When The Rubber Hits the Road

How to be a Christian in a Wicked World
Text: Psalm 37: 1-9

Summary
It is possible to live a Christian life by the power of the Holy Spirit in trusting, delighting, committing, and be patient in the Lord in a wicked and evil world.

Text: Psalm 37: 1-9

PS 37:1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;

PS 37:2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

PS 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

PS 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

PS 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

PS 37:6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

PS 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

PS 37:8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret--it leads only to evil.

PS 37:9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Introduction
All fans of Formula One racing will know that winning a race is the combination of the driver, the maintenance team and the design of the car. Even though the driver seems to get all the glory, it all goes back to the design of the car. Nowadays car designs are very dependent on computer modeling- the aerodynamics, the cooling system, the capacity of the engine, the air-fuel mix, and the weight of the car. However, no matter how el designed is the car, it will prove itself only when you get it on the road and drive. Hence when the rubber/tire hits the road. This is the same with our Christian life. No matter how much we memorized and study the Bible, how much we pray, and how much fellowship we have with our church, the test of our Christian living is in the world.

Psalm 37 has an acrostic structure. It begins each stanza with the Hebrew alphabet. This helps the students in memorizing the psalm. This psalm is considered part of the wisdom literature, like the book of Proverbs. Its purpose is not so much to teach theology, but rather practical living. It is a psalm about how to live. And this is particularly relevant to us today as we seek to live a Christian life in a world turned upside down.

How do you live in a world where the evil seems to triumph and the good seems insignificant? Is it possible to live a Christian life in a wicked world? When the tire hits the road, can our Christian principles hold?

PS 37:1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;

PS 37:2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

There is the natural temptation to be upset and envious at the success of evil people, especially when living a moral life creates hardship. We look around and we see people whom we know to lie, steal, and cheat driving around in luxuries continental cars and live in large mansions. And they seem to get away with it. We know of evil persons who cause untold suffering and death of millions of people like Pol Pot of Cambodia and Mao Ze Dong of China dying of old age! The normal axiom is that the “good die young.” Why should the good die young? Shouldn’t the good live longer? Where is the justice in that?

Prov. 24:19 -20
PR 24:19 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of the wicked,
PR 24:20 for the evil man has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

But their success is superficial and not to be envied, for having no deep roots, they shrivel up as soon as testing comes along.

So how do we then live in this unjust world? Do we throw away our principles and jump in the in the murk? And if we want to live a Christian life, is there any way we can do that without failing? I believe that the psalmist had given us the answer in this section of this great wisdom psalm. The audience of this psalm also lives in times like us. Times where evil people are in control, where cheating and stealing are common, where injustices are common, and where it is difficult to live according to Godly principles, especially in the business world.

(1) Trust in the Lord (v.3)
PS 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Evil people tend to trust in their wealth, power, or connections. The righteous shall trust in the Lord.

Prov. 3: 5-6
PR 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
PR 3:6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Trusting in the Lord is very important. That is the basis of our belief. If you do not trust in the Lord, there is no point in talking about living a Christian life. One of the greatest examples of trust is the flying trapeze in a circus act. In the act, they will launch themselves into thin air and trust their friend or partner in the other trapeze will catch them in time. That’s absolute trust. This is especially so when they are doing it without net. There is no room for mistake, or a bad hair day. One mistake and they fall plunging into the hard ground below. I always look at trust in the Lord that way. Are we willing to launch ourselves into the air without a safety net below, trusting God to be there to catch our outstretched hands? That is trust.

(2) Delight in the Lord (v.4)
PS 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Evil people tends to live for themselves and fulfill their basest desire, the righteous shall delight in the presence of the Lord.

Together with trust is joy. Trusting the Lord will give us joy. Joy is different from happiness. If you give me a million dollars or a big house, I will be happy. However that happiness is transient. It disappears when the income tax man come to audit me or the land office demand payment of the quit rent. Joy, however persists in spite of circumstances. We can have joy in the most perverse of situations. This joy comes as a delight in the Lord. What is the purpose of our existence? Why are we here? We are here because God loves us. And we are here because God wants us to be his partners or co-creators for the redemption of this creation.

Prov. 8:30-31
PR 8:30 Then I was the craftsman at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
PR 8:31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.

(3) Commit to the Lord (v.5,6)
PS 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

The act of trust and commitment acts like trigger, releasing God’s capacity to act. Commitment is a conscious decision. Like Peter Parker in Spider-man 2, life is a choice. He has received awesome powers- the strength of ten men, the ability to climb walls, shoot webs from his wrists, and swing from buildings to buildings. However, he has to choose to continue to be Spiderman, or to be a normal person by not using his powers. He wants to live a normal life and marry his sweetheart, Mary Jane. . Aunt May Parker said, "I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble. And finally gets us to die with pride. Even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want most, even our dream." Peter decides to become that hero. He has made his choice and commitment.

