Success for 2018

Rev Lawrence Seow

Joshua 1:1-9 

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant gave you. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

MOSES IS DEAD       

Leave the past behind

Israel knew Moses was dead (Deut 34:8)

The Israelites grieved, mourned for Moses 30 days

Many people are still trapped in their past, they cannot lay hold of the future

They have no future because they cannot let go of what happened in the past

Past hurts…relationships…failures…disappointments (we all have them)

Past success…glories and achievements…laurels and reputation…seniority…education and experience

Life can get very complicated and sometimes we become confused and conflicted

Here are a few real-life scenarios:

A woman is in a loveless marriage...it’s a toxic relationship...but she has 2 young children...wants to walk out on the marriage but has to consider the kids

A man suffers a stroke...he was very active before...now immobile...considers ending his life (conflicted)

A husband whose wife is more successful...she is busy...has no time for him...he feels neglected...meets another woman...a young divorcee...begins a relationship

A man with elderly parents...he has failed in life...wants to migrate and start a new life elsewhere...but his duty to his parents holds him back

We are conflicted souls...a bundle of contradictions...a paradox of inconsistencies, even among the very best of us

Conflicting thoughts...emotions...beliefs and passions (full of contradictions)

Psalm 90:10    our years are 70 or 80...the best of them are but trouble and sorrow

Moses is dead!

Break that fixation…paralysis that results from always looking back

This applies also at the church-level…forget the past – people who have come and gone, great times, bad times…highs and lows…what you’ve accomplished OR failed to do

CROSS THIS JORDAN       

Cross Over – A New Start

The River Jordan is below sea level – deep and turbulent during rainy season, but slow and sluggish during the summer

Where Jesus was baptised…

Israel had to cross this river to enter the Promised Land…it was in their way

There will always be obstacles and hurdles in the way of The Promised Land

Giants were waiting for them across the Jordan

There will be daunting challenges ahead, intimidating situations and uphill tasks

The devil will even send roadblocks and distractions your way

God never promised it would be easy or smooth sailing…if you don’t cross this Jordon you’ll never enter the land of Promise

Diamonds are formed after undergoing tremendous heat and pressure...deep under the earth’s crust...carbon material

BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS

Go the distance – boxing parlance for finishing the fight

Do not quit or stop half-way – no matter how tough or bad it gets

Heard it before, and you need to hear it again – the Christian race is not a 100 meter dash; it is a marathon

It’s not how well you start but how you finish that matters

A pastor was preaching one Sunday when he spotted an old friend in the service. He asked a deacon to invite this man (obviously very wealthy and successful) to lunch after the service. During lunch, the man broke down and sobbed. He told the pastor how they had both grown up as teenagers in church, and while the pastor answered God’s call, he had pursued his career and achieved success. But after so many years, he knew deep inside he was not where God wanted him to be. And all his secular success and accomplishments could not make up for it.

Sad truth is many Christians start out well but they relax along the way…get complacent and stop pressing on

Story of the man who found an eagle’s egg

This is why we need God’s Word – meditate on it day and night, keep us focussed and strong (read text again)

Your mind is the control tower

When we think God’s thoughts we think the most powerful thoughts

Sermon notes courtesy of Rev Lawrence Seow

It's Not the End Yet!

Ps Melinda Song

People are intrigued by the mystery of the unknown future. Hence the popularity of astrology, fortune-telling and horoscopes.

So it is no surprise that Doomsday prophecies garner great interest among people, especially Christians when they involve the end of the world and the second coming of Christ.

But belief in end-time predictions seems to require a faith with a very short memory–you have to forget all the previous times the end was predicted that proved wrong in order to get excited about the most recent time-table. It is like the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".

Let us take the example of the latest end-time prediction of the world ending on 23 September 2017. If David Meade had been right, all of us would not be here today.

If you remember, in my last message I spoke of my desire for TOP to be a Spirit and Truth Family Church that honours equally the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the Word of God. As such it is my duty as your Pastor to address this issue that keeps cropping up to see how it aligns with the Word of God and how we should respond to it.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

On 16 September 2017, the headline on the front page of Fox News read, "Christian doomsdayers claim world will end next week."

