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.