Prov. 16:3
PR 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.
PR 16:4 The LORD works out everything for his own ends--
even the wicked for a day of disaster.

PS 37:6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

The conviction in v.6 is that the setbacks are only temporary, like clouds obscuring the sun. Eventually God will move the clouds away and true light will appear.

(4) Be Still before the Lord (v.7-9)
PS 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

PS 37:8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret--it leads only to evil.
PS 37:9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

This verse advocate patience, not achieved by observing the instant-success schemes of this world, but by learning to wait on God’s appropriate timing.

The type of anger highlighted here is ‘anger against God’. This anger arises from the experience of trouble in the world where the evil people are evidently trouble-free, and the consequences of human experiences seem grossly unfair. Again, patience is encouraged because this type of anger is futile, because it will only bring grief to them. And also the evil will eventually cut off (as the Canaanites before them) and the faithful shall inherit the land (as their predecessor did).

Prov.16:32
PR 16:32 Better a patient man than a warrior,
a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

Can we learn to look at the world through the Lord’s eyes? Can we look at the world through the Lord’s timing. Even though evil flourish, it will be only for a while. In God’s own timing (which may be different from ours), justice will be done.

Conclusion: How to be Christian in a Wicked World
We can be Christians in a wicked world by
• Trusting the Lord
• Delighting in the Lord
• Commitment to the Lord
• Be patient in the Lord
This is not easy but can be done. That is because we have the Holy Spirit to help us.

Today is Pentecost Sunday (27 May 2007). About two thousand years ago, on a day like today, the Holy Spirit came like flames of fire and fill all Christians, empowering them to be witnesses and to live as Christians in wicked world.
Acts 2:1-4
AC 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

It is possible to live a Christian life by the power of the Holy Spirit in trusting, delighting, committing, and be patient in the Lord in a wicked and evil world.

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

Boys' Brigade Enrolment Service Sermon

Boys’ Brigade Enrolment Day Service 2007
Topic: You are Special
Text: Psalm 139: 13-16

Sunday Sermon
29 April 2007
Holy Light Church

Summary

One of the four pillars in BB of the building of Christian character is self-respect. We have self-respect because we are special. We are special because God has specially created us in the past, God knows who we are now, and God knows whom we will be. And God has a good plan for our lives.

Text
PS 139:13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

PS 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

PS 139:15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

PS 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Introduction
William Alexander Smith was born in Thurso, Scotland in 1854. He moved to Glasgow in his teens and became involved in church activities. William was also a lieutenant in the 1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers in 1883 while he was teaching in the North Woodside Mission Sunday School. While working with the children in church, he discovered the need for wholesome activities for children outside school hours. William Smith shared his ideas with his two friends, which later invited boys from North Woodside Mission Sabbath School and formed the first company of The Boys' Brigade, 1st Glasgow Company on 4th of October 1883. It is the world's first uniform organization, even before the Scouts.

William was the first Brigade Secretary in 1887 where he worked towards spreading the Brigade across the world. In 1909, King Edward VII knighted William Smith for his contribution towards youth development. Five years later, Sir William Alexander Smith passed away. Throughout his lifetime, Sir William A. Smith poured out everything he has into BB and he is best remembered as the man who spells Boy with a capital 'B'.

The original object of the Boys' Brigade is the advancement of Christ's Kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of obedience, reverence, discipline, self-respect and all that tend towards a true Christian manliness. Christian “manliness” was developed by the use of a semi-military discipline and order, gymnastics, summer camps and religious classes.

Motto
SURE & STEDFAST (taken from Hebrews 6:19). The original Old English (King James Version) spelling of "Stedfast" has been retained.

Emblem
The emblem is original an anchor. Like the motto it stems from the verse "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19)

Object
The Advancement of Christ's Kingdom among members and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-Respect and all that tends towards a true Christian Character.

Imagine a table. A table has four legs. Each of these legs needs to be of equal length or the table may not be stable. So it is like for a Christian character. It has four pillars: obedience, reverence, discipline and self-respect. The BB will teach you how to build these pillars.

Today we shall teach you about developing one good habits of the Boys’ Brigade- Self-respect.

We have self-respect because we are special. We are special because

(1) God specially created us in our past
Psalm 139:13, 15
PS 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
PS 139:15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

Do you know how special you are? God knows all about you before you are born. In fact, God created you. God made you specially. God made only one of you. We are not custom made like a car, a Proton Gen2 (a made in Malaysian car) in a factory. The case is assembled from identical parts. Each car that leaves the factory is the same. We are not like that. God make each of us different. Some are tall, some short. Some of black, some yellow, some brown and others, white. We have blue eye, brown eyes, green eyes, or black eyes. Some are very smart, good with their brains while others are good with their hands. Each of us is special. Each of us is unique. There is not another one like us in the whole world. There is not another one like you in the whole world and there will never be another.