It's under the heading "Science"!!! When you click on it, the article headline proclaims, "Biblical prophecy claims the world will end on Sept. 23, Christian numerologists claim."

How common are predictions that the end is at hand?

Wikipedia lists over 170 different religiously motivated predictions of the end of the world.

·     The first recorded one dates back to the year 66 and ancient Judea.

·     They seem to be a mostly Protestant pastime.

Why this prediction now? Wasn't there another big "apocalypse now" prediction a few years ago? 

Scholars say doomsday predictions cluster around certain events — the Great Plague of the Middle Ages, or the "harmonic convergence" of the planets, or the year 2000.

And there has been a long string of predictions in the last two decades.

1.   American Christian radio host Harold Camping stated that the Rapture and Judgment Day would take place on May 21, 2011. When that did not happen he recalibrated the date to five months later on October 21, 2011 which was also proven wrong.

2.   Then came the blood moon prophecy which is a series of apocalyptic beliefs promoted by Christian ministers John Hagee and Mark Biltz, which state that a tetrad (a series of four consecutive lunar eclipses—coinciding on Jewish holidays—with six full moons in between, and no intervening partial lunar eclipses) which began with the April 2014 lunar eclipse is a sign of the end times as described in the Bible in the Book of Joel, Acts 2:20 and Revelation 6:12. The tetrad ended with the lunar eclipse on September 27-28, 2015. Again nothing happened.

3.   The most recent prophecy is by conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed Christian numerologist David Meade made international headlines over his claims that the world would end on 23 September 2017.

His comprehensive theory for the end times based on a mixture of supposed biblical studies and science centres around a non-existent planet Niburu which, he claimed, is due to collide with planet earth.

The suggestion was widely rubbished by experts including NASA with a spokesman saying: 'The planet in question, Niburu, doesn't exist, so there will be no collision.'

Clearly the end has been postponed again as we're all still here, but Meade – whose motivations must remain mysterious – has had an enormous amount of media attention.

Now is he claiming people misunderstood his theory, that Sept. 23 was merely a day of “signs.” He told Washington Post that “the world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending. A major part of the world will not be the same the beginning of October.” His astrological omen interpretations are now meant to be figurative and foreboding omens to a “beginning of the end” (i.e., the tribulation) and the date was pushed back from a very specific “September 23” to “beginning of October.”

Doomsday prophets ALWAYS do this. Failed doomsday prophets don’t repent – they just dig in, change the date, and turn it into a metaphor.

A LOOK AT DAVID MEADE & HIS CLAIMS

1.   He claims to be a Christian numerologist. Rev. Ed Stetzer wrote in Christianity Today, “There is no such thing as a legitimate ‘Christian numerologist.’”

Numbers do have meaning in Scripture but there are no secret numerical codes that require a profession called “Christian numerology.” No seminary nor do any professional accredited institutions offer such a degree.

Whenever someone tells you they have found a secret number code in the Bible, everything else he or she says can be discounted.

There are numbers in the Bible but they don’t require a numerologist.

·     The number one denoting the singleness of the Creator as a unified being: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

·     The number three is used to signify perfection in the Trinity as well as completion: Jesus’ ministry on earth lasted three years and his resurrection occurred three days after his death.

·     The number seven—likely the most well-known of biblical numbers—is also used to show divine perfection and completeness. This can be seen in God’s creation of the world in six days and decision to Sabbath on the seventh as well as numerous Old Testament rituals and celebrations.

God uses numbers in Scripture as a means to communicate with his people, they aren’t to be put to inappropriate use, such as making wild claims and trying to predict the end of the world using numbers and planetary motions as Meade and others have.

2.   Meade doesn’t have any biblical training yet he is discussing biblical matters of profound significance and making predictions about events of global importance without any real authority on these topics.

3.   There’s also another strange detail that those touting the September 23 theories have somehow missed: The same celestial arrangement has reportedly already happened in 1827, 1483, 1293 and 1056 — all in the month of September.

BUT WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE RETURN OF CHRIST?

