A Story of Three Gardens

Ps Koay Kheng Hin

Today I'm quite excited because I've not been up here for quite a while. It's like when I make announcements I don't want to give away the Mic. I have an old fashioned sermon to share. I was telling Bro Andrew that I sometimes think that now that I'm officially part of the pastoral team, what comes to mind is the movie the Last Samurai. Tom Cruise and Ken Wanatabe in the last scene, shows the Samurai charging at guns and canons with their blade and that's why it's called the Last Samurai. All die.

I have an old fashion sermon and I only have the Word of God to offer you. I've had the opportunity to hear sermons and I realised that my messages are very old fashion.

There are a lot of fresh messages that is available online but I also believe that the insights into the Word of God is eternal and there are always fresh insights into the word. I noticed that most of my books are old old books. About 90% of my books.

The Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan is one of those old classics. How a young Christian when he searches for God and he uses a lot of analogy. It talks about the word itself drawn from Peter 1 that we are all pilgrims of this earth as we journey through life, God will keep us progressing.

What I can impart to you is my journey with the Lord. My task is to draw men and women into an intimacy with the Lord. What about missions you say? My task is to draw you into communion with God and it is God's task to call you to the commission.

When we talk about TOP as a church, it's you and me. If you are doing well spiritually, TOP will do well spiritually. When I say spiritually, I'm talking about the temperature of your spiritual life. Are you excited when we talk about the things of God? That is the spiritual gauge of your spiritual temperature.

The first garden is the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 2:8-9 (NIV)

8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

It tells us two things. One, God did not create Adam in the garden. He was created outside the garden. God put him in the garden. The second is that the word Eden appeared. We sometimes use the word paradise. A garden of paradise. Delight and pleasure. It's a good garden.

A lot of trees there but there are two important trees. The tree of life and the tree of knowledge.

Genesis 2:15-16 (NIV)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

There are two trees. The tree that comes.to the foreground is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In the background was the tree of life. They took the fruit of the tree and that disobedience caused death to come to the human race.

Adam and Eve were created with the capacity for immortality. To live forever. There was a tree of life where they would not have seen death. But towards the tree of life was the tree of knowledge and at that tree they stumbled.

Adam and Eve were offered two trees. To get to the tree of life they had to get through the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They failed miserably.

The book of the Bible begins here but it became the lost paradise. It represented disobedience.

Genesis 2:17 (NIV)

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Death became the norm for the human race. It is this death that came over the human race that marks every man and every woman. Now when you talk about paradise and heaven to people they will say I am on earth and still young, why talk about heaven. They do not have any hope beyond what they have now.

But many of these people, when they reach the end of their life, they search. People who have near death experience, they'll say they see clouds and if you read some books like "Heaven is so Real", you think it sounds a little far fetched to believe.

I only believe what the Bible writes. I really don't know about any other experiences written in other books. I only believe what is written in the Word of God.

As children of God, there are two things that we should not be doing.

We should not be putting paradise and heaven aside. Why? Because your awareness and experience of it now will affect your spiritual life on earth. What is the relevance of your heavenly hope in relation to your life on earth? Or should we right from the beginning in our Christian life be excited about heaven.

When you look into the Bible there is a strong connection and it no accident that the Bible begins and ends with paradise. At Revelations it describes the glorified garden.

The second garden is the Glorified Garden.

Revelation 22:1-5

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Before I interpret these few verses, let's look at the apostle Paul. He was thinking about the glory after death. He said to live is Christ and to die is gain. He had the consciousness that he was on a journey and his final destination is the glorified paradise.

Peter, he wrote that we are pilgrims and strangers on this earth and one day he will meet the Lord in glory.

And John wrote that he who testifies to these things he said come Lord Jesus. He was looking unto the glory of being with him in the glorified paradise.

There are a few things in this glorified paradise that would come true. There would be no more night. Where is this light from? You cannot trust Tenaga but you can trust God. The city of the New Jerusalem gets light from the glory of God. The glory of God lights up the glorified paradise.

Adam and Eve lost that covering of the glory of God when they took the fruit from the tree of knowledge. In the glorified paradise you have the second garden where salvation finally found its perfection. Fully manifested and the glory of God is everywhere.

