Season of Advent | Pr. Stephen Kong

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Matthew, Chapter one.

And this is where the Angel of the Lord gave

the name Jesus to the parents.

Both Joseph and Mary.

So verse eighteen, Verse eighteen say, it's not a birth

of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother Mary

was betfal to Joseph before they came together, she was

found with Child of the Holy Spirit.

Well, first of all, that is.

Humanly impossible, Okay, she was found with Chad even though

she has not known a man, or she has not

had intimacy with a man. Okay, that is humanly not possible. Okay,

But we've got all things possible. Somebody say, amen, okay.

So the Bible says was found with Child of the

Holy Spirit. Then Joseph's husband, being a man and not

one thing to make her a public example, was was

minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought

about these things, behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared

to him in the dream, saying, Joseph's son of David,

do not be afraid to take to you marry a wife,

for that which is conceived in her is of the

Holy Spirit, and she will bring forth a son, capital

as a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Somebody said, Jesus, Jesus, for he will save his people

from their scenes. Well, there you go. The meaning of

his name is even found there in the scripture. So

all this was done so that it might be fulfilled,

which was spoken by the Lord to the prophet, saying, behold,

a virgin shall be richa and bear a son, and

they shall call his name in Manuel, which is translated

God is a god with us. Okay, let me let

me just stop there for now, okay, all right. So

that's that's where we find his name, which was given

by the Angel of the Lord to marry and of

course to Joseph as well, both the parents.

And so it's it's powerful, isn't it. And so.

Again, as I said, now, it's not not any prophetic,

it's not a powerful but yet it was prophetic. The

name was given to him, Jesus Christ. And the next

name that comes up to our mind is the word Christ. Now,

to clarify, is not exactly a name, okay, but a title.

But of course, as I said to you earlier, the

word Christmas has his name in it, Christ in it.

But again it's actually a title.

It's a title and not exactly a name, because oftentimes

sometimes people can confuse it as a name or they

take away as a surname. For example, my name is

Stephen and my surname is gone right, But if it

is my surname, very unlikely you would put my surname

before my name. That you wouldn't call me Kong Stephen.

It sounds I don't know, it sounds weird.

Right.

Maybe some people's names have two first names and then

you can stop, like switch it around and it still works.

But for most of us it doesn't quite work. You know,

if you have an English name or a Christian name

in fun, you can just can't switch the two names.

But if you know that it works, you can actually.

Call the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus, right, because it's a title, right,

and the title actually means anointed one or the Messiah.

That's what the title actually means, and so that's why

we can put the title in front of it and

you can call him Christ Jesus, just like how you

know you would call uh, you know, let's say a

prime minister. You call his name, Prime minister. Unwell, you

know it's our comment, Prime minister. You put the title

in front, or you call a doctor. Let's say you

no doctor chan or whatever it is. You just put

a title in fun and that's what it's like.

Okay.

So Christ is the title, uh even to him, which

means anointed one and the Messiah. And the title was

prophesied in more than three hundred Old Testament prophecies in

the Bible, that title itself Christ. So it's interesting, okay.

And the third name is Emmanuel Imanue. And I read

to you earlier that he will be called Immanuel. Okay,

And let me just read it to you first again.

I think I have a slide. Let me see that

the slight first, okay, first again on the same chapter

Matthew chapter one, twenty two, twenty three. So this was

done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by

the Lord to the prophet, saying, behold, a virgin shall

be rich old and bear a son, and they shall

call his name Emmanuel, which is translated God with us.

Now if you spell it I Emanual or e Emmanuel,

it's just on a different language.

I believe. If you can call me if I'm wrong.

Is Hebrew and Greek spelling the alphabet? Okay? But both

is is fine? And what the name, this name I

Manuel mean?

Okay?

In Hebrew it actually means God with us. Oh, I've

heard abody as God is with us? Okay, God with us,

God is with us?

A man?

How many if you believe that God is with us?

You know, He's not a God that is far away

somewhere in the heavens and just looking now on us.

But He is here with us, present, in this very moment.

He came now as a man, you know, although he

was also fully God and fully man, but he came

now as a man to relate to us and to

have fellowship with us.