Mark 13:32-37, NKJV

³² “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. ³⁴ It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ³⁵ Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—³⁶ lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. ³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

As we look at events in the world today, we may wonder how history is going to turn out. We may even be confused and troubled about end times, ethnic hatreds, volatile economies, international strife, and the warnings of doomsayers may feel very unsettling.

Jesus' words in Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Lk 21:5-36 speak of these issues. The whole conversation started off with the disciples' comments on the solidity and significance of Jerusalem's major urban structure, the temple (Mk 3:1). Jesus replied by noting how temporary such structures actually are (13.2). Later, in a quiet setting (13:3), he entered into far more detail about the end of history as we know it and the stresses believers would undergo (13:4-37).

Rather than avoid he topic, he spoke of:

•      deception, wars, earthquakes, and famines as the beginning of troubles (13:5-8).

•      how his followers would experience testing as his witnesses before courts, rulers, and. kings (13:9-11).

•      how family members would turn against each other (13:12, 13).

•      how distress and deception would eventually reign, but such times would be limited by God (13:14-25).

•      his eventual return for his own (13:15-31).

•      the fact that no one knows precisely when he will return–and thus the need for his followers to be watchful and dutiful in serving God (13:32-37).

The fact that Jesus says no one knows the day or hour of His return means that it's utter foolishness to predict a specific day. Jesus knows the signs of his coming are sure, but the timing is not (Mk. 13:32,33,35,36).

End-time date-setting does not align with the Bible so we should stop predicting specific days or entertaining them.

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR RESPONSE?

Before the Second coming of Christ and the end of the age, Jesus will first come for His Church in what is often called 'The Rapture' that could happen at any moment, when hundreds of millions of Christians are suddenly and stealthily removed from the earth without any definite signs.

Verse 33 – Take heed, watch and pray

Verse 35 – Watch

Verse 37 - And what I say to you, I say to ALL: Watch!”

1.   Since Jesus could come back for His people at anytime, we should always live with readiness to meet the Lord. We must be alert (not sleep) and watchful or vigilant, and not grow complacent thinking that the Lord is going to tarry long.

ARE YOU READY?

2.   Jesus is coming back for a radiant bride so let us say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:12,13).

1 John 3;2-3), NLT

² Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. ³ And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 

3.   The Master also left his property, his authority, and his work in the hands of his servants. He has given to his servant “each his work” so we should labour with all our might to make an impact for Him in our assigned tasks, since we have only one life to reach our generation.

We are not discounting biblical prophecy. We need to be students of Bible prophecy which should motivate us to live godly lives and do all that we can to reach our generation while we can.

THE NEED FOR SPIRIT AND TRUTH IN THE CHURCH

The apostle John in his first epistle tells us not to believe everything: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn. 4:1). We need to be discerning concerning things we choose to believe in.

We can’t just believe everything in the media; instead, we must think both carefully and critically about what we read, see and hear. We need to consider our sources and, when situations like this arise, be careful to seek out answers from people who actually know what they’re talking about. If those matters are of a spiritual or eternal nature we should look to the Bible for our answers.

Acts 17:11, NKJV

¹¹ These [Jews in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

Gullibility is not a virtue. We need to develop a Christian mind that is able to carefully filter the beliefs and ideas being presented to us. Apply wisdom and cultivate a spirit of discernment.

It’s not crazy to look at world events and ponder whether the signs mentioned in the Bible are, in some form, coming to fruition; but it is bizarre and dangerous to start setting dates in violation of the very scripture you claim to hold dear.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Therefore, as another end-of-the-world prophecy fails, we ought to remember that:

A. WE STAND IN FAITH AND NOT FEAR

"...if indeed you continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard" (Col 1:23).

The spirit of fear is rampant around the world and we must keep our hearts and minds fixed on God's goodness and His triumphant love. Faith is what pleases God (Heb 11:6). Jesus is coming back for us.

B. JESUS IS RETURNING FOR A RADIANT BRIDE

"Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless" (Eph 5:25-27).

It is to the Father's glory that the Bride of Christ is ready for the return of the Bridegroom. He is looking for a Bride that is held in honour (radiant), free of moral faults (without stain), not old and tired (without wrinkle), blameless (holy), and free of any blemish (without moral blame or rebuke). UNTIL we demonstrate this reality, we have work to do. Let us pray that we would become a Bride that is fitting for the King.