In verse 4, it is written they will see his face. You will see Jesus face to face. In the lost paradise Adam and Eve lost the presence of God. Here you will see the Lamb of God on the throne.

Verse 3 says no more curse. No longer. The righteousness and truth and the perfection and full rest of the soul is found in paradise. Would we one day want to find a place where we can lay down all our burdens and all our anxieties are put away. Where the presence of God is seen and experienced forever. A place marked not by death but by life.

There was a movie called Shangri-La where a place of beauty, pleasure and life exists. Science uses the word Eutopia. Nobody wants to die. Even a man up to the very end will always have the hope of another day longer. Very few I've met who say why today cannot die, must wait until tomorrow?

Where is this second garden? The garden of the glorified paradise. Is it in heaven now or existing now, the answer is no. Revelations 21 tells us that it awaits a new heaven and a new earth.

There will come a time when there is a new heaven and a new earth. It will come down onto earth. The glorified paradise will still be on earth, a new earth. This is the hope of every sons and daughters of God. That one day we will be with our Lord Jesus experiencing the fullness of God.

The world is in the lost paradise trying to find the glorified paradise and they'll fail.

In Jonathan Edward's Christian Pilgrim, he wrote that we should not rest in the world and its desires but we should be desiring heaven. We should want to be with God and to be with Jesus Christ. We want to be in heaven not because it has more beautiful beaches than Batu Ferringhi or that it has more beautiful gardens than Hawaii but because Jesus is there.

He tells us to enjoy whatever God has given you. So don't go and sell your house because I say you look to heaven.

What is our heavenly hope in God? Now we look at the third garden.

The third garden is the Garden of Gethsemane.

Matthew 26:36-39

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

This third garden answers this question. The verse that stands out is this. My father if it's possible let this cup pass by me. But finally he says not as I will but as you will.

The first garden was a struggle between God's will and Adam and Eve's will. The devil pushed them - your will be done or God's will be done. Finally Eve decided my will be done. But Jesus said as God's will. The lost paradise represented the permissive will of God. Here it showed Jesus bowing to the will of the Father. It's the prescriptive will of God. God's will be done, the full providential will of God. We are all here on earth.

Every day we face this question. Is it my will or God's will be done. We are daily as a Christian in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The day we become a Christian we enter our Garden of Gethsemane. Everyday you will face this challenge, my will be done or his will be done.

Men and women who have captured the essence of that heavenly hope that whatever decision they make now will have eternal value. They will be able to say thy will be done. They have this hope of glory of Christ in them.

Many years ago even after becoming a Christian, I didn't really find rest in God. Until one fine day, I found two words. Strife and surrender. In these two words, I got the breakthrough as God illuminated it. God's will is about surrender. Eve did not do so, she had to use her hand to take it. It's strife. Everyday, are you going to strife to lay hold of things or will you surrender?

For us to surrender our finances, our career, our children, those things that are dear to us is easier said than done. It's a journey.

Many years ago, I'm a science teacher so I went through a period if I've surrendered my finances to God? My career to God? I ticked a list. Some things I stopped like chess because it's held on Sundays. So I ticked no. To surrender my wife to God. Don't want to say much. Tick la. That time Esther was two years old and Rebecca was seven. When it came to my children, I couldn't tick.

The tick means if God calls me back can I release them. Sometimes your life changes with just a little tick. Finally I ticked. You have to release. It does not mean your children is no longer with  you. It means surrender. Your will be done.

If we know there is a better life ahead of us, a heavenly hope, it gives you strength and the rest of the soul and it will be a barometer of your spiritual health.

Every single day of our life is the Garden of Gethsemane. Looking at the glorified paradise will give us strength and hope.

You have eternal life as children of God. But the more important is to have a victorious Christian life. The question is are you experiencing eternity in your life. If you are saying yes, then I want to encourage all of you that tomorrow as you wake up you will have that glorified paradise coming down to earth I to your life.

I end with this. The Bible has a poetic coherence to it. When God ordained that when you enter the tree of life, God maintains that principle that to enter the tree of glorified paradise is the tree in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is a prelude to Golgotha or Calvary. It's a tree of curse, shame and suffering and Jesus bored that. We now enter it through the tree of shame, it's our shame our suffering and our curse borne by Jesus.