He ate with people, he spent time.

With them, he had he had fellowship with them, you know,

and he just came to be with us.

And God is with us today. Amen.

And so in Manuel, God with us. But where do

where does this name Imanu first appear? Or the prophecy? Okay,

it first appeared in this book of Isaiah, chapter seven,

verse fourteen. Okay, that is where it was. The name

was prophesied. And so I'm going to read it to

you first. Isaiah chapter seven, verse fourteen says, therefore the

Lord himself gave will give you a sign. Behold, a

virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call

his name I Manuel.

Wow.

So you can see that direct coalition, or I should say,

the direct fulfillment of the prophecy that happened about I

think it's about seven.

Hundred years before.

Okay, the difference or the gap, the time between the

prophecy was given and the time where was fulfilled. Seven

hundred years amazing. God never h you know, forgets his

promise or his prophecy, and it will surely come to

pass because none of his words well you know, returned

to him void. But he will accomplished surely at this time,

at this perfect time, even though it can take a while.

But you know, the delays never denied. God is faithful

his promises, said yes and amen, amen? All right, So

I thought you'd be appropriate to just bring us back

to this book of Isaiah, uh to the first time

where this purposely was given, Okay, and I'll do my

best to give us some context on what happened at

this story.

Okay. Is that okay? Right? So now let's go.

Back to this original time in Isaiah chapter seven. So

if you have a biburse, you can turn to Isaiah

chapter seven and uh, you know, just put a notebook

somewhere there, okay, Isaiah chapter seven. So during that time,

Israel was split into two parts. Okay, I shaid you

this about a few weeks ago. I think is you

was split into two parts, which is called ju Judah

and Israel.

Okay.

The northern part was Israel, which eventually Sa Maria became

the city, the capital city, and the southern part is

Judah okay, which Jerusalem was a capital city.

Okay.

And so this was a time whereby there were two

part okay for following me, Judah and uh Israel.

Okay.

So it's the northern part, the southern part is Judah.

And this was the time where the king of Judah

was a king named King AHAs. Okay, King AHAs not

a great king in the sense that he didn't do

a lot of good things.

Okay. I've just gotta wad to you because I don't

have a slight for it is. You can find his account.

Of this king in Second Kings chapter sixteen, and actually

you can also find in the Second Conicles. But I'm

gonna reading from Second Kings, Chapter sixteen was one to five.

He says that in the seventeen years of Paca, son

of ramalayas As okay, son of Jotham, King of Judah,

began to reign. AHAs was twenty twenty years old when

he became king. Well, anybody here twenty years old? Hey,

twenty years old, it can be king way twenty years old,

and he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years,

So that makes it thirty six I think. Okay, yeah,

So unlike David his father. Okay, this is unlike David

his father. He did not do what was right in

the eyes of the Lord. He's got out. He followed

the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed

his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices

of the nations of the Lord, the nations the Lord

had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and

burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and

under every spreading tree. Then raising King of Aram, which

actually is Syria, and Perkas, son of Emilia, King of Israel,

marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besiege As, but

they could not overpower him.

Okay.

So that's the context of the story as I've got

to bring it to you right now. During that time,

these two kings of King of Syria and King of

Israel okay, wanted to form a coalition against this rising

a Syrian army empire okay uh. And they wanted this

King Airs or King of Judah to join this coalition

or this party right uh, you know, to fight against

this as Syrian empire.

But he refused, Okay, he refused.

And because he refused, Judah Easier, the army of Easier

and see actually fought against him and actually you know,

wanted to attack him, okay. But the Bible says they

could not overpower him even though they had besieged him.

Okay. And this is where tuft Isaiah comes into play. Okay.

So King AHAs is in a desperate moment. He's in

a time whereby there are two kings that are coming

after him and wanted to take over Judah okay, and

the Lord sends a forfeit okay. A major profit in

the Bible called called Isaiah okay uh. In Isaiah chapter seven,

this is where we're at right now. Okay, you get

a context.

Okay.

So, so Prophet Isaiah comes in chapter seven. I'm going

to read from verse one all the way until seventeen.

So very mean. Okay.

