A Tale of Two Crosses

Pastor Koay Kheng Hin

Today I'm talking about the story of two crosses. We hear messages of one cross, that's the cross of Calvary but today I want to introduce to you the second cross.

I ended at the Garden of Gethsemane and it leads to Calvary and it's at the cross where Jesus was crucified. It is the preparation for that cross of Calvary. It symbolises a tree of shame where our sins are being nailed. It's a tree where Jesus bore our shame and God's wrath was poured onto that tree of shame.

When Jesus hung on the cross we find that it's the gateway through which every single one of us enter into sonship. 24 years ago I was led to that cross. When I came before that cross I had to make a decision. It applies to each and every one of us. We were led to that cross as an unbeliever.

At that time I was the child of the devil. It's very direct and what the Bible teaches. It's not a case of the devil on the left and God on the right and I'm  in the middle. It's not like that. It's not three kingdoms. In God there's only two kingdom.

24 years ago I'm not in God's kingdom. I was in the kingdom of the evil one. And the Bible described that I'm no son of God and not a child of God. But when I go through that cross I gained sonship and became a child of God.

After I go through that what happens? That's the other cross I want to talk about. When we find Jesus we find him in love. That day, you found what the Bible say is your first love. That's your first love encounter when you were first saved. That is what we actually experience when we become a Christian.

Romans say God demonstrates his love in that while we were yet sinners he died for us. A love relationship with Jesus. What's the other cross?

Luke 9:23-24

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

This is the other cross. Not the cross of Calvary but our own cross. What's the difference between this two crosses. Calvary happened only once. But in this verse this cross is a cross that is daily. That's the first difference.

The second difference is the one who was taking up the cross of Calvary. You are asked to take up your own cross. It's a very important difference. The cross that we carry resembles the cross of Calvary but it is not the cross of Calvary. The cross of Calvary requires you to be nailed to the cross and die. It's not about you crucifying yourself. Some religious sect does that where they literally crucify themselves.

When I was preparing this message I asked myself if the people wants to hear this. We are generally in an emerging economy or a developed nation and is generally having a good life. When we have a message about a cross, do people really want to listen to this? I thought about preparing another message but I decided my message is not to preach what people want to hear. If I were to preach about prosperity without  a cross I think in some places I may have a bigger crowd. But if I preached a message on carrying the cross daily there may be few people that will ask me to preach.

But I'm to preach the full gospel of Christ and it's much more than prosperity or healing. Through the viewpoint of these two crosses. If we preached only the cross of Calvary we will have half the gospel and cannot grow into spiritual maturity. We call it liberal Christianity. We preach the capital "C" and not the small "c". The other extreme would be legalistic Christianity.

What's the difference? We would be preaching a diluted gospel and not one that would mature you and you will remain a spiritual baby. We all have children who are cute but if at 15 they still behave like a baby it's wrong.

If we preach the small "c" without the cross of Calvary then we become like a Pharisee and Christianity becomes a burden. I want to strike a balance. Let us have a loving Christianity.

The big "C" is a cross of love. And when we are asked to carry our "c" daily we are carrying a cross of love. It's a matter of direction. The Calvary cross is a cross of input. Your cross is a cross of output. Calvary cross is a cross of God's love poured out to you. Your cross is you pouring out that love to others. The cross that you carry resembles the cross of Calvary but it is not the cross of Calvary.

You are carrying it to people whom God brings to your midst. You are expressing the love of God. They will sense the love of God in you and through you. That is what's meant by carrying your cross daily.

It's a nice cross. A cross of love.

He must deny himself says verse 23. What does it mean? To remove self centeredness from us. This love is only possible on humbled ground. A self centred man only loves himself.

You must let go of that self centeredness and then follow Christ. From self centeredness we have willingness to lose our life.  From self centeredness to God centeredness. It is the cross of the glory of God. When you pick up the cross you are saying this is the day the Lord has made. Not for me to spend time to get rich or for people to honour me. It is a cross to say that today I want to glorify God with my life.

It ties in with where I stopped at the Garden of Gethsemane. He said not my will but your will be done.

I want to spend 5 minutes on God's will. There is your will and the will of God. The Bible says it's a concurrent thing. God's will is good and your will end like what happened at the Garden of Eden. Your will ends in self glory while the other ends with the glory given to God. When we talk about these two wills, it's about dancing with God. It's like tango where they cannot do their own thing. They have to synchronise. Everyday we as the children of God we are dancing with God like a tango. We hold his hand and he is the lead. When he pulls we go towards him. Then we live in the prescriptive will of God.