Empty Promises of Resurrection Sunday

Rev Allan Chan

The Crucifix – cruel death; torture; broken,

bruised; punishment; shame.

What is the DIFFERENCE?

I celebrate the empty cross.

It is FINISHED

John 19:17-30 (NIV)

17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them

and cast lots for my garment.”

So this is what the soldiers did.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus

19:29, 30pp — Mt 27:48, 50; Mk 15:36, 37; Lk 23:36

28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

What was Finished?

Salvation plan of God which began in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:14 & 15):

The LORD God said to the serpent, “ I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

God’s Final Sacrifice for Sin

Isaiah 59:16 – And He saw there was no man …then His own arm brought salvation..” 

Jn.1:29 – "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Heb. 9:22 – without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Heb.10:18-19 – Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer (need for) any offering for sin…we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.

The Empty Cross Speaks of Fullness of God’s Promises

•  Forgiveness & Victory over sin
•  Reconciliation to right relationship with God
•  Restoration of position, status and authority
•  Abundant life now and…
•  Ruling with Christ forever.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

 - 2 Cor.8:9(NKJV)

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed

– 2 Peter 2:24

 For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus).

– 2 Cor.5:21 (NKJV)

Jesus EMPTIED Himself that we might be full.  “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

- John 10:10

We Celebrate an EMPTY  TOMB

Without an EMPTY TOMB

1 Corinthians 15:14-19

• Our faith is in vain;
• Our preaching is meaningless;
• We are still in our sins

•  There is NO SAVIOUR
•  There is NO SALVATION
•  There is NO HOPE for eternity.

He is not here:  for HE IS RISEN!

Matthew 28:1-6

•  Jesus was seen ALIVE for 40 days before He ascended to Heaven (Acts 1:3).
•  Mary Magdalene met Jesus (Mk.16:9).
•  The Disciples met and fellowshipped with Jesus (Lu.24:36; Jn.20:26; Jn.21:1-4).
•  500 people saw or met Jesus (1 Cor.15:3-8).

The EMPTY TOMB

•  EVIDENCE of the Resurrection of  Jesus Christ
•  PROMISE that we too will be raised to ETERNAL LIFE.
•  DEATH is defeated – no more fear.

RESURRECTION SUNDAY

A Celebration Of  EMPTINESS

•  World gives us promises full of emptiness.
•  But God gives us emptiness full of promises.

Notes taken from the PowerPoint presentation.

What is Truth?

Bro Koay Kheng Hin

We are entering into Passion week and today is Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly. It is a big day for some Christians as it has a lot of tradition associate with it.

I want to start with John.

John 18:38

“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

Some may say he asked because he is confused. Some said he was being cynical. But there is something we can gather in Pontius Pilates answer. He does not care. He probably only care what Caesar says. Truth to him is Caesar.

The question is not whether Pontius Pilate care or not but whether you care about truth or not. If you care, then when you listen to sermons on the Internet or YouTube, do you think is it truth?

Today we will see what Jesus meant when he said the truth.

Matthew 4:17

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Jesus started his public ministry using the kingdom of heaven. What does the Bible says about the Kingdom of Heaven? Some passages use the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Heaven is synonymous with the Kingdom of God. Jesus is asking the people to repent because the Kingdom of God is near.

Is the Kingdom of Heaven synonymous with the church of God? Some of you may think it's the same. The Kingdom of Heaven is not exactly the church. When the Kingdom of Heaven is mentioned it encompasses the heavens. It includes all of creation including he angels and the church itself. The angels are not the church. The church is us.

The Kingdom of Heaven is now manifested in the church primarily because Jesus is the head of the church.

Is there a difference? Actually the words we use do make a difference.

I went to Teluk Kumbar outreach and I saw a church and I thought the name has changed. Later I saw our Teluk Kumbar and I told the people there that there's another church there. When we mentioned church, we see it in a smaller frame. We don't try to be technically correct. We use the term - our church.

Generally, when we use the word church we are talking about our church and less of the other churches. But when we use the word Kingdom there's no way we can say my kingdom.