So if you have your Bibles turned to Isaiah chapter seven,

verse one to seventeen, because I'm trying to give you

the full context.

He said, okay, okay, here we go.

Now you came to pass in the days of AHAs

the son of Jotham, the son of Usaiah, King of Judah. Okay,

there you go, King of Judah, the Raisin, King of Syria,

and Peker the son of Amalaiah, King of Israel. So

again the three kings here, king of King Ahs, which

is the King of Judah, King of King Raisin, which

is King of Syria, and Pekah, which is the King

of Israel. Okay, they went up to Judaism to make

war against it, but could not prevail against it. So

these two kings, King of Syria and King of Israel

went to war against the King of Judah. Okay, has

And he was told to the House of David, saying,

Severa's forces are deployed in Ephim. So it's hard and

the heart of his people were moved, as the trees

of the woods are moved with the wind.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah.

Go out now to meet it has you and sheer

joshup your son at the end of the ecuadorm, from

the upper pool on the highway, on the fullest field,

and say to him, Say to this king of kings,

take heat and be quiet. Do not fear or be fainthearted,

for these two steps of smoking firebrands, for the fierce

anger of Raisin and Syria and the son of Amalaia.

Okay. Actually he said two stops of smoking fire brands.

Actually refers to these two kings, okay, which is attacking him,

because severe Ephraim and the son of Amaliah have broughted

evil against you, saying, let us go up against Judah

and trouble it, and let us make a gap in

his wall for ourselves, and set the king over them,

the son of Taba. Thus says the Lord God, it

shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. For

the heat of Syria is the Mascus, and the head

of the Mascus is raising. Within sixty five years Fim

will be broken, so that it will not be a people.

The head of Ephraim is a Maria, and the head

of sa Mayor is Remelia's son. If you will not believe,

listen to this. If you will not believe, surely you

shall not be established. So this is the prophet Isaiah

saying to the king it has. If you will not believe,

surely you shall not be established. And I'll give it

the story later.

Okay. So more over, the Lord.

Spoke again to a Has, saying, ask for a sign

for yourself from the Lord your God. Ask it either

in depth or in the height above. Not many times

would the Lord tell us to ask for a sign,

or ask for a confirmation, or in a sense to

test the Lord in a sense. Not many a really,

you can come with your figures. Not many in the

in the Bible. But this is the moment that the

Lord gave King it has an opportunity to test the

Lord or to ask for a sign, so that he

can be assured of the word of the Lord. Food

the perfect Isaiah to King it has in this desperate moment. Okay,

because I'm going to give you the end of the

story first. If you know the end of the story,

King Has did not heed the voice of the prophet.

Instead of relying on the Lord, he actually went to

the to the enemy, which is the Seven Army, to

ask for help. And in the end the seven Army

helped him and you know defeated that are two kings

and uh and they enough for being alliance in state.

But if you're continue reading on the story, you will

know that in the end the seven Army actually went

against kings or went against Judah themselves. So he ended

in a very bad state. Okay, because the Bible Clarty says,

if you will not believe, surely you will not be established.

And so the Lord gave him an opportunity, not many times,

an opportunity to ask for a sign, but he didn't.

What was his response? It has said, I will not

ask nor will I test the Lord. Well, it sounds

very bigird, it sounds very wait, holy, sounds like a

great answer. But ladies and gentlemen in that moment, not

a great answer, because the Lord had specifically asked him,

told him, asked for a sign for yourself from the Lord,

asked it either in depth or in the height above.

Wow.

That means he could really really ask for a signer

and be very sure that whatever the Lord has said

will come the past.

But he did not. I want to ask. Not when

I test the.

Lord sounds right, but not really in that moment, because

obedience is better. The Lord asked him to told him

to ask specifically for a sign. Then he said, here now,

old house of David. So now the prophet is speaking

not only to the king, but to the house of

David as a whole. Okay, is it a small thing

for you to ary men? But will you ary my God?

Also?

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold,

a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall

call his name in man Or.

There you go.