(2) God is interested is who we are at present.
Psalm 130:14-15
PS 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Who are you? You are you. There no other you. God says you are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” What does this mean? Fearfully does not mean that you are very scary but that those who see you are astonished. “What, that’s special.” Wonderful is because it is so great. You are special because God has made you special. You may not feel very special now. You may not like the pimples on your face. You are not happy that you are so short, so skinny, or too far. Well, at this moment that’s who you are at this moment. You are a work in progress. You are like a caterpillar. You know that hairy, yukky thing. I am sure the caterpillar feels the same. I am a hairy, yukky thing. One day however, it will form a cocoon around itself. And then a beautiful butterfly will emerge.

(3) God knows who we will be in the future.
Palm 139:16
PS 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

God who forms you in the past, see you now, also sees you in the future. To God, the past, present and future are like an open book. God can see you in the future and he knows what you will be in the future. That is because you are special. Everything God make is good.

Lessons for us
We are special. We have self-respect because we are special. Just because we
*do not come from a rich family,
*do not have a loving family,
*family where our parents are always quarreling,
*a father who is in debt to the loan sharks,
*a father who left the family,
*we are always at the bottom of the class,
*our teachers do not like us,
*we have to work after school to help the family,
*we are always being bullied,
do not mean that we are not special. It does not matter what other people thinks of us. It matters what God thinks of us. God thinks you are special. The officers of the BB think you are special. That is why they care about you. That is why they sacrifice their time t look after you. And that is all that matters.

Because you are special you need to build up your self-respect. Your self respect we who you think you are. Here are some of the things you need to do,
*take part in all BB activities,
*respect and learn from your officers,
*build your character (remember what the four pillars of character building: obedience, reverence, discipline, self-esteem),
*get to know who God is,
*say no to drugs,
*say no to smoking,
*say no to gambling,
*say no premarital sex,
*say no to mixing with gangs,
*study hard,
*take care of your body,
because God and all of us are interested in whom you will become.

Conclusion
The Boys’ Brigade is a special organization because everyone in it is special. Everyone in it is a BB boy or a BB girl. The church is also a special organization. Everyone in it is a saint. To become a saint, you must get to know Jesus Christ. That is your mission. You are special because God has made you special. Jesus Christ is special because he is God. It is your mission as a BB to get to know Jesus Christ. He is your commander in chief. You know your have your officers, your Captain, your General. Well, Jesus Christ is your commander in chief or your chief commander. All you officers, captains, and generals report to him. You are so special that your command in chief died for you. That’s how special you are. It is your mission as BB to get to know him.

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)

The Three Hardest Words to Use

The Three Hardest Words in the World to Use

Text: 1 John 3:16-18
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Summary
The three hardest words in the world to use are “love one another”. To murder is to take away a life, to hate is to take from a life. To love is to add to a life. John teaches Christians to love one another not with words but with actions and in truth.

1. Introduction

What do you think the three hardest words in the world to use are?

I owe you (Ah Long)
Make my day (Clint Eastwood)
Can do lah (Ah Beng)… but never do anything
I am sorry
Greatest since creation

Let me suggest that the three hardest words to use in the word are “love one another”. I am not talking about romantic love here. The type of romantic love promoted by valentine day and Hollywood. Valentine day means red roses and dinner. The price of red roses goes sky high and the restaurants make a killing. Romantic love is mainly infatuation, day-dreaming and lust. Hollywood movies promote romantic love; “Love at first sight.”

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks is a story about a boy calling the psychiatrist host of a radio talk show about his father's prolonged grief over the death of his wife. Hanks, the father, is conned into confessing his grief to the psychiatrist. The father was talking to the psychiatrist over the phone unaware that it is simultaneous being broadcasted by radio all over the States. He shared about how he missed his wife and how he first met her. It was love at first sight. He also shared how he did not think he will love again. The love he had with his wife is only once for each lifetime. The rating for the show shot sky high and the radio station was flooded by thousands of phone calls from women willing to marry him! It also set in motion a series of events by which he met Meg Ryan. And it was love at first sight again! This is the only romantic movie I know that the couple met at the end of the movie.

When I said the three hardest words in the world to use, I am not talking about romantic love. I am talking about Christians loving one another in a congregation. Do you think it is easy to love one another here? In this church? Really? Do you love me? Do you love me enough to give me 10,000 dollars when I ask you to?

John in his pastoral epistle 1, 2 & 3 John is writing to Christians. There was division in his church over some false teaching. In fact, some of the members have already left the church. I John was written as the letter to those who have left to remind them about the key points of being a Christian. One of the key points of being a Christian he wanted them to learn is to love one another. Not superficial, romantic love but really really love one another.