We are Kingdom people with a Kingdom purpose and a Kingdom vision. Then we can see beyond our own church. Jesus is the King of his Kingdom.

I want to use goldfishes as an example. When you put it in a bowl it will grow to a certain size but it won't grow to its maximum size. The space will limit its growth. But if you give it a bigger space, it will grow to its potential.

We see ourselves as a church but we also need to see ourselves as part of the Kingdom of God. It will open up a new perspective. It will broaden our vision and perspective and what we do is not about the Jerusalem per se but has a much bigger purpose in the Kingdom of God.

We often use word church and hardly talk about the Kingdom of God. This concept or reality about the Kingdom of God help us understand what happened on Palm Sunday.

Matthew 21:6-9

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.

8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

This is drawn from Psalm 118. The word Hosanna is translated save us. It was a word of thanksgiving and cry that gave praise to God for delivering Israel from the enemies. Hosanna became not just a prayer but became a praise. Son of David symbolises the Messiah. They were singing praise be to God who saves and the person Jesus came as a Messiah.

That praise is not just on earth but also in heaven that the Messiah is praised.

I want to connect this with a same incident in John.

John 12:13

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

The laying of palm leaves were to welcome royalty. The numbers estimated were 2 million. It's a lot of people. Jerusalem was pack as pilgrims came. There are Jews who were in Jerusalem and also Jews who followed Jesus. There were Jews who saw Jesus raising the dead, healing the lepers and healing the blind. What other signs do they need? That's why they say Hosanna to the Son of David.

These people were proclaiming Jesus as the king. The name of Jesus was being lifted up. But something was wrong. When they sang Hosanna, they were already 90 years under Roman rule.

The Romans to be fair compared to other communities allowed a lot of leeway for them to practice their faith. Under that Roman oppression they were waiting for the Messiah king to throw the Romans out of Israel. They were thinking of a military king. They had in mind the Romans would be overthrown and he will reestablish the Davidic Kingdom. They saw Jesus as a political king.

In the 12th and 13th century was 200 years of the crusade. It was known as the Holy War. They saw Christianity as a political Kingdom. Today they say we have learned from the crusades. That Jesus will not set up an earthly kingdom. It's true that if you go to any church, they will say we will not take up arms to create a political Kingdom.

But many Christians still have in their mind an earthly kingdom. They think that the Kingdom of God is riches and cannot get sick. That there will be success and prosperity. That we will enjoy all that the kingdom promises here and now.

When it comes to money, I am very happy at the end of the month because I'm a teacher. Sometimes we get a pay rise so I'm very happy. I also want to be healthy. That's why I go jogging and stop badminton temporarily because when I saw some of my friends I don't want to collapse in court.

But these are not the focus of the Kingdom of God. These promises comes with the Kingdom of God but it is not the focus of the kingdom. It will come along the way but it is not our focus.

John 18:33-37

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Pilate asked Jesus  the question and Jesus answered Pilate with a question. Pilate answered quite smartly and said am I a Jew? Pilate is saying it's your people that brought him.

Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world. He did not deny that he is a king. If this kingdom did not come on earth then it must be from heaven. It is a Kingdom where God rule and reign.

As much as God wants to provide and bless our health, he does bless us but you must understand those are temporal. Temporal means what my mother tells me, you cannot bring it over. None can bring over. When you move over, you don't need this body already, however much you go to the gym. However much money you have. It's temporal. Your successes. You are the leader of a big company. You don't even need to wait till you move over, the day you retire you lose the recognition.

Jesus  is operating a spiritual and eternal kingdom. A Kingdom that will last forever. And he is our Messiah King. That is our focus. We must get our focus right. We are people who is part of a spiritual kingdom.

After this passage, Pilate asked what is truth? Here is where the word truth comes.

Truth has two meaning. One is, it refers to the Word of God. But it also refers to the person of Christ. In this case, it would primarily be the Word of God. It is what the Word of God says. The Word of God that is the sword of the spirit.

The political Kingdom is mainly reigned by the sword. But in the spiritual kingdom it is the truth that bears the power. The expansion of the Kingdom of God or the church it must primarily be truth in the Word of God as it is empowered by the Spirit of God.