C. THE LOST NEED TO BE SAVED

"Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' He said. 'The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news' " (Mark 1:14-15)!

We must never forget what we were commissioned to do — preach the gospel of the kingdom of God so that the lost will be saved and empowered for eternity. Every day until Jesus returns provides another opportunity for those in darkness to see the light. Let us use this time wisely as good stewards of this good news.

Every time end-of-the-world predictions resurface in the media, it is important that we ask ourselves, "Is this helpful? Is peddling these falsehoods a good way to contribute to meaningful, helpful discussions about the end times?"

Failed date-setting has discredited Christians many times before. It's irresponsible for any Christian to tell an unbeliever when Jesus is coming back or when the world will end. Dates and deadlines don't have the power to save souls—only the gospel can do that.

Our job is to preach the good news. All the storms, floods, fires, earthquakes, riots, political tension, terrorism and nuclear attacks have put fear and anxiety in people's hearts today. But the answer to all this bad news is not a doomsday prediction; the answer is Jesus, who gives us supernatural peace so we can live securely in a chaotic world.

We should tell about the miracle of Calvary and remind them: "Now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). Hundreds of thousands of people die every day without Jesus, whether or not He returns in their generation. This alone should motivate us to avoid foolish distractions and false prophecies so we can get busy with the task of evangelism.

One of the signs of Jesus’ return is that the gospel shall be preached to the ends of the earth.

D. WE ARE TO DO BUSINESS UNTIL HE RETURNS

"The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst" (Luke 17:20).

" So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’" (Luke 19:13, NKJV).

Let us do what we have been called to do and let God be God. Luther in response to the question of what he would do if he knew the end of the world would come the next day -- something to the effect of "I would plant a tree." This could mean that he would (1) continue to do what God put him here to do, and (2) live with hope.

CONCLUSION

Jesus Himself said all end-times date setting is strictly off-limits.

Acts 1:6-8, NIV

⁶ So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

As await the coming of our Lord and Master, our Bridegroom may we continue to:

•      Walk in faith and not in fear

•      Live godly and holy lives to be a radiant bride fitting for a King

•      Get busy with the task of evangelism

•      Be good stewards of the gifts, talents, treasure and time that God has given to us

People who get excited about supposed signs miss the point that Jesus made. Instead of setting dates, we ought to be ready for His return at any moment. Are you ready?

If you are, then you be able respond as the apostle John did.

Revelation 22:20, NIV

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” 

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 

Three Questions

Rev Gideon Lee

All of us go through life with questions. Like our children who grows to a stage where they start to ask lots of questions. I think it's important we learn to ask the right questions. Today we are going to look at the first three questions in the Bible. These questions did not come in a good way because they were asked to deceive man. We want to see how we can learn from this.

Genesis 3:1-11

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The serpent asked the first question and notice how it was phrased. Eve wasn't really sure when you see how she replied the serpent. And it was not with conviction.

The Second question. God asked them "where are you?". God is still asking this same question today. Maybe to the lost or to some of you who have strayed from God.

And the third question was God asking them who told them this. When God asked the question where are you, God knew exactly where Adam was. He is God.

The serpent was very crafty when he asked Eve the first question. He is a master deceiver. He is real even though I'm not glorifying him we need to be careful. As children of God we are assured of victory.

The serpent asked Eve in a very sly and non threatening way. When God gave Adam the instructions, Eve heard it secondhand. Often when we hear certain things our brain processes it first. God gave us a brain and to rationalise things out. But after that it moves from our mind to our heart. That's when the conviction comes.

Like you have head knowledge of how you are saved. And if I ask you how do you know that you are saved it has to move from head knowledge to heart knowledge and the best answer is that you know that you know.

When God says you will surely die, yet the serpent told Eve you will not surely die. If the conviction was in Eve's heart would she have eaten from the tree? She heard it secondhand so the conviction was not there. If you ever have this thought, did God really say that? It is not from God. The enemy comes with this questioning quote. The devil has only one agenda. To come to steal, kill and destroy.