That's very fine. In Isaiah chapter seven, month fourteen, the

prophecy of the birth of Jesus to a virgin, and

it will be a son, not just a son, but

a firstborn son. And he will be called his name

will be called immn or Kurts, and honey. He shall

eat that he may know how to refuse the evil

and choose the good. For before the child shall know

how to know how to refuse the evil and choose

the good, the land that your dread will be forsaken

by both her kings the Lord will bring the king

of estate upon you and your people and your father's house,

days that have not come since the day that FM

departed from Tudor. Now I'll stop there, okay. So here

we already see the end of the story. Or you know,

the outcome of king has doubt or disobedience to the Lord.

Okay.

And so actually the message I'm trying to bring to

you today is actually on a message of hope. Okay uh,

even though in this moment there doesn't seem too much hope.

Okay.

King is in a hopeless moment which I alluded to

Girl's testimony earlier. He's in a hopeless moment because the

two kings are against him. They have really besiech him,

but they have not overpowered him. And the Lord comes

to him with a comforting word. The Lord basically threw

him to the perfect Isaiah that they will not prevot

against you. Okay, but all you need to do is believe.

If you will not believe, you shall not be established.

And he did not heed the word of the prophet,

and instead of relying on the law, instead of trusting

on the Lord, he went and looked towards his enemies

instead the seven I mean, and so I come to

come to more to that in a little bit more.

But but in this moment, in this in this prophecy,

there are two parts of the prophecy. Okay, there is

a near term prophecy, and there is a long term prophecy. Okay,

what is the near them near them or the short

term policy? Uh not policy for for see the short

term prophecy, they say, policies.

Is it?

Okay, short term prophecy. The short term prophecy was that

you know, he will be overthrown by the army that

he made allies with, which is a seven army, because

of his disobedience. But the long term prophacy that was

yet to come seven hundred years later was the birth

of Jesus, which is to bring salvation to Israel and

to the world. And so basically, even though in the

moment of desperation, and I can't imagine if King has

actually understood what was the prophecy was given to him,

wouldn't she be trembling? Because again I started by saying

that every word of the law will come to pass.

It will surely, it will come to pass, even not

returned to him void. So you can imagine if you

put yourself in King Anshu, right, you would have known

what's to end. In the short term, it's going to

happen because what this prophesies will come to pass. And

so again there was a short term prophecy and the

near term papacy and the long term papacy that was

to come. So there is still hope. Okay, I'm going

to take us a little bit deeper and point us

to Isaiah. Chapter eighth is the next chapter five verses.

Isaiah Chapter eight, verse five to ten tells us the

Lord also spoke to me again, saying, in as much

as these people refuse the waters of Hiloa that flows

softly and rejoins in Resin and Remaia's son. Now therefore behold,

the Lord brings up over them the waters of the river.

Well, let me stop there for a while now.

Verse six says, in as much as these people refuse

the waters of Hiloa that flow softly, now I believe

this is actually referring to the hand of God, the

protection or the protecting hand of God over Judah, and

the Bible actually says they actually refuse the waters of

lower that flows softly, and instead they look to others,

and so verse seven says, Now, therefore, behold, the Lord

brings up over them the waters of the river Song

and Mighty, the king of Assyria and all his glory.

He will go up over all his channels and over

all his banks. He will pass through Judah. He will

overflow and pass over. He will reach up to the neck.

Let me stop that for a while. He will reach

up to the neck. And so this refers to the

downfall of Judah, whereby the seven Army will one day

eventually go against him and they will get destroyed. Because

that's what I'm talking about. The rivers will go over Judah,

over all his channels, always banks overflow and pass over.

But look, look, listener, it will only stop at his neck.

If you catch that, it will only stop only up

to the neck. That means God actually still has hope

for the people of Judah at the moment, if they

will really understood it, because it will. Of course, Yes,

when you're when you're journey all the way to the neck,

you're still joining. But yeah, you're still alive. There is

still hope, there is still life. God still had a

redemption plan for Judah even at this moment, even though

they had forsaken the Lord, even though they had disobeyed

the Lord. And because God is so holy and just,

he's he still needs to execute judgment over his people

because of their disobedience, because of the sins.

But yet despite of.

All of that, God was still very merciful and would

spare them that the rivers will only flow as much

to the neck and the stretching out of his wings.