We can plan and strategise but at the end of the day, it is the Spirit of God that empowers. That is why when Rev Allan Chan comes it is the Spirit of God that will heal and miracles happens. All glory to God.

I read that goldfish you cannot buy any fish food. They have less protein and more carbohydrates. They can grow until one foot. But you need to give it a big tank and feed the right food. For us to grow spiritually mature, if I tell you that you will pray and you will prosper and will succeed and you will be free from sickness. If I just teach you this, then it's not the whole counsel of God. Paul says he will teach the full counsel of God. 

The other example is this. I asked my wife whether infants need to drink milk for how long. My wife said maybe after 6 months can take some porridge and after some time can eat rice. I'm not syre ya so if not correct go and see my wife. Christians, when you first accepted Christ you will have your issues and burdens. If you just accepted Jesus and the person who disciples me tell me I have to die for Christ I will run away. I am just a young Christian.

20 years down the line the prayer I prayed 20 years ago I'm still praying how to grow? It's a process. The disciple will slowly see and appreciate a Kingdom purpose. You will know Jesus is coming again and that God is more than just the earthly.

Just now I prayed that the message will come with the grace and gentleness and the patience of a teacher. I have grown in the word. I'm a teacher and so I'm a reader. If I don't read the Bible I'll read something else.

We have to be patient because all of us grow at different rate. We cannot  impose on people our standards. In our kingdom context, we cannot take the proficiency approach. Growth is based on the individual's progress. 

I pray that in the church we encourage and edify each other.

What should our pursue and focus be in God's spiritual kingdom? The character and focus on the Kingdom of God. The best passage would be the beatitudes.

In the kingdom of the world it is the rich and famous that gets the applause. Also the powerful and the beautiful. But in the kingdom of God it's the meek and the merciful. The values are different.

Someone's says this. We are in the world but we're not of the world. If the ship is in  the water it is fine. But if the water is in the ship it is disastrous. We are in the world, and instead of the church influencing the values of the world, the world values have influenced the church.

Matthew 5:3-10

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

You will see these are the characters of the kingdom of God. Very different from the values of the world. What makes the kingdom bears kingdom power? It's because of the king.

Revelation 19:11

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.

Revelation 19:16

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.

The spiritual kingdom of God is where Jesus is the centre of it all.

There are 107 questions of the  WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM. What is the first question?

What is the chief end of man? What is the chief purpose of you?

Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy it forever.

Glorifying God is an enjoyable experience. It is no accident that almost in all the epistles it ends with - To Him be the glory. Amen.

Release the Old, Proclaim the New, Possess the Future

Rev Ronald Ooi

To both the the Hokkien and English congregation it is a privilege to be here with you this morning. We are privileged to be advisor and trainer to TOP. We have completed our assignment for three other churches. It was a privilege to walk with the pastors and leaders to advise and train them. And we are still in connection with them. Our idea is doing life together and we relate to each other until Jesus  comes. The assignment may be for a season but the relationship is for life. It's like the family that we have.

We raise our children up and the seasons change. We have to let them fly. And eventually we have to let them go because they have to built their own family. But as a father to a child, I will always be a father to them.

My son actually asked me to come back and stay with them. But I said I'll come back but I won't stay with you. I can stay near you.

When we first was about to marry I couldn't wait to be with her. And after I got married I'm not sure if I can live with her. Now in this season I'm saying I think I cannot live without her. So to those of you in the mid life and you think you cannot live with your spouse hang in there. And that's what life is about. We thank God we can be here to encourage you. Keep up your good work. All the pastors that have come have input into your life. We will come and build on what they have done.

Last night we completed 40 years of full time ministry. I was asking God if it was time to let me go. My heart has always been to preach the gospel in Malaysia.

And of all the time, Bro Kenny Song WhatsApp  me and asked if I would consider being an interim pastor. I was about to migrate to Australia. I said I would asked my son first. And they responded and we want to thank them for releasing us. As much as they wanted us, he said why don't you finish what God has called you to do in Malaysia.

He said, dad why don't you end where you first started. We came here in 1981. Now it's 2017 and we are coming back after 35 to 40 years. When somebody heard about this, they said there is the second coming of Ronald Ooi. We were so young then and now we are so much older. And we want to be a blessing to all of you here. I'd like to call my wife Jasmine to come up here with me.