God's promises come with no strings attached even if there are conditions. Jesus came to give life and life abundantly.

The serpent knows about God's word.

James 2:19

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

The enemy knows the word of God. He wants us to answer him "I think". The best way to response to him is through the word of God. The serpent presents you with something that sounds like the word of God but is not the word of God. "Did God really say you cannot eat any fruit…" He did not say from this tree.

During the temptation of Jesus after fasting 40 days.  He was hungry and he asked Jesus to turn atone into bread. He knew Jesus was God and is easy for him to do that. But Jesus answered him with "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes out from the mouth of God." He was quoting scriptures. We need to know the word of God accurately. It cannot be I think this is what God say. Then no conviction already. It has to be I know God says this.

What was the second temptation? To throw himself off the cliff. The devil quoted scriptures too. He knows the Bible. Don't read the Bible from just the mind but to meditate on the word so that it is a conviction that we can live by faith.

But Jesus says do not test the Lord your God. The devil was trying to get Jesus  to work outside his authority. Jesus  never used his power for himself but for the needy.

The third temptation the devil showed him the kingdoms of the world.

The devil presents himself like the angel of light. But he is a counterfeit. He showed Jesus  an alternative, bow before him and he'll give to Jesus  the world. No need to go to the cross and suffer all that pain. Just kneel before him.

Jesus replied, worship the Lord your God and serve only him. Jesus spoke with conviction. In what area has the enemy come to you and asked you this question: did God really say so?

Did God really say that there's no other God but him? Did God really say that Jesus was born of a virgin? Did God really say that he came back to life? Did God really say that Jesus is the only way to find eternal life? Did God really say that you have come to church? Did the enemy ask you these questions? He's trying to get you to think. You have to know that you know.

When we can answer these questions with full of faith and conviction, his lies becomes powerless. You cannot rely on secondhand knowledge. You cannot come to God based on your parent's faith. Your walk with God has to be your walk with God. Someone said to me, you cannot subcontract your faith to God.

The second question God asked where are you? God asked to reconcile Adam back to him. As parents we can relate to this. Sometimes my children drink their Milo and then leave their cups on the table. They are supposed to go and wash the cups. But sometimes they forget. I know whose Milo by the colour of their cups. So what do I do? I ask "whose cup is this?" I know whose cup this is but I asked. Why? Because I want them to own up.

But they try to get away. They use somebody or nobody. Then there's that not me. When God asked where are you Adam, God knew exactly where Adam is. He wanted Adam to own up to what he's done. Sometimes we blame Eve or Adam, that we are interested his state.

The first act of redemption was the sacrifice of an animal.to cover their nakedness. God is asking some of you here. Where are you? Have you walked away from him and God is wanting your fellowship. Where are you? I pray when God ask where are you, you'll know this is a question to bring you back to him. A reconciliation question and not to punish you.

Adam answered he was naked and afraid. And God said who told you you were naked? Adam did not get it. He hid with shame. That's what sin does to us. We hide away from him. God ask you told you so. God when he look at us sees Jesus' righteousness in us.

Sometimes we do that with ourselves. We say we are not talented. Who told you? I pray we will not hide when God ask us where are you.

We sometimes wallow in our sin instead of coming to God immediately. Our relationship is restored only when we come back to God but we want to wait or hide. I encourage you to come back and be reconciled back to God quickly.

Three ways we need to avoid deceit.

1. Stay away from temptation. When Joseph was being tempted, he ran. When you like something the enemy will come and tell you it's okay.
2.  Know what God says. Not just hear but be gut sure. You have to double confirm, if there's such a word.
3. Don't hide your sin or yourself from God. When we try to hide from God we are making excuses and hiding in the bushes. He wants to reconcile with you.

There was once a famous lawyer who was dying. He was one of the best Lawyers in the country and he won almost all his cases. At his deathbed, he called for his doctor. He knew he had no time left. He called for a Christian doctor. The lawyer asked for a bible. The doctor asked why you want a bible when you're not a Christian? He said he is sitting for his final exam so he want to try his best to see if there's any loophole in the Bible. I hope you're not like this lawyer.