Will feel the breath of your land, all in Manual.

So look, listen, land of Israel and Judah still belongs

to the Lord. That's what it means, will feel the

breath of your land, Oh in Manual. That's the second

time is mentioned here in the book of Isaiah, the

name in Manuel, and so it says it was nine,

be shattered, all you peoples, and be broken in pieces.

Give here all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but

be broken in pieces. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.

Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing. Speak

the word, but it will not stand. For God is

with us. Amen, And that is the meaning again of Emanuel.

God is with us. So friends, I'm here today to

bring you a message of hope. That there is still hope.

Even in that moment where King A has went through

such trouble, there was still hope. Because this last sentence,

on this last phrase, that God is with us can

mean two things to me the way how I interpret

it can mean two things.

One is that.

God is with the seven army in a sense whereby

whatever he said will come to pass. God had to

execute judgment over his people for the disobedience, and he

would allow it even if he had to use it

a seven army, even if he had to use a

seven army to execute judgment. But the better part is

this God is with us is what a profet is

basically saying that, look, no matter what we are going

through and what we will go through in the days

to come, God is still with us. Such an assurance

from the prophet himself, because we clearly know that Forfect

Isaiah actually knew what was about to happen already clearly

he knew he could interpret the message. He shard it

with the king, even though the king did not listen

to the message. But Perfect Isaiah's you hoped in the Lord.

He still put his trust in the Lord, even though

I would think that he was afraid. He was fearful

at the moment because King has you don't want to

listen to his word, to the worst of the Lord.

But even in that moment, Isaiah perfect, Isaiah is still

trusted in the Lord, despite knowing what was the outcome.

Some here to tell us, friends, there is hope. There

is hope for you and for me. Somebody say amen,

And so what is hope really?

What is hope?

Hope is to want something to happen and have some

reason to believe that it will or might happen. That's

what the English Dictionary defines hope.

Okay. And so I'm going to show us the difference.

I just thought about this thing at the top of

my mind and I wanted to differentiate what is through hope,

or I should say, the Christian hope, and what is

not hope, which what the world looks at.

Okay, So the difference is very clear.

What true hope looks like is that it's grounded and

backed by a check record. You know, it's backed by

a belief, you know, by a reliable source, you know,

by a promise, by an evidence either from the past

or the present.

For example, it is backed by.

God's character you know, God's the same yesterday, today and

forever more. It is backed by scripture. And because there

is backing of a check record, we can have hope. Amen,

we can have hope, And so the films Outwait, what

is not hope is actually basically wishful thinking. You know,

sometimes I'm sure you have used this word loosely before.

I hope it won't rain today, you know what I mean.

Although that's right in that sense to say it. You know,

you hope that you're not rain today, But if you

really believe by faith and pray it, right, you would

actually rather say that, Lord, I pray it will not rain,

and I believe it and receive it by faith.

Right.

There's a difference, okay, and so and so what is

not frue Hope is basically wishful thinking.

Okay. But of course we use the word hope very loosely.

Okay, But that's actually wishful thinking, you know, a personal

desire of fantasy.

We little or no evidence. That is what it's not hope. Okay,

that's what not hope. Okay. How about certainty fuel? Hope

is confident.

You have a confident, expectation and assurance that it will happen,

even though it's not guarantee yet. Okay, you have a confident,

expectation or assurance.

And that is why when we believe by faith. You know,

I think he was eleven.

Verse one says faith is the substance of things hope

for the evidence of things not seen. And so it's

a substance of things hoped for. You have a certainty,

a confidence in the Lord, an assurance you know, although

not guarantee yet, right, but you have an assurance and

the Lord that he will come to for you.

He will answer our prayers. Amen.

So we have a confidence. That is what true hope is,

and the films are away. What is not true hope

is when people say this word fingers crossed. I'm sure

we've said it before. You've hurried before, people say this thing,

God touchwood, you know, our fingers crossed. Ah. That is

there is no certainty. Why do they have not Why

do they not have certain t because they have no

control over the future. But how many have you know?

God has control over our future? Amen, And so that's

why when we have true hope in the Lord, we

have certainty because God has control of the future, past,

the present, and even the future.