Sis Jasmine: It is an exciting time for us. When I received the news I said why not! I will be sharing next week so see you at the TOP.

Let us look at this passage from Isaiah. Pastor Grace will read it in Hokkien and I'll go ahead and preached from this passage. I'm sure most of you can understand Hokkien.

Isaiah 43:16-21

16 This is what the Lord says—

he who made a way through the sea,

a path through the mighty waters,

17 who drew out the chariots and horses,

the army and reinforcements together,

and they lay there, never to rise again,

extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

18 “Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

19 See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland.

20 The wild animals honor me,

the jackals and the owls,

because I provide water in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland,

to give drink to my people, my chosen,

21 the people I formed for myself

that they may proclaim my praise.

Isaiah 42:8-9

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!

I will not yield my glory to another

or my praise to idols.

9 See, the former things have taken place,

and new things I declare;

before they spring into being

I announce them to you.”

I had a long chat with pastor Gideon before he left. And I mentioned to him that all that he has done has been very encouraging. He mentioned that the team that runs the church is for two years. I want to assure you I will continue to run with the team but the theme remains in the church to grow, serve and transform. I call it GST.

His grace is sufficient for each day. Every day is a new day and every year is a new year. In the weeks to come I will talk about the full meaning of Ephesians 4. Here in Ephesians 4:14 is the second revelation. I will explain 11-13. This sets the overall direction for the year.

In the NT God gave these gifts to the church for governance. They are the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. The apostles strategies for the church. The prophet is one who sees the future and says it to the church ahead of time. As the new year is here I spoke to some of my prophetic friends what is happening in the future. The evangelists does the work of winning souls. The pastors do the caring and teaching. And the teachers make the truths come alive and how it works for us. When all these five are functioning together we will no longer be infants. Then we will no longer be subjected to false doctrine. We will know the truth and be united in Christ. And at the end to become more like Jesus.

The five fold gifts are to prepare the saints to do the works of the ministry. I know it will be an exciting year for me and my wife. To discover or rediscover that which may seemed to have been lost along the way. When we work together you will become a strong and healthy church. I always want to be as strong as possible. If I am weak I cannot preach as much as I want. Penang is a dangerous place to live in. At any housing estate you see Char Koay Teow, Char Koay Teow, Char Koay Teow. Or Curry Mee, Curry Mee, Curry Mee, and you need to control your diet.

Last evening I went for a swim. I haven't swam for a long time. I managed to finish 200 meters yesterday. But I said to myself I am going to push to go 500 meters. All the young adults don't think I am as old as I am. What about our spiritual man? Are we going to stretch ourselves to be stronger? It will be a new year and a new chapter. New pages to be written on this book. What will be written in the next 365 days? I'm praying we will release the old and proclaim the new. New things that you have not thought of.

I am believing TOP to possess the future. My inspiration don't come from the past but the future. I visualize what my grandchildren will become. I visualize what TOP will become. I pray that your vision will be so powerful it will remove all resistance. We cannot change history but we can learn from history to create a new path for others to follow.

When I heard about the tsunami in Penang  I was shocked. Why were the people not warned? They did not have the warning system in place. But now they have the mechanism so that we don't make the same mistakes.

Billy Graham once said the lessons of history is that no government will lasts forever. And another said every generation in history is being plagued by disasters. I love history but my wife said don’t be historical. What can we learn in 2016 that we will not do again in 2017. I will come to that later.

The passage in Isaiah said God is going to do a new thing.

Isaiah 42:9

See, the former things have taken place,

and new things I declare;

before they spring into being

I announce them to you.”

God is in the prophetic business. Before things happen he announced it to his people first. He is like the tsunami warning system. Look at what's happening in the world? Full of corruption and troubles. Just like in the days of Noah. When you see this kind of weather in the world the rain is coming. And in the OT, he prophesied ahead of time to the Jews that they will be set free from captivity. More than 300 prophecy that Jesus will come to open blind eyes, to free the captives from prison, to release those in darkness. And when he comes the old must go. When new season comes there is a new way of doing ministry for God. The old must go and make way for the new.