We see God as the lead dancer and surrendering and synchronising with him.

On the other hand if God pulls and you resists you will fall. And God wants to lift you up and you resists you will fall flat on your face.

It is a cross for the glory of God.

It is a cross of sacrifice. The cross is identified with suffering. When Jesus said to pick up the cross there will be a time of sacrifice and suffering. Love is a sacrifice so we can relate. The issue is the cross of suffering. People misunderstand this suffering. It's not about you falling sick or business not doing well. This suffering is related to persecution.

What does persecution means? When people became Christians on the first century they were thrown into prison because of their faith. Many Christians goes through their lives without being thrown into prison. What about being martyred for their faith? Even less.

You do not need to worry about that at this present moment. When the time comes the Lord will empower you to go through it.

It's a cross of love and for the glory of God. And it's a cross of sacrifice. What makes it an intimidating view, then it becomes burdensome. Meaning dilutes suffering. If love is the basis and not the law, you will joyfully carry that cross.

Do you know if your husband after hearing this message and decides to carry that cross of love and glory and sacrifice, by the time he walks out you will have a more wonderful husband.

If your wife makes this decision, when they walk out they will look much prettier today. It's an inner beauty.

If you walk past that cross of Calvary, carry your own cross you will be less easily offended, more patient, more sacrificial and live a life you are meant to live. The world is full of self centred people.

Mother Theresa said a life lived not for others is not a life. God created us to relate with him for his glory and we are supposed to relate to others for their blessings. This is what is meant by carrying the cross daily. If it's in love it will not be burdensome.

Like when a parent sacrifice for their children, they will say it's not burdensome because you love them. Love is something that enables us to rise above our circumstances because it becomes a joy. When love comes in then everything becomes light and with it an element of joy.

Carrying such a cross for God is only possible and make sense to you if you have a heavenly home. Verse 25 and 26 are about that heavenly glory.

We must hold this balance or we become so heavenly that we are of no earthly use. How does it impact us? When we met Jesus we met him in love. Our whole faith is love. The spiritual dynamics is actually love. We often try to break it down and define love. Philosophers also try that. Psychologists too. And scientists. They are the worst. They say it's a reaction of chemical compounds. Today I do not want to define love. But we can define love through action.

Let's look at Jesus. When I skimmed through the 24 chapters of Luke, I noticed that Jesus was always with people. He was with the Pharisees, he ate with people. Always with people. He's either with his disciples or with multitudes or with the Pharisees in their homes. Jesus Loves these people and he wants to be with them.

Let us not define the love of God but express it. We should be interested in people's lives. He was interested in the tax collector's life. The Samaritan woman's life. The prostitute's life. Even God himself weeps in the shortest verse of the Bible when Lazarus died. It's an expression of love, the heart of your Lord.

I believe God will anoint and empowers us and he will begin with the leaders. The first requirements is to be interested in people's lives. We as leaders can take some time to be interested in people's lives. Then we will start to realise who they are is more important than what they can do for us.

I've had Christians who say they love God but they cannot love people. Whether a person love God or not we cannot know because we cannot see a person's heart. But how much you love God can be seen from how you love people. The extend to which you love people is the extend to which you love God. I said leaders but it is meant for all of us.

When you love people, as much as it is sacrificial, you will be the first one to be blessed more than the person you bless. There will be a certain joy and fulfilment that will come to you. When we look at Jesus we see how much time he spent time with people.

Look at the apostle Paul. Concerning the Ephesian church.

Acts 20:26-27

26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

Acts 20:33-37

33 I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. 35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him,

This is the picture that we have of the great apostle Paul. He has touched so many lives. When they thought they won't see him again, they wept.

As a leader whether as a CEO or a headmistress of a school or a pastor of a church, the mark of successful leadership is this. It's all about people. The day will come when you have to move on you will see who are there for you. The mark of successful spiritual leadership when you are leaving, it will be like in verse 27 where they wept. It's about identifying with people.

The word pastor is that of a shepherd. It's the pastoral care that a leader must give. This is the same church that Paul ministered to and this was their fault.

Revelation 2:4

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

They were actually a strong church if you look at the verses before this. A classic example of a church who put their hands to the kingdom but have lost their first love.