2. Exposition of Text

1 Jn 3:11-15. John here made it plain that his admonitions were directed to Christians.
This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

But before telling his audience precisely what love is, he first told them what it is not. It is most certainly not the kind of action Cain exhibited toward his brother Abel. Cain murdered his brother (Gen. 4:8) and in that action he was influence by evil one. Hatred on the part of one Christian toward another is the first step towards murder. The non-righteous will always hate the righteous. Anyone who hates and murders does not love the one who hates and murder. Howard Marshall, professor of New Testament in the University of Aberdeen, writes, “Hatred is the wish that the other person is not there: it is the refusal to recognize his rights as a person, the longing that he might be dead.”

Love one another is then not murder but the opposite of murder. What is the opposite of murder? Giving or adding to a life. As murder is the taking away of a life from another, Christian love should be giving more of life to another. John explains what Christians loving one another is…

Murder and hatred is taking away a life or minus-ing a life of another. (Life minus)
Christian love is adding to a life of another (Life plus)

v. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

It is the giving more of life. We know what Christian love for one another is by observing Jesus Christ. Christ gives life.
Jn 15:13

v.17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

How does the giving of life happens in Christian love for one another? In our material possessions! God shows His love for us by giving his only Son so that all who believes can have eternal life. Jn 3:16.

v.18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

How then can Christian love for one another be lived out in the church?
(a) not with words or tongues
(b) with actions
(c) in truth

Christians love one another not with words but with actions and in truth

3. Applications

a. Love one another not with words or tongues

James 3:5-6
Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

i. Saying kind things but is insincere

· “Let’s have a “win-win” situation”

· “Our God is great and He will send someone to help you”…why not you?

· “Brother, I will pray for you”…do you really intent to set time aside and pray?

· “Let us set up a committee to study it”…meaning you do not want to make a decision

· “Our Father is rich, ask Him to bless you”…meaning you will not be the one giving out of your pocket.


ii. Saying ‘kind things’ in an unkind way (gossip)

· “You know Sister so-and-so, she have this problem with her husband. Her husband beats her. I am telling you so that…..”

· “Brother so-and-so lost a few thousands dollars on the stock exchange. Christians should not speculate. I have always believe that. I am telling you so that….”

· “Brother so-and-so lost his job last month. So shameful lah. That’s why we have not seen them around church lately. I am telling you so…”

Meaning: It is good to let other Christians now what is happening to so-and-so.

Deeper meaning:
· Thank God it is not me

· Serve them right

· Yum, yum, nice juicy gossip

iii. Promising much but do not deliver

· “Brother, if you need money just let me know. I am always there for you. But at this moment, I have a cash flow problem…”

· “Sister, if you need to talk, call me anytime. Here is my handphone number. At night I switch my handphone off…”

· NATO (No Action Talk Only)


It is so easy with words. Many of us hide behind words. Many of us do not say what we think. If we are asked to do something and we do not want to do it, instead of saying no, we say something vague like, “I’ll pray about it” or “I’ll get back to you”. In the Bible, words are not a mark of Christian love. If you say “I love you”, the apostle John says “prove it!”

b. Love one another with actions

i. Respect one another

(1) Listen to one another. Wait until the other person stops talking before you open your mouth.

(2) Be punctual. When you are late you are making the other person wait. You are making the other person waste his or her time.

(3) Don’t be rude. Wait until the church service and announcement is over before you leave the hall.

(4) Agree to disagree. You do not need to win every argument. You do not need to have the last words.

ii. Care for one another

(1) Is everyone in your small group okay? Does anyone need help?

(2) Do something nice for someone in the congregation this week.

(3) Offer to baby sit so that young couples with young children can have an evening off for a valentine dinner.

(4) Mothers carpool so that you can have time for yourself.

(5) Hospitality. Open your home to one another. To visitors.

(6) Visit the sick. Bring a small gift. Keep them company.

(7) Offer to help in spring cleaning and painting a church member’s house as Chinese New Year is coming.

(8) Buy your Christian brothers and sisters a dinner.

iii. Give to one another

(1) Is another in financial need? Maybe, if you can afford it, offer an interest free loan.

(2) Give some money without expecting anything in return.

(3) Be a mentor to the younger Christians

(4) Give your old clothes, furniture, books, crockery to the Salvation Army, Old Folks Home, Orphanage

(5) Support financially Malaysian Care

iv. Pray for one another

c. Love one another in truth

i. Be honest with one another

(1) Speak the truth with love

(2) Tell it as it is

(3) Let your yes be yes and no be no

ii. Confess to one another
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

(1) Confess your sin only to people you trusts.

(2) Confession is good for your soul

(3) Confession is important for spiritual growth

iii. Rebuke and Restore one another

(1) Rebuking and restoring is a sign of love
Luke 17:3
So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.

(2) “It’s none of my business” is not love.

