Christ on Good Friday; Jesus' secret illegal arrest at night, his trial by the Sanhedrin and the people, his questioning by Pontius Pilate, his whipping and humiliation by the soldiers, his rejection by his people who chose Barrabas instead of him, his judgement, his carrying the cross through the streets of Jerusalem, his crucifixion, his dying and death on the cross. And he was quickly and quietly buried before sundown on the Friday. All this happened more than 2,000 years ago. All this would have been forgotten except for one thing. Jesus claimed that he is God and that he will rise again from the dead. And it happened exactly as he said! The 4 Rs of Easter is remembrance, renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

REMEMBRANCE

Luke 24:1-8
LK 24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 `The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8 Then they remembered his words.

Why do you look for the living among the dead? That is the important question. Jesus has risen from the dead. Therefore all that he taught is the truth and we can trust him. We remember and celebrate Easter because it marks a new era in human history, and also in the history of the whole creation. The resurrection of Jesus in Easter Sunday marks the beginning of God’s work of renewal, restoration, and re-creation. In Genesis, we read that God created the whole creation in 6 days and he rested on the 7th. On the 8th day, which is Easter Sunday, God begin his work of renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

RENEWAL
(i) Kingdom of God

Mark 1:15
15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

Romans 14:17
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

The Kingdom of God is not a physical kingdom. It is not something we can see or touch. The kingdom of God is when God rules in our hearts. This kingdom has a now and latter perspective. The kingdom of God arrives when Jesus walks the earth. It is already here on earth, in the hearts of men who are believes in God. It will also come again when Jesus comes again in the Second Coming to start God’s Millennium Kingdom on earth. Easter gave a boost to the expansion of the kingdom of God. That is why it is a time of renewal.

(ii) The New Covenant
Easter also marks the beginning of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant or the Mosaic Covenant was between God and the people of Israel, mediated through Moses. It was a covenant of Law. The Law is supreme on earth because it represented God. Break it and God shall break you. The New Covenant is between God and all people. It is mediated by Jesus Christ. It is a covenant of grace.

Hebrews 9:15
HEB 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

[…Old Covenant…..Good Friday][Sabbath rest/Holy Saturday][Easter/Jesus resurrection…New covenant…]

Romans 6:14
14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

No longer are we condemned by the Law. Jesus Christ by dying on the cross has taken on all our sins. We are declared righteous by the Law. It is a legal standing. Our slate has been wiped clean. We no longer have a criminal record. That is why on Easter, we can able to enter into the New Covenant with God. God is holy. We can only enter into a relationship with God only if we are holy. We are now holy because of Jesus Christ dying for our sins on the cross.

(iii) New Person

2 Cor. 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Not only our legal standing in God’s court makes us holy, we also received a new nature. We are a new person, a new creation in Christ. Our old sinful human nature has been renewed.

The Old Covenant is about the Law. The Law says, “You cannot do this, you cannot do that.” The Law is THOU SHALT NOT.
The New Covenant is about grace. Grace says, “What will Love do?” “What will Jesus do?”

There is a personal friend who was a pastor of a large church. His first wife died of cancer so he remarried. Unfortunately his second marriage did not work out, in spite of all they try to do to salvage it: counselling, prayers, and interventions of other Godly Christians. They divorced. My friend has a hard time because of this divorce. He resigned as a pastor and for many years was avoided by many Christians. Then he remarried again. After his remarriage, he was offered and accepted a pastor post in a church in Singapore.

What does the Law says?
*Deu. 22:13-21, 2-29 states that divorce was not permitted
*God hates divorce (Mal.2:16)
*Divorce is a failure of what God intends for humans (Mk.10:5-9)
*Remarriage is committing adultery (Mt.5:32; Luke 16:18b)
The Law says sinner, sinner, and sinner!

Someone wrote to “Dear Chai Hok” column in April/May issue of Asian Beacon to ask. “Can a Divorced & Remarried Person be appointed as a Pastor?” I like Chai Hok’s answer. Is murder as sin? Can it be forgiven? Yes. Is divorce a sin? Is it an unforgivable sin? Can it be forgiven? Then why don’t we forgive that person and allow him to be pastor. That is grace. That is renewal in this time of Easter from a covenant of law to a covenant of grace.

RESTORATION
(i) Forgiveness of sin

Matt. 26:28
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

The dying of Jesus on the cross has won us forgiveness of God. Our rebellion against had made God angry. Under the old law, “the wages of sin is death.” This means we will all die. I am talking about spiritual death. This spiritual death means spending the rest of eternity in hell. Jesus, who is sinless because he is also God, died for our sins and thus earned forgiveness for us. In Easter, we are reminded that we have already received forgiveness for our sins.