And the third thing is is focus.

When you talk about true hope, we are focusing on

something substantial or in fact, I should use the word eternal,

you know, something not just merely for the present or

for the now, but something eternal. And the flip side

of it is, you know the focus will be the

focus of wishful thinking is just something temper or a circumstance.

I mentioned to you earlier, I hope they won't rain.

You know, it's a circumstance that you are wishing it

will not happen. Okay, So it's something very temperate and

very based on a circumstance. There's what not hope actually means. Okay,

But friends, you and I, we can place our confidence

and our hope in the Lord, who is the same yesterday,

today and forever. Can I have a good amen? It's

not wishful thinking, you know, there has no backing. But

we can trust in the Lord that who has control

over the future. You know, we can trust in the

Lord because he is good and he is faithful, and

that he loves us, that he has good plans for us.

By reminds us that he has good thoughts us towards us,

to give us the future and the hope nine eleven.

Amen.

So he has good thoughts for us, and we can

rely on his on the confidence of the Lord.

Amen.

Romans fifteen, verse thirteen says, this now made a God

of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in

believing that you may abound in hope by the power

of the Holy Spirit.

He is a God of hope. Amen.

May the God of Hope give us hope that you

may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so hope does not mean right that we are

denying the pain.

No, it's not. It is not mean that we ignored

the struggles. But hope is basically.

Trusting in God's bigger plan for you and for me.

And that's why when people have no hope, they perish.

You know, when they have no hope of living anymore,

that's when they will take their life. They will perish

because they don't have hope to leave anymore. They don't

have an assurance. And so this season of Edvan invites

us to imagine a different kind of hope, you know,

the hope that is ruthed in the unchanging nature of

God and his formies to restore every part of His creation.

You know, edvan Hope does not minimize the pain or difficulty,

nor really it assume that things will get better very soon.

But instead it encourages us to face our darkness with

courage and choose to trust God's promisus. That is what

hope in this season of edvan Uh can.

Do to us.

You know, it's not to say that in not a pain,

but it's to trust and to be courageous and to

hope in the promises of God that will come to

pass because we can stand on his faithful character of God.

Amen.

And so the Hebrew Bible, most of the words of

this Uh, this word hope is often translated to this

word cover or jakha. I don't know how to pronounce it,

so forgive me for the pronunciation, which is actually translated as.

Wait, wait w a I t wait Okay.

Is to wait on the Lord, right is to is

to hope, and to hope in God means to wait

with patient expectations. First thing that He will fulfill his promises.

And that is what I want to encourage you and

I to do this morning. You know, we can trust

in the Lord and during this time of Christmas, as

I told you earlier, Edvan, is about the coming arrival, right,

how many of you know it's not just about the

coming or arrival of Jesus when he came as a

child or as a baby to be born in a manger,

because that's his first coming. In fact, I should say,

it's actually a reminder to us to be patient and

to wait for his second arrival or his second coming,

which is yet to be fulfilled.

Again.

You and I can hope in the promise and the

word of God that he will again. I want to say,

he will come again at his second coming, and that

is what I want to remind us and to encourage us,

you know, and during this time of Christmas, or as

she used the word edvent, to not only remember about

the first coming of Jesus christ Is, but to also

remember his second coming, where he will come and make

all things beautiful. He will, you know, bring us back

to him to the Father forever, and they will be beautiful.

God makes all things beautiful in his time. And God

is a promise keeper, and he will fulfill his promise,

and he will never leave us alone, and he will

come back again second time at his second coming.

Amen.

So God is a promise keeper. He will keep his promises.

They are yes and Amen. And the best hope that

you and I can possibly put our trust in is

actually in the Lord, the one who never changes, the

one who never changes. Because if we hope on things

that changes, then you're bound to be very disappointed. But

you and I can trust and hope in the Lord

who never changes. He has come the first time, and

he will come again at his second coming.

And we know for certain that he will come. Amen,

because his words will come to pass.

I'm gonna give you two more scriptures before I close today,

Founding Lamentations sheapter three, verse twenty one, or twenty six.