(3) Reconcile if anyone has offend you.
Matt 5:22
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you; leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”


4. Conclusion
1JN 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

The three hardest words in the world to use are “love one another”. To murder is to take away a life, to hate is to take from a life. To love is to add to a life. John teaches Christians to love one another not with words but with actions and in truth.

Soli Deo Gloria

A Cycle of Light, A Cycle of Life

A Cycle of Light, A Cycle of Life: The Christian Calendar

Summary
We all mark time in various ways: birthdays, anniversaries or cultural festivals. The Old Testament Israelites have their religious festivals. Christians too have a way to mark time: the Christian calendar. We should return to our roots and use the Christian calendar to mark time with Jesus.

1. Introduction: Marking Time
Do you get the feeling that time is moving faster and faster? Didn’t we just finish Christmas? And now it is coming to the end of January. How do we mark time? We all mark time with the minutes and hours by our watch, and the days by our calendars. Our calendars show us the months. We used to have paper calendars but now they are electronic on our PDA and computers. They even beep to remind us of important appointments. What other ways do we mark time?
• Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• School days and school holidays especially the exam period
• Festivals: Chinese New Year
• Payday
• Annual and performance bonus days
• Family events: birth, death, children graduating
• Vacation time
We often mark time in relation to what is important to us. How many days to our payday? How many days until school ends and the holidays begin? How many days to the examinations? We normally mark time to something that is coming than time for something happening. If we examine the way we mark time we will discover what is really important to us (not what we say is important) and what our lives revolve around.

2. The Jewish Way of Keeping Time: Religious Festivals

God knows how important marking time is. So he gave the Old Testament Israelites a way to mark time – religious festivals. These religious festivals were related to Temple worship. And temple worship reminded the people of Yahweh, their God. Hence their whole year revolved round their religious festivals. There were daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly festivals, and great stress was laid on the regular observance of them in every particular one. During three major festivals or feasts, every male in the family have to go to Jerusalem. This meant planning for the journey. So the ancient Israelites mark time by remembering how many days to the Feast of the Tabernacles or how long were after Pentecost.


(1.) The regular festivals were,
(a) The weekly Sabbath (Lev. 23:1–3; Ex. 16:23–29; 20:8–11; 31:12, etc.).
(b) The seventh new moon, or the feast of Trumpets (Num. 28:11–15; 29:1–6).
(c) The Sabbatical year (Ex. 23:10, 11; Lev. 25:2–7).
(d) The year of jubilee (Lev. 25:8–16; 27:16–25).

(2.) The great feasts were,
(a) The Passover.
(b) The feast of Pentecost (of weeks).
(c) The feast of Tabernacles (of ingathering).

On each of these occasions every male Israelite was commanded “to appear before the Lord” (Deut. 27:7; Neh. 8:9–12). The promise that God would protect their homes (Ex. 34:23, 24) while all the males were absent in Jerusalem at these feasts was always fulfilled.
“During the whole period between Moses and Christ we never read of an enemy invading the land at the time of the three festivals. The first instance on record is thirty-three years after they had withdrawn from themselves the divine protection by imbruing their hands in the Saviour’s blood, when Cestius, the Roman general, slew fifty of the people of Lydda while all the rest had gone up to the feast of Tabernacles, A.D. 66.”

These festivals, besides their religious purpose, had an important bearing on the maintenance among the people of the feeling of a national unity. The times fixed for their observance were arranged so as to interfere as little as possible with the industry of the people.
(a)The Passover was kept just before the harvest commenced,
(b)Pentecost at the conclusion of the corn harvest and before the vintage,
(c)the feast of Tabernacles after all the fruits of the ground had been gathered in.

(3.) The Day of Atonement
The tenth day of the seventh month (Lev. 16:1, 34; 23:26–32; Num. 29:7–11). The great annual day of humiliation and expiation for the sins of the nation, “the fast” (Acts 27:9), and the only one commanded in the law of Moses. It was kept on the tenth day of the month Tisri, i.e., five days before the feast of Tabernacles, and lasted from sunset to sunset.

In the Old Testament, the concept of sacred time became a vehicle for teaching the faith (for example, Exodus 12-13).

3. The Christian Way of Keeping Time: The Christian Calendar

When we think of the Christian church year, most of us think only of Christmas and Easter. We joke about some Christians as CEO Christians. They attend church on Christmas and Easter Only. The observance of the seasons of the church year has a long history in the life of the Christian Faith. When most of the people in the church were poor and had no access to education, the church festivals and the cycle of the church year provided a vehicle for teaching the story of God and his actions in human history. Planned and purposeful observance of the Christian seasons and festivals can become an important tool for education and discipleship in the Faith, as well as a vehicle for spiritual growth and vitality. Now, before you shut your mind and think of the Christian calendar as only a Catholic calendar, let me introduce you to some protestant churches that follow the calendar:
• Anglican/Episcopal
• Lutheran
• Methodism
• Anabaptism
• Presbyterians

As a congregation moves through the church calendar, they are presented in an organized way with the opportunity to talk about, reflect upon, and respond to the entire range of faith confessions that lie at the heart of the Christian Faith. This is important, not only for the vitality of the whole community, but especially for children to become aware in the context of community celebration those things that are important to their Faith (Deut 6:20-25).