(ii) Reconciliation with God
Romans 5:11
11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Having being forgiven and declared holy, we can be reconciled with God. A relationship that is broken is now mended. God created humans higher than the angels. God created us to that he can be our friend. He wants a relationship with his creation. Easter reminds us of the restored relationship with God.

(iii) Hope
Titus 2:11-14
TIT 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Easter is a hope of renewing our hope. Our hope is in Jesus, our God and Saviour. Our hope is that he will take care of us, heals our diseases, protect us from the wicked and disasters, protect our families, guide us in the right road, and in the end, eternal life with God.

Did you even have a broken relationship with someone you love? Because of some incident, that close loving relationship you have is cut. You do not or cannot talk to each other. You feel hurt and anger. All those years of loving and close relationship experience in the past have been forgotten. How can that be? Can we forget what has gone before because of what happened now to sever the relationship? God asked can a mother forget the baby she has breast fed. Easter is when relationship is mended, a broken relationship restored.

RE-CREATION

(i) New heaven and earth

Rev. 21:1-4
REV 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

That is our hope and that is what God is re-creation. In Genesis, the perfect paradise or the Garden of Eden was closed to us by human rebellion. Now God is working to re-create a new heaven and earth.

(ii) Holy Spirit

Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

When Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit indwells us. The Holy Spirit is God. He empowers us with the power to do God’s work.

(iii) The Great Commission

2 Cor 5:19-20
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Matt. 28: 18-19
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

God is re-creating his whole creation. This means the people and nature. What is exciting is that his time, he wants us to help him. We are called to be co-creators with God. Of course, we cannot create something out of nothing. We are not God. However, we are to work with the existing materials to help God re-create the world. We are called to “make disciples of all nations” and we are to be God’s ambassadors “for the message of reconciliation.”

Conclusion
The resurrection of Christ on Easter shows God’s work on renewal, restoration, and re-creation. It is also a time of forgiveness. Picture in your mind someone who has hurt you, someone who has caused you pain, someone you hate. Than say on this Easter day, as God has forgiven me, I forgive you. Sincerely forgive the person. Ask God to help you forgive that person. And set yourself on the road of remembrance, renewal, restoration, and re-creation.

Soli Deo Gloria

Children: God's Gift, Our Responsibility

Text: Psalms 127:3-5; Luke 2: 39-40; 52

Summary
Children are God’s gift to us. It is our responsibility to ensure their healthy mental, physical, spiritual and social growth.

1. Introduction

I have been privileged to be working with children for more than 20 years of my professional life. I love children. Children are not easy to work with. They have ‘pee’ on me, ‘dodo’ on me, vomited on me, wiped their dirty hands on me and even bitten me. But somehow, they also like me. When they come to my clinic, they like to give me hugs and kisses, share the sweets in their mouth with me and one even offered me her baby brother. Children are a joy and a blessing. This evening, we shall consider children as God’s gift and our responsibility to this gift that God has given us.

2. Children: God’s Gift

Psalm 127
1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labour in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate. (NIV)

3 Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
4 Children born to a young man
are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hands.
5 How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates. (NLT)

Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows
are the children of a vigorous youth.
Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quiver full of children!
Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you;
you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep. (The Message)

Contrary to popular belief, it is not easy to produce children. It is always a miracle when a child is born. From the time of conception when a sperm fertilised an ovum to the time when the fertilised ovum is implanted in the uterus to the development of a newborn, hundreds of things can go wrong. 60% of fertilised ovum are aborted spontaneously – due to abnormality of the fertilised egg, or failure to reach the uterus, failure to implant in the uterus and failure of the uterus to sustain growth. And during the process of growth in the uterus, the fetus is susceptible to infections, changes in the mother’s health, mother smoking or taking drugs, and maternal diseases like hypertension. Thus it is a miracle everything a baby is born. Life is so precious.

3. Children: Our Responsibility

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (NIV)

3.1 The Parents

3.1.1 Joseph
The foster-father of our Lord (Matt. 1:16; Luke 3:23). He lived at Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 2:4). He is called a “just man.” He was by trade a carpenter (Matt. 13:55). He is last mentioned in connection with the journey to Jerusalem, when Jesus was twelve years old. It is probable that he died before Jesus entered on his public ministry. This is concluded from the fact that Mary only was present at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee. His name does not appear in connection with the scenes of the crucifixion along with that of Mary (q.v.), John 19:25.
At 5 years old, children began to learn the duties of life under the care of their fathers (Deu.6:20-25; 11:19). Joseph would have begun to teach Jesus at 5 years old.