There are no loopholes in the Bible. There's no back door. There's only one way. God's way. Know it in your heart.

Christ the Suffering Servant

Bro Koay Kheng Hin

This is the Christmas season so I am wondering if this message is appropriate. We sing "Joy to the world" and here I am talking about the suffering servant. But I believe after the message we will find Christmas even more meaningful.

I met with a young man and when I say young he is about 40 and I say still young man. He is an unbeliever and he said life is full of suffering. 

As we look into the Bible where man say life is suffering,  to the religious tradition and philosophers,  they only touched on half truths.

When we look at life, there is no way it is just ups with no downs. Life is about uncertainty. Sometimes that uncertainty can come through a visit to a doctor, or a boss calling you into his room, or one fine day you go home and your wife say I no longer can stay with you, or a call comes in and it bears bad news.

One day I said this at a wake service. The one thing about the certainty of life is the certainty of uncertainty. You cannot wake up one day and say you have your future in your hands.

If you know there are uncertainties in life, we know that good prosperous times will be interjected with suffering and pain, we need to ask this question - if down the line, we meet a challenge that challenges us, have we ever thought how we will tackle it?

There are 3 ways people handle suffering.

One is they fear suffering and they put it on the back burner. They say it will happen to everyone but me. That is the fear of suffering.

The second one is they realise it will happen but what to do? Suffer also suffer la because we are born to suffer.

And of course there are those who say everything is an illusion. You can say in so many ways pain is an illusion but when he has a toothache he will know how real pain is.

How do the children of God handle suffering?

Fear of suffering is not the way. Denying it is also not it. I believe it is to embrace suffering. Embrace suffering is not to want suffering. Not to wish for suffering. If you do I'll send you to Lam Wah Ee psychiatric ward. Something is seriously wrong with you if you look for suffering.

So what is embracing suffering? To embrace is first and foremost to accept it and that it is real and true. And we all do have a problem. But it does not stop there. It is more than to accept it as reality. It is to go beyond acceptance but know that we have victory over that suffering.

What is the difference between a believer and an unbeliever that is not well? I had a non-Christian friend who was unwell and the words that came out was he has no hope. And why it happened to me? What can I do or look to alternative medicine? You can see he is in despair.

But we see some of our Christian friends who have also been unwell. And some say they are fine. And they have peace and they have left their life in the hands of the almighty God. And that God will pull him through. He is not well but he is okay. It's true.

The child of God has embraced his suffering and he also knows he will have victory.

My mother is not well and she has gone for a review this morning. But my mother encourages me more than I encourage her. She say don't worry so much. Every day is a blessing from God. She is much more at rest than me. At times I also suffer wondering. But she is an encouragement to me. Why? She has embraced that life will have mortality. But in Christ she knows she has victory and the grace of God is sufficient for her.

When we go through a time of need, as children of God we run to God. Even unbelievers will run to God but we run in the right direction.

Yes in the time of need we look to God and come to Christ but what Christ do we see? A Christ seated at the right hand of God and his deity in majesty or do we see Christ in his perfect humanity.

As much as he is the perfect God, he is at the same time the perfect man. When we say Christ the Suffering servant we see Christ as the perfect man.

Isaiah 53:3

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Jesus was a man of sorrow. He was like one where man hide from his face. He was despised. That is our suffering Saviour.

Isaiah 53:4-5

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:6

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He carried our sorrows. It was all for us. He was familiar with suffering and was physically pierced.

Now we want to look at the Christmas Story and see how it mirrors these verses. Here we see Jesus just before going to the cross.

Matthew 26:38

Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

This is the picture of a man in sorrow and suffering. The story tells us that Judas came and betrayed Jesus to be arrested. How did Jesus addressed Judas? He called him friend. Jesus faced betrayal from a man he has discipled for 3 years.

In Jesus the man, his humanity is real. He hungers and thirst just like us, but Jesus calls him friend. Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver which is the worth of a slave. Jesus was betrayed.

Peter was always the first to protect Jesus. But Jesus already knew. When Jesus was arrested, Peter denied Jesus not once but three times. You must know how Jesus feels.