The Christian calendar is organized around two major centers of Sacred Time: A cycle of Light: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany; and a cycle of life: Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, concluding at Pentecost. The rest of the year following Pentecost is known as Ordinary Time, from the word "ordinal," which simply means counted time (First Sunday after Pentecost, etc.). Ordinary Time is used to focus on various aspects of the Faith, especially the mission of the church in the world.

(1) A Cycle of Light (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany)


Season of Advent (Dec 3 - Dec 24, 2006)

Advent (coming) 4 Sundays. Christ's first and second coming- thanksgiving and anticipation.

[Repent and be ready for the second coming of the Lord. Allow for the Messiah to be birthed in your heart.]

Season of Christmas (Dec 25, 2006 - Jan 5, 2007)
Nativity of the Lord

Christmas day 25th December
The Twelve Days of Christmas (Dec 25, 2006 - Jan 5, 2007) Celebration of Christ's birth
The Incarnation
[Embrace the incarnation. Let Christ be born within you in a new way]


The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Epiphany on January 6th rather than Christmas. Historically, the celebration of Christ's birth on December 25th started after the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine at the beginning of the 4th century AD. During his reign, the traditional pagan festival which took place at the winter equinox in celebration of the sun god was replaced by the commemoration of the birth of Christ. Christmas is not a pagan festival but the Christian festival that replaced it. It is unlikely that December 25th accurately reflects the birth of Christ which is generally thought to be around springtime in the Western hemisphere (March-April). Practically it would be difficult to celebrate both Christ's birth and death at the same time.

Season of Epiphany (Ordinary Time) (Jan 6 - Feb 20, 2007)

Epiphany of the Lord (Jan 6, 2007)

After Epiphany (Jan 7- Feb 20)
About 8 weeks God manifest in Christ. The manifestation of Christ as a savior, not only to the Jews but to all of mankind.
[make commitment for Christ to be manifested in your life]
Baptism of the Lord
Signs and wonders
Transfiguration: The glory of the Lord revealed.
Christ in his ministry as he manifest to all that he is the Son of God.
[learn to manifest Christ through the witness of life and deeds]


(2) A Cycle of Life (Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost)

Season of Lent (Feb 21 - April 7, 2007)
Lent (spring)

Ash Wednesday
Passion Week/Holy Week
Palm Sunday
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
A time to travel with Jesus toward his death. Although under constant attacks, he ministers to the crowd.
[Time for Repentance]
The suffering of Christ
[Lent is a time for repentance through self-examination and renewal through identification with the journey of Jesus. A time for prayer, fasting and almsgiving]
Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem
The Last Supper, Gethsemane, betrayal, arrest and trial
The Crucifixion-death of Christ

Season of Easter (April 9-May 27, 2007)
Easter Virgil
Easter Day
Ascension Day
Day of Pentecost (April 8, 2007)


Season After Pentecost (Ordinary Times) (May 28 - December 1, 2007)
After Pentecost
Trinity Sunday
Reign of Christ or Christ the King About 25 weeks

The importance of the Church calendar is that it provides a coherent way of telling the Christian story throughout the year in a way that reinforces what we believes and provides opportunity to proclaiming these truths to others.

4. Lessons for us
(1) Remembering the Life of Christ our Lord

Col. 2:6
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

How do we know God?

• Creation
• Word
• Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the incarnate God. What this means is that God became a human being. We cannot see God who is spirit and invisible. We can see his handiwork which is creation. For God himself, we can look at Jesus and see him. That is why the gospels are so precious because the gospels gave us a lot of details about the life of Jesus Christ. As we study the life of Christ, we come to know God himself. And what is more wonderful is that as we immerse ourselves in the life of Christ, we become one with him, being given a taste of his divine name.

Have you ever being so engrossed in a movie, so identified with the main character that you flinch when he or she get hurt and feel pain when his or her heart was broken?

That is what entering into the life of Christ entails. It is being identified with Christ in his life and death.

Martin Luther wrote,
“In his life Christ is an example, showing us how to live;
In his death he is sacrifice, satisfying our sins;
In his resurrection, a conqueror;
In his ascension, a king;
In his intercession, a high priest.”

The Christian calendar takes us through the life of Christ once a year. You know what they say about acquiring a skill? Repetition, repetition, repetition. So being repetitively involved in the life of Christ makes us Christlike.