Why I say this? We will do what verse 2 and 3 and put our hands to the plough but we want to keep verse 4 and not forsake our first love.

Philippians 1:21

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

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.

Rebuilding Your Temple

Rev Tony Phang

Good morning! It is so good to wake up in Penang. I told my wife, any invitation from Penang please don't turn it down. We are so excited to be with you all this morning and to be reunited with Ps Ronald and Sis Jasmine. As you know Ps Ron was our Bible School president and I still remembered the first week he was in Bible school, he summoned every student to go and see him one by one. I was wondering what I did wrong but when I went to see him, he asked me my name, what I do and what are my dreams and what was God calling me to do and he prayed for me. I was so impressed. And the three years in Bible school was a tremendous blessing to me. He was a good example to me and I learnt a lot from him.

He in fact taught me how to preach so this morning if I preach something wrong, please don't come and see me.

2 Chronicles 29:1-5 (NIV)

1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.

3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side 5 and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.

This morning the title of my message is rebuilding your temple. I'm not talking about a physical temple but I'm talking about a spiritual temple.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV) Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

You yourselves are God's temple. This morning I want to talk about having an intimate relationship with God. Why it is needful. And why it should be the most important thing to do as a believer.

And from the Bible I will show you who you are and what you do and what you have is determined by your relationship and your walk with God. Jesus said in John 15 that without God we can do absolutely nothing. Without connecting to God we cannot bear fruits. In order to bear fruits we must have a relationship with him. A connection with him.

Just like the branch and the vine.

John 15:4 (NKJV) Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

Your success in life is connected to your relationship with Christ. I'm not talking about you being more religious but rather to have a relationship with a living God. Somebody say amen to that.

Last 2016, in the month of May, I said to my wife I have not seen my girls. My daughters for 18 months. And I said to my wife I miss them. I want to hold them, I want to hug them and I want to go out with them. Can you arrange and buy tickets and help me to get over there. So my wife who couldn't wait to get rid of me bought me a ticket, so my flight to the States will take me to Hong Kong, 31/2 hours, the to Dallas 12 hours and then to Springfield 11/2 hours.

But on the day of my flight, at 4 in the morning, my wife told me that my flight was cancelled because of bad weather. But my clever wife, still couldn't wait to get rid of me found me a replacement ticket. A different route to take me to the States.

The new route would take me to Hong Kong  31/2 hours, plus 10 hours transit. Then to London 13 hours, London Chicago 9 hours and then to Springfield 11/2 hours. So I literally flew around the earth. When I saw the new route I was so discouraged. My wife and my family knows I really don't like flying. But I want to be with my girls. So thinking about it for a while, I said I'm going. I decided I was going to endure the trip because I want to be with my daughters. It's because I love them and my relationship with my daughters is very precious

 and they are important to me. I want to talk to them and I want to hug them.

When Christ was on the cross and when he cried out with a loud voice, it is finished, and yielded out his spirit, and the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. The tearing of the veil was very significant. More than just a miraculous and sovereign act of God, the tearing of the veil was the expression of God's love towards us, so that we are no longer separated to God. He loves us and he longs to be with us. There were no more barriers anymore.

When our daughters were still with us we sometimes go for vacations. I always tell my wife make sure we get connecting doors in the hotel. We have to book two rooms. And once we get to our rooms I'll tell Katherine and Vicky I want them to keep the door slightly open, don't lock it. And they'll protest, dad give us privacy. That's because I love them and I want to be able to hear their voices and their laughter, and to be able to hear them when they call me and to be able to see them anytime I want. Because I love them. We have a relationship. So my daughter can come to me freely.

Now you know why the veil was torn down.

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Today, we can come and enter boldly and freely into God's presence without any difficulties, or observe any OT religious practices because of what Christ has done on the cross. God sees his relationship with us as something precious, so precious that he was willing to send his only begotten son to die for us so that we can boldly come to him. We are important to him.

The problem today is that some Christians do not share the same sentiments as God. That's why some Christians don't spend time with God or not at all. They think that coming to church once a week is sufficient enough. And they wonder why they are suffering. Or why they are in bondage. Or not bearing fruit. We are just the branch and without the vine we cannot bear fruit. Without connecting to Christ, you and I cannot bear fruit. It is impossible. That's why they are not fruitful. What we do and what we are is dependent on our relationship with God.