Lamentation Chapter three, verse twenty one to twenty six. This

I recall to my mind. Therefore I have hope for

the Lord's mercies. We are not consumed because his compassions

fail none. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, saves my soul. Therefore I

come on. Therefore I hope in him. The Lord is

good to those who wait for him, to the soul

who seeks him. It is good that one should hope

and wait pa wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Amen. And so this is a profit.

Of course, some believe that he was a prophet, which

is Jeremiah, but some you know that there's some argument

with the scholars who can't confirm which profert was this.

But let me just say it's a prophet, okay, because

I don't want to get into the argument. A prophet

in the time of despair still could find hope in

the Lord. That's why he says, I recall in my mind.

I recall in my mind again, there's a track my court.

There is a confidence of something that's happened.

In the past.

And he says, therefore I have hope. Therefore I have hope.

He said it two times, you know. Therefore I hope

in him two times. He said it because he relies

on he's confident and relies on the track courd of

the Lord.

Amen.

My last verse of scripture towards is this Psalm chapter

forty two, verse eleven.

And maybe if this year has been tough for you.

As a close a year, maybe you're telling me, look faster,

I don't have anything great to celebrate about. I don't

have anything to be happy about. My year has been tough.

And maybe you're always down. I don't know if any

words are like that. But actually, in my current season

right now, I'm going to quite quite a tough season,

and this verse is a great reminder to me. Why

are you cast down, oh my soul? Why are you

disquieted within me? Actually, another translation says disturbed within me?

Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him the

help of my countenance and my God. Amen, Why are

you cast down, oh my soul? Why are you disquieted

within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him,

the help of my countenance and my God. I'm gonna

write worship him to come. And as I close, and

so more than just a countdown to Christmas, h Edvan

embraces the way of Jesus and encourages us with this,

you know, there's a slight on the screen. It says,

more than just a countdown to Christmas, Edwin embraces the

way of Jesus and encourages hopeful waiting, courages, peace making,

re Zialian joy and self giving love in our still

suffering world. And so, if you know, as I said,

I don't know what you're going through, what you have

gone through, in this year. Maybe it's been challenging. Maybe

you feel like a king, as in the story that

I sheard earlier in Isaiah chapter seven and chapter eight,

where you feel like the world is coming against you,

and maybe people who are supposed to be your friends

your family is coming against you. You feel like a

king he has in the in the story, you feel

like you're desperate, in a moment of despair, remember that

even in the time of waiting, God has never left you.

His name is immanuor God with us. So the question

to you and to me today is this, what does

this phrase God with us mean to you? What does

it mean to you?

Does it just mean that God is somewhere nearby or

does that does that mean that God is there with

you but just passively watching you. Because sometimes in our

lives we prefer to do it on our on our own,

We prefer to do it our way. You know, God

is just we push him aside as a spectator. But

if you know that God wants to be actively involved

in your life, in my life, he wants to He

desires because God knows for the fact that we need him.

He does.

And so every time in the morning when I come

to the law. I said, Lord, I need you, and

I don't think it's wrong to say that, because I

truly believe that God knows that we need him. He

does because we, in our fallen nature, we can do

nothing without Him unless we're abiding Him.

So I want to just encourage you.

Maybe you felt some hopelessness, you felt like you're struggling,

you're in some challenge, You're still in the time of waiting.

You're still waiting on the Lord and waiting for his

for his hand, for his power to work in your life.

I want to say to you, you're not alone.

God is with us. That's why the question I asked

to us, what does God with us mean to you?

Would you invite him into your every decision, into your life,

into your thoughts, into your plans, your desires for everything

that you will plan for twenty twenty six in a

year to come. Maybe He has not been a big

part of your life this year. Maybe you're push him aside.

But we can make a change for twenty twenty six

and ask the Lord to be with us, to be

active in more in every decision and our life choices,

in the small choices and especially the big choices, and

I was reminded as I was deplaning on this message

that every something that you endure today is a reminder

that friends this world is that burn. Everything in this

world fade away, and the more we endure our suffering,

we must focus on an eternal hope that we have

in Christ Jesus, that when he returns at a second coming,

he will complete his restoration work on all creation.

Amen.

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this week is going to be a good week ahead

for you. God bless