(2) Refocusing on the Work of Christ our Lord (The Eighth Day)

How many days are there in a week? 7 days or 8 days? God created the work in six days and he rested on the seventh. Then on Sunday, on the eighth day, Jesus was resurrected and God began his work of re-creation. So there are 8 days in a week and we are in the 8th day. The Christian calendar reminds us that we are working together with God in a mission to redeem creation. That is our calling and purpose. There is a six month period after Pentecost called ordinary times. This is the period to remind us of the work of the church. This is the period of our work with God.

2 Cor. 4: 4-6
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Being focused on the life reminds us of his mission. Christ is here on the eighth day to redeem a fallen creation. There is a new word being used nowadays- MISSIONAL. What is means is to align your mind, your heart and your life to God’s purpose. God’s purpose is to redeem his fallen creation. The word comes out of the emergent/emerging church movement. This is a group of Christians who is reexamining how to ‘do church’ and ‘be church’ in the 21st century in the midst of iPod, Internet, mp3, post modern and interconnected digital world.

(3) Recentering the Worship of Christ our Lord
Phil 3:8-11
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

We need to be reminded again and again that Christ is our center. Christ is our center because he is the fulfillment of all the promises made to us by God. He is the head of the church. Another metaphor is that the church is the body of Christ. As such, we need to continually refocus on him who deserves to be worshipped. We have a tendency to stray, to follow after false gods.

Conclusion
We all mark time in various ways: birthdays, anniversaries or cultural festivals. The Old Testament Israelites have their religious festivals. Christians too have a way to mark time: the Christian calendar. We should return to our roots and use the Christian calendar to mark time with Jesus. This will continuously help us to
• Remember the Life of Christ our Lord
• Refocus on the Work of Christ our Lord
• Recenter our Worship of Christ our Lord

Soli Deo Gloria

Claiming the Promises of God

Text: 2 Peter 1:3-4
2PE 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (NIV)

Summary
God’s divine power enables us to know Him. Knowledge of God means knowledge of His promises given to us. By claiming these promises, we are led into the path of Godliness and better able to withstand the temptations of the world and of our own sinful nature.

I. Introduction
Jesus told Peter that he would make Peter, the fisherman, a “fisher of man”. That he did. In Acts 2, when Peter preached 3,000 people accepted Christ. In Acts 4, when Peter preached 5,000 people believed. Jesus always keep His promise.

There had been a remarkable transformation in Peter. From a brash young man, we followed his character transformation in the gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and later in the epistles. 1 Peter and 2 Peter are often attributed to him. These two epistles revealed the pastoral heart of Peter-how he cared for his flocks or people under his care. However, unlike the epistles written by Paul, Peter’s epistles are not so well organized and logical in its structure. Nevertheless, it revealed the spiritual wisdom Peter has acquired in his long life. Like Paul, Peter acknowledges the spiritual life as consisting of two parts: Knowing God and Becoming like God.

II. Knowledge of God
a. Given by divine power (v.3a)
Eph. 1: 18-21
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come

The knowledge of God is not something we can study for. There is not a course in any school or seminary that will help you to know God. These courses can help you to know about God. We can only know God if God reveals Himself to us by His divine power. Otherwise it is all head knowledge. The divine power is the power that raised Jesus from the dead and in time will redeem the whole of creation.

b. Everything we need for life and godliness (v.3b)

This knowledge of God will give us everything we need for life and godliness. In the Christian faith, we start with knowledge, then experience. That is why the Paul taught us to renew our minds in Rom 2:28 first before we renew our spiritual life. It is dangerous to start with experiences, especially spiritual experiences. Experiences are subjective and are often vulnerable to manipulation.

We should always test our spiritual experiences by the Word of God and not the Word of God by our experiences.

c. To those who are called by His own glory and goodness (v.3c)

True knowledge of God is only available to those who are called by God. Only those who are called by God will be able to know Him. Why? That is because he or she will have the Holy Spirit to guide and teach.

What is more important is that knowledge of God will reveal the promises of God in the Bible. Without the knowledge of God, you will not know about the very great and precious promises God has given us and is waiting for us to claim.

III. Promises of God
a. Very great and precious promises (v.4a)
What are some of the very great and precious promises that God has given us?

i. Jesus Christ
1 Cor.1:20
20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.

All of God’s promises can be summarized in one Person- Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the fulfilled of all the promises God has made in the Old and New Testament. We are currently in the Christian calendar of Advent. Advent is the time when we look forward to the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. It is in these two comings that all God’s promises to us are and will be fulfilled. God promised that He will become man-an incarnation. An obscure event when God came as a helpless baby boy. That is the first coming that happened two thousand years ago. The second coming is yet to be. This time, Jesus will come in power and glory and all the world will know.

ii. Forgiveness
Heb. 10:15-17
HEB 10:15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
HEB 10:16 "This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds."
HEB 10:17 Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more."