Without God it is impossible to bear fruit.

2 Chronicles 29:1 (NKJV) Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah[a] the daughter of Zechariah. 

Hezekiah was a good king. And some Bible historian calls Hezekiah was the second best king of Judah after King David. The Bible said he did what was right in the sight of the Lord during his reign. And under Hezekiah leadership, the Syrians were defeated by him. The economy of Judah grew and prospered. And when he died the Bible said that all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honoured him. The people loved Hezekiah. What was the secret of his success? He inherited a nation that was backslidden. He inherited a nation that was once ruled by evil and irresponsible Kings. He inherited a nation that was once invaded and held captive by their enemies and they're still carrying the scars of slavery. What did he do to turn this mess around?

The Bible says he first opened the doors to the house of the Lord and repaired them. Hezekiah first assignment was not the economy, it was not military or healthcare, or the security of the nation but his first assignment was to restore Judah's spiritual state. He cleaned the temple of its rubbish. It was setting the temple in order.

Why? Because the temple was abandoned for so many years. It was neglected, unkempt and when he became King, he instructed the Levites and the Priests to clean the temple spiritually. Why was the temple so important, because the temple was the spiritual life of Israel. It was in the temple that prayers were offered, sacrifices were offered, the law were read and offerings were given. It was in the temple that Israel worship and commune with God. The temple symbolises Israel's relationship with God. And that was the first thing King Hezekiah did, setting the temple in order.

Now church, let me ask you a question this morning. How is your temple? How is your spiritual life? Is it important to you? Is it in order? Or did you abandoned it. Or did you neglect it? Is your bible covered with dust? If it is, you need to set your temple in order. You need to do some cleaning and get the rubbish out so to speak.

In Revelations chapter 3, Christ chastised the Laodicean church for being lukewarm. He said in verse 20, behold I stand at the door and knock.

Revelation 3:20 (NKJV) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Christ said he was standing at the door, he was left outside the church waiting and knocking. This is rather strange because isn't Christ the head of the church? If he is the head of the church, why is he outside waiting and knocking, waiting to be invited in? He is the head of the church ma.

If I see Ps Ronald standing outside your church and knocking on the door, hoping somebody would open the door for him, I would ask pastor where is your key? If Jesus cannot enter the church, why? Because he does not have the key.

Let me ask you a question. Who do you usually give your house  keys to if you go on a vacation? Do you give it to a stranger? Or people you hardly know? Or people you just met? You give to your family members or somebody you are close to. Why? Because you have a close relationship with them. It's all about relationship. Jesus was left outside because he doesn't have the key to go in.

The Laodicean church did not give Jesus the keys because they don't have a close relationship with Jesus. They treated him like a stranger. Someone they see only once in a while. Someone they don't have a close relationship with. Many people go to church but in reality, some do not have a close relationship with Jesus Christ.

Some people say this verse is for unbelievers and it's not true.  It's used for Evangelism. It's to the church not unbelievers. Jesus was talking to the Laodicean church.

Revelation 3:22 (NKJV) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Notice that despite not having the keys, Christ still knocks on the door, hoping that someone would hear his voice. Hoping that someone would open the door. Hoping that someone would invite him in. Relationship with God is important to God. Do you have a relationship with God? Is your temple kept unkempt? Is your temple neglected? Do you seek His heart, his will and obey him?

When a lawyer asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus said to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. And he also said this is the first and the greatest commandment. Before you love anyone or anything else, you have to love God first. Hezekiah knew and understand that the destiny and the prosperity of Judah was connected and dependent on their relationship with God.

Until today people still ask me and Christine why do we go to Africa? Is it because they pay you well? No. If I tell you how much they pay me you will be shocked, 17 years in Africa no EPF. 17 years. We go there because of a relationship with God. I go there because Christ said I'm going to do a work in Kenya  and I want you to join me. That's why we went.

Do you think I really want to go? Not me. I did not want to go. I even prayed I did not really want to go. But eventually I went because I have a relationship with him, deep enough to trust him that all things will be fine. It's not because of money because there is no money there. I trust him that he will take care of me and my children.

Today my wife and I are very blessed. My children today are studying in the Sates with full scholarship. We don't have to pay a cent. God took care of us. God showed how good he was to us during those17 years. It was not easy. There will be days when there's no water for months and without power for weeks. Here, when there's no power or water, you call right? That water or power will be restored in 2 hours. There you call nobody answers. Security was bad, life was different. Culture was different and it was a huge adjustment for us but we hung in there. There were times the ministry was hard.