3.1.2 Mary
Hebrew Miriam. The wife of Joseph, the mother of Jesus, called the “Virgin Mary,” though never so designated in Scripture (Matt. 2:11; Acts 1:14). Little is known of her personal history. Her genealogy is given in Luke 3. She was of the tribe of Judah and the lineage of David (Ps. 132:11; Luke 1:32). She was connected by marriage with Elisabeth, who was of the lineage of Aaron (Luke 1:36). While she resided at Nazareth with her parents, before she became the wife of Joseph, the angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to be the mother of the promised Messiah (Luke 1:35). After this she went to visit her cousin Elisabeth, who was living with her husband Zacharias (probably at Juttah, Josh. 15:55; 21:16, in the neighbourhood of Maon), at a considerable distance, about 100 miles, from Nazareth. Immediately on entering the house she was saluted by Elisabeth as the mother of her Lord, and then forthwith gave utterance to her hymn of thanksgiving (Luke 1:46–56; comp. 1 Sam. 2:1–10). After three months Mary returned to Nazareth to her own home. Joseph was supernaturally made aware (Matt. 1:18–25) of her condition, and took her to his own home. Soon after this the decree of Augustus (Luke 2:1) required that they should proceed to Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), some 80 or 90 miles from Nazareth; and while they were there they found shelter in the inn or khan provided for strangers (Luke 2:6, 7). But as the inn was crowded, Mary had to retire to a place among the cattle, and there she brought forth her son, who was called Jesus (Matt. 1:21), because he was to save his people from their sins. This was followed by the presentation in the temple, the flight into Egypt, and their return in the following year and residence at Nazareth (Matt. 2).

There for thirty years Mary, the wife of Joseph the carpenter, resides, filling her own humble sphere, and pondering over the strange things that had happened to her. During these years only one event in the history of Jesus is recorded, viz., his going up to Jerusalem when twelve years of age, and his being found among the doctors in the temple (Luke 2:41–52).

In the earliest times, mother do not wean their children until they were 30 months to 3 years old, and the day they were weaned was kept as a festival day (Gen. 21:8; Exo.2: 7,9)

Mary and Joseph are ordinary people living in extraordinary times.

3.1.3 Observance of the Law

They were devout Jews. They observed the Law, which is the greatest compliment anyone can give a Jews. They understand the role of the Messiah.

How do you bring up a child who is to be the Messiah of your people?
§ Premier school?
§ More tuition?
§ Special motivational courses?
§ Ballet, art and piano classes?

Deu.6:4-7
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

(1) Start with you
(2) Teach your children – Role modeling. Total immersion in a lifestyle that shows what is confess is the same as what you confess.

3.2 Taking Care of God’s Gift: Our Responsibility (Luke 2:40; 52)

3.2.1 In Wisdom (Mental)

I always wonder why Luke lists wisdom before stature. Mental development before physical development. Now I realise what he has done. Brain development is always faster than physical development and is often not so apparent as physical development. As the brain grows, it acquires new knowledge, now experiences and new skills. It is interesting that Luke did not emphasis on knowledge but wisdom. We can have a lot of knowledge without being wise. And it is the most difficult part of parenting to teach our children to be wise. We can teach our babies flash cards, train them to recognise pictures and words early. Our school education system teaches our children to absorb knowledge like sponges and regurgitate it for the examinations.

3.2.2 In Stature (Physical)
As parents, most of us concentrate on meeting the physical needs of the child. That is important. The child needs food, shelter and good healthcare.

3.2.3 In Favor with God (Spiritual)
It is our responsibility to help our children grow spiritually. We need to teach them to pray, to read the bible and to attend children’s program in church.

3.2.4 In Favor with Man (Social)
The other area we need help our children develop social skills. The dangers we parents faces is either over-protectiveness or being too permissive. Being on the School Board of Hilltop for many years, I have seen many of both types of parents. One will turn up with a list of things the child cannot do – cannot run, cannot sit near the window, cannot go to play in the sand pit, etc. Others, when we told them that their child is spoilt or is bully other children will either get angry or say. “Tidak apa. Boys will boys”.

4. Lessons for us

4.1 Role Modeling

As our Prime Minister said, ‘Leadership by Example’. Children learn more by what they observe than by what we teach them verbally. How we behave in our personal life at home, how we behave to our spouse and how we deal with others in our work and our social lives are object lessons for our children. Most of us put up our mask and appear an angel outside but behave like a devil at home.

It saddens me greatly to when one parent attacks his or her spouse using the children. One person that I know complains continuously about her husband to her children; “Don’t be like your father. He is good for nothing. Cannot hold a good job. Cannot bring enough money home. I hate him. Don’t be like your father when you grow up. He doesn’t come to church. Now when you grow up, you must be a good Christian like me. Jesus said we must love one another as He has loved us.” What type of message do you think the mother is giving to the child? Do what I say, not what I do.