Another promise we can claim is forgiveness from God. As the Holy Spirit has testified, God has forgiven us and will remember our sins no more. This is true forgiveness.

iii. Become children of God

Gal. 3:22
22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

This promise of God is a wonderful promise. Not only do God love us but also he wants to adopt us! He wants us to be His sons and daughters. It is common in many cultures to have godchildren. These means we accept these children into our families. Yet, they do not enjoy the same status as our own children. Here God adopt us as His children. This means we are all co-heirs of His kingdom.

iv. Gift of the Holy Spirit
Gal.3:14
14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Eph.1 13
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

One of the incredible promises of God is that the Holy Spirit is given to us. He indwells us. Imagine God Himself coming to stay in your body! I remember when I was young; my mother will spend a lot of time cleaning up the room whenever any of my relatives will come for a visit. When I was young, my family was very poor so the whole family will stay in a rented room on top of a shop house in Brickfield, KL. Yet, whenever we have visitors, my mother will spend hours cleaning up the small room. God promise that He will come and stay with us. I wonder whether we can really understand such a privilege.

v. Guidance of the Holy Spirit
John 14:26
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

If we are ever worried about living a Christian life, don’t. God’s promise of the Holy Spirit who is also a mentor to us. He will lead us into a life of godliness.

vi. Power of the 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."

The Holy Spirit will empower us. He will also give us spiritual gifts. These spiritual gifts are to help us in our own internal growth and to build up the body of Christ or the church. God promised us power. It is up to us to claim this power.

vii. The Blessed Hope
Heb. 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.

The Blessed Hope is that we shall all enjoy eternal life in New Jerusalem in the new heaven and earth.

This is not a comprehensive list and there are more in the Bible. This list highlights the important promises of God.

b. Participation in divine nature (v.4b)

The very great and precious promises of God will help us to participate in the divine nature. Participation in the divine nature does not mean we become gods. What it means is that we become like God or like Christ. We do not become the fourth member of the Trinity. It means we become godly, restoring the original image of God that we have inside of us.

c. Escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (v.4c)

2 Cor. 7:1
2CO 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

This promises also help us to resist the temptations of the world and to fight our old nature that tempts us to sin.

IV. Claiming the Promises of God

These promises are given to us and we have a right to claim them. Claiming these promises is easy. Just pray to God and say, “Thank you, Lord. I claim these promises you made given me.” That’s all. There are no ritual formula words that you have to day. No special deeds you must perform to prove yourself worthy.

However, there are a few comments I want to make about claiming promises.

a. Claim only promises made to you

This may sound funny but sometimes it may cause confusion in a church.
Judges 6:36-40
JDG 6:36 Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised-- 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew--a bowlful of water.

JDG 6:39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

Is this promise made to Gideon or to all of us? Yet how many of us use this method for decision-making? Anyone for drawing lots to select elders?

b. Claim to get what is already here and not those whose time is not yet
Heb. 11:13
HEB 11:13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

What the writer of Hebrews is saying is that some of God promises have already being fulfilled but some is yet to be. Hence, when we claim God’s promises, God will not give us what is yet to be fulfilled. Hence, you cannot claim to be in be in New Jerusalem now, even though God has promised it to you.

A Sunday school teacher was teaching her children about heaven. “How do you get to heaven?” she asked. “By bus?” “No!” the children shouted. “By train?” “No!”. Expecting the answer, “Jesus’, she asked a young boy. “How do you get to heaven?” “You have to die first,” came a quiet reply.

c. Claim only what God has promised

We can only claim what God has promised, not what He has not promised. Hence, no matter how much we want to, Jesus Christ remains the only way between man and God. We cannot claim the love of love and say that everyone will be saved.

d. Follow God

Heb 10:36
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

One of the most important preconditions of claiming God’s promise is that you must be a child of God. And then these promises will help you to grow in your spiritual life.

V. Lessons for us: Promises and Requests

God have given us these promises and He will not take it back. God is fully able to honor His promises. This is where the Knowledge of God and the knowledge of the Bible come in. Study the Bible to discover the promises made to you. Then claim it, it is yours.

However, what about these areas, which He did not cover in His promises, like our health, work, family or church. This is where prayers come in. Where God does not promise, He leaves it to us to request and ask Him. Hence we can ask Him for healing of our sicknesses, our family problems, our workplace problems, our financial problems and even our lack of faith.

For what He has promised, there is not need to ask. For what He has not promised, we are to ask. And I believe, He wants us to ask. When Jesus was asked to teach people how to pray, He taught them to ask, “…give us this day our daily bread..” And God does answer prayers.

VI. Conclusion

God’s divine power enables us to know Him. Knowledge of God means knowledge of His promises given to us. By claiming these promises, we are led into the path of Godliness and better able to withstand the temptations of the world and of our own sinful nature.

Soli Deo Gloria