One day my wife was so broken she wanted to quit. One of our orphan, a girl at our orphanage, about 12, 13 years old, a beautiful girl, a song leader, has a lot of potential died. Christine received a call, where a leader said this girl died at the village. We were sad but what made us even sadder and angry was that she died because of female circumcision. She was forced to go through that. My wife was so heartbroken, she wants to quit the ministry. I'm not joking.

17 long years we hung in there because of this relationship with Christ. I've met pastors who pastors their church for 20 years that had 10 people. 20 years and I wondered why they still stick in there. Why don't they just quit and go home? Why? Because of this relationship with God. Life is hard. Life is not getting better. This is the truth. Our world is not getting better. Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation.

Didn't Jesus said the wise man builds his house on the rock? Didn't he said the wind and the flood will come, the rain will come and beat on that house? But that house will remain standing, why? It was built on the rock. There was a connection. If you want to survive the trials in this coming storm, you got to have a relationship with Christ. We cannot afford to be casual in our relationship with God. In such a time like this.

The revival that started with Hezekiah began on the inside of the temple first. After the temple was set in order, then the people went out into the city of Judah and broke every sacred pillars of idolatry in every town and every villages and threw down all those altars at high places. It began in the temple then it moved outside. It began with the people then when things changed on the inside, then it changes the outside. Change must begin in your heart.

Church, as a Christian, your outside is a reflection of your inside. And the inside is your heart. For example, If your heart is filled with anger, hatred, jealousy, unforgiveness, pride, you have no ability to change the world. In fact, you are going to add to the problem.

But if your heart, your inside is touched by God because of a relationship and you are full of peace, love, joy, full of mercy, you are going to make a difference in the world. If you want to change Malaysia you have to change first. If you want to bear fruit and change your circumstances you must start by examining what's in your inside, your heart, your temple and your relationship with God.

Let me close with what Hezekiah said. Listen to the words of this prophet.

Haggai 1:5-6 (NIV)

5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

It looks like the people of Judah was working so hard but they were not receiving the result from their hard work. They were not getting the returns from their investment. It was obvious that something was not right. Have you gone through this experience? The returns are so little when you work so hard. So what's wrong?

Haggai 1:8 (NIV)

Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, ” says the Lord.

Build the temple. Put God first. Put your relationship with God first. Then you will have enough. God wants you to succeed and prosper. But you have to set things right in your life and family first. Build your temple. And when you put God first other things will fall,I to place perfectly.

Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things will be added to you. But it has to start with you first. How is your temple? How is your prayer life? How is your Bible reading? It's time to come back and built the temple.

Running the Race

Sis Melinda Song

Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

INTRODUCTION

I am the worst athlete ever. To my shame, I have never scored a single point in 100 m for my house during additional sports in all my years in secondary school.

A. We Are in a Race (Heb. 12:1c)

1. Christian life is compared to a race.

2. Everyone is running towards something, whether it be something as basic as money to put food on the table, or fame or fortune.

3. The choice is not whether to run or not to run. The choice lies in which race you want to run. Are you in the right race or in a rat race [1](world’s race)?

4. You cannot run two races at the same time.

5. The race is not a sprint but marathon.

6. The course is “marked out for us” (v. 2b)

a. While the destination is the same for everyone, the journey that gets us there is different for everyone. Don't compare your track to someone else's track.

b. A lifelong test of faith with no time outs

B. Prepare Well (Heb. 12:1b)

1. Throwing off Everything That Hinders

“let us throw off everything that hinders” 

“let us strip off every weight that slows us down” (NLT)

a. Ancient Greek runners run naked.

b. Today athletes skimp down to the least amount of clothing decency will allow in a race or game.

Illustration: The NYC Marathon, the largest marathon in the world, is a race run across five boroughs in the first weekend of November. There were 51,394 finishers in 2016 and so far there are 98,247 applicants for the 2017 race.

Picture a crowd of 50,000 runners on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge waiting to start the race almost two hours before it begins.  And it is November.