In the OT they had to give animals for the forgiveness of sin. In the NT they don't have to do that anymore. In the OT they had to circumcise but in the NT your heart is circumcised for Jesus. Romans 15:4 said everything written in the past is to teach us and God knows the season of the day.

There is a group of men called the men of Issachar. Their role is to understand the seasons of the day. And they will give the directions to the king who will know what to do. When God says I am doing a new thing he is telling us something that has not been done before. It's going to be marvellous and incredible.

God set free those that have been in captivity for so long in Babylon. They asked how can this happen? Because the Lord will make it happen. I will set you free. Is there anything happening today? The prophets are prophesying that there is a supernatural turnaround. A year of advancement for you. A year of maturing and the incredible will happen. Every new year is a year of new things not seen yet. Live life to the fullest. What steps will you take to do things to become a better person. 

To read more. To pray more. To handle challenges better. To impact others more. To manage your time better. To be better stewards. Better decisions. These are some things I asked myself this year. How can I better align myself better with God? Our personal, family and work life. Do you have a vision of who you want to become? You recalibrate yourself.

One time I went to the doctor to talk about my cholesterol level. I went once and they couldn't read it because it was so high. Second time they couldn't read it because it was spoilt. So the doctor said he has to recalibrate and after he did, it was 7.7. And the doctor said you have to do something about it. So for 4 months I was a very good boy. Eat vegetables and oats. Cut down on meat. 4 months later I went back and checked. If not he had to give me drugs. I said I don't want to be a drug addict. The result was 4.2. Hallelujah!

We don't have to wait for a crisis to realign ourselves with God. Whatever in the past that has hindered us release it. Release the negative and forgiveness. Release the hatred. Sometimes the past pulls us back we cannot go forward. Paul says forgetting what is behind and straining to what's ahead. What was Paul's problem? He was so proud as a Jew. He could not see past that. Our success can stand as an obstacle from doing more. Let's proclaim a new day for TOP. Proclaim a new day for yourself. For your children and grandchildren.

Isaiah said he will do a NEW thing. He can make NEW things happen. Whether we like it or not there will be a NEW heaven and NEW earth. In the NT it was already said there will be a NEW Covenant of grace. That there will be a NEW Jerusalem. A NEW commandment I give you. A NEW life is given to us. Those that know Jesus  the old will past away the NEW will come.

Abraham asked how can he be a father of nations when he cannot even have a child of his own. So he tried to help God. Ishmael is a son of the flesh and not a son of faith. How many times we do things in the flesh when it's supposed to be by faith. Abraham had to learn a new way. Abraham was one of the most successful in business at his time but when it cames to God he had to learn by faith. Only 25 years later he saw how God can do it. He had to see something new by God. We will see something new by God this year. Receive something new from God this year. A new child. A new grandchild. A new marriage. A new business. A new breakthrough.

I am going to stop here. I'm going to only say what's in my spirit and not flesh. I promise you this is the longest sermon because this is the first service and it is interpreted.

When I was praying with my wife we heard the word the TOP at Komtar. I have not tried walking on the Sky Walk glass but I am going to try it. What is the TOP at Komtar this year? It is the highest point in Penang. Prophetically, I am thinking TOP will be top. We are not competing with other churches but believing the supernatural because it is already done in the heavens. When we believe it will be done on earth. The way of God is a way of faith. We came to God by faith so we cannot halfway through end by flesh. That's why it's so exciting because it is a journey by faith and hearing him more and more and more. Finally to possess the future.

I've been to Perth about 5 times. When you take a bath, the soap don't seem to bubble up. It's called hard water. A wise Singaporean imported Malaysian water and made it rich in Perth. The water in Perth is underneath. In some places these water pops up. This is what I'm sensing for this church. The stream was running for a long time underneath. Bro Allan was saying that in the dessert we find God. I'm telling you the streams are still there waiting to burst forth. For that to happen we have to call forth by faith this year and the years to come. We have to call it forth. 

My wife was telling me when she gave birth 33 years ago, the nurses was telling her to push. We men don't know what's it like. It's like giving birth we have to push. Call out to come forth. When it comes, you will surely sense a refreshing presence of God in this church. I am going to declare today there will be no more stagnation. That there will be new things from God.