4.2 Teaching
We are to teach our children. It is important to realise that children are not miniature adults. That is where many of our teaching failed. I have seen mother trying to reason with a 3 years old child. “Now if you take this toy from the shop, it will be stealing. The Bible said stealing is bad.” The child has absolutely no idea what the mother is talking about.

Piaget has done a lot of work in understanding the mental development of the child.
(1) 0-2 years: The stage of sensorimotor intelligence.
During this stage, the child is primary sensory and motor. The child does not internally represent events and think conceptually, although cognitive development is seen as schemata are constructed.
(2) 2-7 years: The stage of preoperational thought.
This stage is characterised by the development of language. Reasoning during this stage is dominated by perception and thus prelogical or semilogical.
(3) 7-11 years: The stage of concrete operations.
During these years, the child develops the ability to apply logical thought to concrete problems in the present.
(4) 11-15 years and older: The stage of formal operations.
The child becomes capable of applying logical reasoning to all classes of problems.

Thus our teaching must be appropriate to the learning level of the child. Must damage have been done, when our teaching is inappropriate to the child’s understanding level?

In the Disney’s movie, The Kid, starring Bruce Willis as a highly paid image consultant , Russ Duritz, who is approaching 40 years old. In his job, he is successful but his personal life is a mess. He cannot relate to people, is obsessive compulsion and has a nervous tic of his eyes. As the story develops, he met a younger version of himself 8 years old and he tried to help his younger version to deal with his problems so that he does not end up the way he is now. Initially they thought the problem was that he was bullied in school. In the end, the found that the mother was dying of cancer, the father was angry because he was so helpless. He was so angry that he said to the kid that you are causing your mother to be sick. Stop crying. The mother died a short while after that and the Russ grew up thinking that he has caused his mother’s death. He never cried since them. This is a powerful story about how as adults we have the potential to seriously damage our children’s lives.

4.3 Praying

We must be praying for our children. As Psalms 127 indicate, it is the Lord who helps our children to grow and is incharge. Do we have a prayer list for our children? What are the things we should pray for our children?

q That there will never be a time they don’t walk with You
q A saving faith (thanksgiving if already Christian)
q A growing faith
q An independent faith (as they grow up)
q Persevering faith
q To be strong and healthy in mind, body and spirit.
q A sense of destiny (purpose)
q A desire for integrity
q A call to excellence
q To understand their spiritual gifts
q To understand the ministry God has for them and their spiritual gifts
q Values and beliefs, a Christian worldview
q To tithe 10 percent and save 10 percent of all earnings
q To set and work towards realistic goals as revealed by the Lord
q That I will set aside times to spend with them
q To acquire wisdom
q Protection from drugs, alcohol, tobacco, premarital sex, violence, rape, and AIDS
q The mate God has for them (alive somewhere, needing prayer)
q To do daily devotions
q Forgiveness and to be filled with the Holy Spirit
q Glorify the Lord in everything

5. Concluding Remarks
Let me end with a story. One day, a time management consultant stood before a class of CEOs. He has a big jar on his desk. Beside his jar, he has a dozen fist sized rocks, a pile of gravel, a pile of sand and a pail of water. Then he told the students to fill the jar. One of the students poured in the gravel, then the sand and the water. Then he began to fill the jar with the dozen rocks but just cannot fit the rocks into the jar. The lecturer than took another set of jar, rocks, gravel, sand and water. First he carefully placed the rocks into the jar until it is filled. Then he put in the gravel and shook the jar until the gravel settled in between the rocks. Then he did the same with the sand. Finally he pours in the water and the jar was able to contain everything. The he asked the student, “You have the same jar as I have. Why does your jar not contain all the rocks, gravel, sand and water as I did?” The student answered, “I put in the rocks last’. The lecturer said, “That’s true. If you cannot put in the big rocks first, you’ll never get them in at all”.

What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life? Your children, your loved ones, teaching and mentoring others. Remember to put these ‘big rocks’ in first or you’ll never get them in at all. If you sweat the small stuff (the gravel, the sand), you’ll fill your life with little things about which it don’t really matter, and you’ll never have the quality time to spend on the big important stuff. So ask yourself, “What are the ‘big rocks’ in my life?” Then, put those in your jar first.

Soli Deo Gloria

Recommended Reading
Barry J. Wadsworth, Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive and Affective Development (White Plains, NY: Longman, 1996)
Patrick M. Morley, The Seven Seasons of a Man’s Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995)