Everyone is bundled up against the cold but they cannot run with all that clothing on so when the race starts the runners begin discarding clothes and throwing then to the side. Eventually the 100K+ pieces of clothing are picked up and given to the homeless. These runners are literally “throwing off everything that hinders” to “run with perseverance the race marked out.” [2]

c. A weight is simply a mass or load of anything - physical weight (obesity), or to unnecessary baggage.

d. A weight is not sin but they slow us down, divert our attention, sap our energy, and dampen our zeal and joy for the things of God. We cannot win when we are carrying excess weight.

The apostle Paul put it this way: You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. - 1 Cor. 10:23 (NLT)

What are some weights in your life?

•     Perhaps you are indulging in unhealthy friendships or idle entertainment – Facebook, computer games, etc

•    Perhaps it is your work

These things, while not sin themselves, keep us from fulfilling the will of God in our lives, and may become gateways that lead us into sin.

•    Are there thoughts, attitudes, and habits that are impeding your progress (Romans 12:2; Titus 3:3; 1 Peter 1:14).

•     Maybe you are choked by the riches and cares of this world. Refer to parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9; and Luke 8:4-8).

Do not ask, “What’s wrong with this movie, or listening to this music, or participating in this activity?” Ask, “Does this help me to grow in godliness?” If not, discard it.

2. Casting Off the Sin That Entangles

“and the sin that so easily entangles.”

a. In biblical times people wore long robes that would entangle and trip a runner. The robes must either be pulled up and tucked into a belt or totally cast aside.

b. Sin has been the downfall of many a great man or woman of God.

c. THE sin seems to refer to a particular sin. Sin of unbelief is naturally suggested here based on the preceding chapter on faith but all of us have our own “pet” sins that entangle/ensnare us.

d. Your easily entangling sin is probably not my easily entangling sin - greed, covetousness (for power, or position), gluttony, pornography, lying, stealing, pride, jealousy, or temper.

e. By His grace, let us cast off any sin the entangles.

C. Run Well

1.     Run for The Great Crowd of Witnesses (Heb. 12:1a)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…”

a. These witnesses are those mentioned in chapter 11, what is often called the “Faith Hall of Fame.”

b. In any sporting event, athletes compete in a large arena filled with spectators that encourage their team. Does Paul mean that these heroes of faith are sitting on clouds cheering us on?

c. Paul did not refer to them as spectators but “witnesses”, martus (μαρτυς), A witness is someone who has obtained testimony about something by first-hand experience, and then testifies about it to others.

d. NKJV translates Hebrews 11:2 as “For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.” And in verse 39 we read, “all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise.”

e. Theirs is a testimony of the victorious nature of enduring faith despite great hardships along the way. See Hebrews 11:33-35.

f.  Their lives encourage us when we feel like giving up. The God of Abraham, Moses, and David is our God. If they can do it, so can you! Be encouraged!

g. Let us not forget that there are also heroes of faith right in the midst of us today who encourage us in our race.

2. Run Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2a)

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”

FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS

a.    In Greek it means “looking away from all else to Jesus.”

Taking our eyes off

(i) other things and

(ii) ourselves, and

focusing on Jesus alone. 

Illustration: It was May 6th, 1954, and a miler named Roger Bannister became the first human to ever have run a mile recorded in under four minutes. That world record lasted only six weeks, when an Australian, named John Landy, beat his record by more than a second. The rivalry was not over though, as the Empire Games were scheduled for August of the same year, and Landy and Bannister were set to square off in one of the most anticipated races in history.

The two runners could not have been more different. Landy loved to set the pace and start off strong, he usually led most of his races from start to finish. Bannister was different, he liked running from behind most of the race, only to take over first place in the final lap. The final proved those stereotypes right as Landy led for most of the race, with Bannister behind by quite a big margin going into the final lap. But then, something happened; the crowd started cheering as Bannister made his move and Landy began to get nervous, and in a moment of panic, Landy broke racing’s number one rule, don’t look back. As he looked over his left shoulder, Bannister went zooming by on the right to take first place in the race that would be forever remembered as the “miracle mile.”

This moment has served coaches well for all the years since as a lesson to runners to keep their eyes on the finish line. This moment was so big that to this day in Vancouver, a bronze statue stands depicting the moment when Landy looked over his left shoulder. Landy took the loss in good spirits as he famously said, “While Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back, I am probably the only one ever turned into bronze for looking back.”