Then came the physical pain. If you saw the Passion of Christ, you'll know how it was. He has both emotional and physical pain. Today's Star, an article says emotional pain can sometimes be more hurtful than physical pain. A cut can heal but emotional pain can last a lifetime.

I want to tell you the feeling of being rejected is very real. Finally the straw that would have broke the camel's back is this. Jesus throughout his life always had the comfort of the Father's presence and the presence of the Holy Spirit. But when the wrath of God came upon him, the presence was not felt by him.

Jesus bore the pain of the cross physically, emotionally and spiritually alone. It is the alone that is most difficult. That's why we have the befrienders. Having someone that goes through with you makes a difference. Jesus died with a broken heart. My God my God why have you forsaken me?

Jesus could have called legions of angels to come rescue him. What kept him on the cross? It was a demonstration of his love for us that kept him on the cross. Even for those that mock at him or laugh at him. Jesus said father forgive them for they know not what they do. Were they really ignorant? No. Some of those there saw his miracles. The Pharisees were there and chose to crucify him with their legalistic views. That was the grace of Christ our Lord to say forgive them.

Jesus' cries of anguish is a Christ that is poignant but also a tragic cry. Why have you forsaken me? To an unbeliever, the cross seems to be a tragedy. That Good Friday is not a good Friday. They see the cross as a tragedy. They saw an innocent man being crucified. An innocent man condemned to crucifixion. But for all of us we know. That the cross was a triumph. That in Jesus and in his statement that it is finished, he is like a Phoenix that rises. His triumph was completed when he rose again on the third day. As Christians we must understand it was for us and the life of God and it was not a tragedy but a triumph for God and for us. A triumph when the spoils were for us. But it was bought with pain and suffering and blood. And we must not take the blood of Christ for granted.

We now inherit the wholesomeness as a child of God. It is because Jesus' body was broken for us.

So now in your time of need or suffering what do you do? Our God is there. Jesus already died for you on the cross and he is there to provide, protect and to pull your through.

1. When you suffer Come to Jesus.

Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.

When you suffer, remember He suffered even more. If you feel abandoned, He was abandoned even more. Jesus is the ultimate empathiser.

If you have a situation when your marriage goes through a problem, and you see a friend who has a perfect marriage they may not know the pain you go through. Empathising is someone who has spent time with people who has gone through what you go through. But make sure they have victory over their situation. But more so, come to Jesus. He knows what you go through. After Calvary, no one needs to be alone in their pain. He is always there and he will draw towards us. We will be enveloped by his love because he understands. When you talk to Christ and come to him he emphasises with you.

2. When suffering Look to Jesus

Hebrews 12:2-3

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.

Look to Jesus like how Jesus looked up to heaven and said Father forgive them for they know not what they do. That's how you can forgive those that hurt you. Some people leave the church because of hurts. Learn to look to Jesus to forgive.

Some of us don't like bosses that can talk but don't do. But those bosses that also do and put their hands on the plough is different. There is nothing that the Lord ask of you he has not done. When he say forgive, he has forgiven. When he say sacrifice, he has sacrificed.

3. When suffering He is an Enabler

Romans 8:37

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

His life for you will enable you to go through all of your suffering and pain. In the meaningless of your suffering, you will be more than conquerors, when you embrace your suffering in him.

Suffering comes with the human condition. You will have victory over it and rise above your suffering and there is a meaning attached to it. God uses it as you look to God as Paul writes.

Romans 5:3

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

Note that we do not rejoice for suffering. We rejoice in our suffering. That's the difference. Suffering produces perseverance. That's how God moulds you. Character is moulded in the crucible of suffering.

James 1:2-4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Maturity comes though suffering. That is spiritual maturity. But today it is twisted. There are those who says if you believe in Jesus you'll be prosperous. So the bigger your car, the more spiritual you are. They have a mistaken identity of the God they worship. They worship the god of prosperity and they call him Jesus. Or they say if you are a Christian you should not suffer. Again, they have a mistaken identity of the God they worship. Suffering is real, and Jesus went through it so will we.

As Christians we are more than conquerors in our suffering with Jesus. When you have Jesus, it is enough. For his grace is sufficient for you.