While we may never experience the level of embarrassment that John Landy did that day, despite the fact that our race is eternally more important than the “miracle mile” was, we, too, must realize that all too often we get distracted  (Texting while driving) as we are running our race. Whether it is the simple distractions of life, or whether it is the sin or sins of our choice, we are all too easily prone to wander and prone to slow down in our race.

b. Have you been distracted or tempted to look away?

c.  Don’t think of how far you have left to go or how difficult things. As you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith,all the grace you need along the way will be supplied!

d. It's where you are facing/heading that matters.

AUTHOR

a. Christ is the archegon (ἀρχεγον) - a word made up of ago (ἀγο) “to lead,” and arche (ἀρχε), “the first.”

b. He is the supreme example of faith, whose faith far surpasses the examples of faith commemorated in chapter 11.

c. In Greek, “our faith” is actually “THE FAITH” referring to the faith as exhibited in the lives of the heroes of faith in chapter 11 and in the Lord Jesus.

PERFECTOR

a. He is also the finisher of the faith spoken of in Hebrews chapter 11. The word is teleioo (τελειοο) which means “to carry through completely, to finish, to make perfect or complete.”

b. Our Lord in His life of faith on earth, became the perfect or complete example of the life of faith.

c. Jesus Christ is also the one who gives us the faith to believe in the first place, and then sustains that faith every moment of our lives until we arrive in heavenly glory.

d. Philippians 1:6, NLT “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” He put us into this race, and He will see us through to the end!

3.    Run with Perseverance (Heb. 12:1c)

“let us run with perseverance”

a. This race is full of obstacles, barriers, hurdles, and hazards.

b. We may stumble and fall, but don’t give up! Take it one step at a time.

c. The Greek word for race is agon from which we get our word agony. The race is a contest in daily progress toward Christ-likeness. We race not against opponents, but against ourselves.

d. There is an internal struggle of the soul for our natural bent is toward sinfulness and laziness.

e. The finish line of the race is Christlikeness. He is growing us and maturing us on this racecourse to look like Jesus Christ. Are you more like Jesus today than you were yesterday? Are you engaging in the necessary disciplines and activities that will enable you to grow and mature in Christ-likeness?

IMPORTANT! In the Christian race, it is not how you start that matters; it is how you finish. 

D.     Finish Well

Look at Paul’s example.

Acts 20:22-24, NIV

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

At the end of his life he could say…

2 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

How does Paul do it?

Philippians 3:13-14, NIV

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

The prize is becoming a spiritual champion. A spiritual champion is one sold out to Jesus, straining to become more like him everyday. The finish line of faith is a life that is more Christian today than yesterday. The goal is not perfection, but progress.

Illustration: At 7 p.m. on October 20, 1968, a few thousand spectators remained in the Mexico City Olympic Stadium. The last of the exhausted marathon runners were being carried off to the first-aid stations. More than an hour earlier, Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia had crossed the finish line, the winner of the 26.2-mile run.

As the remaining spectators prepared to leave, those sitting near the marathon gates heard the sound of sirens and police whistles. All eyes turned toward the gate. A lone figure wearing the colors of Tanzania entered the stadium. His name was John Stephen Akhwari. He was the last man to finish. His leg bloodied and bandaged, severely injured in a fall, he grimaced with each step as he hobbled around the 400-meter track.

The spectators rose and applauded him as if he were the winner. After crossing the finish line, Akhwari slowly walked off the field. In view of his injury and having no chance of winning a medal, someone asked him why he had not quit. He replied, “My country did not send me 7,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 7,000 miles to finish it” (from Leadership [Spring, 1992], p. 49).

CONCLUSION

1.     Are you in the right race? If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, you aren’t even in the race.

2.    Let us throw off everything that hinders (the pleasures and treasures of the world, the lust of the flesh) and the sin that so easily entangles us.

3.     In the spiritual race you are running, get the mindset of a marathoner and refuse to give up. If you have stumbled and fallen, don't stay there. Get up. Run fixing your eyes on Jesus.

Philippians 1:6, NLT “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

4. Are you weary? Are you losing heart?

Heb. 12:3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Avoid burn out by fixing your eyes on Jesus. Hope (Wait) in the Lord and let Him renew your strength.

Isaiah 40:21-31, NIV

28 Do you not know?

    Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

    and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary

    and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,

    and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary,

    they will walk and not be faint.

[1] https://www.jba.gr/Articles/jbamarapr05a.htm

[2] tps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Marathon