A disciple’s determination | Pr Jack

You're listening to a message to go from acts church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

So I have a question here, how what have you

determined to do for different situations in your life?

What have you determined? Okay?

What is the word? What is the meaning of determination?

What determination just means no matter what the circumstance, no

matter what the challenge and the difficulty, you will still

do it. I am determined, okay. Sometimes the other word

is like stubborn. I'm stubborn. I have already said it

in my mind. I already said it in my vision.

All right, I see it happening. And so no matter what,

I'm gonna get there, I'm gonna get get it. If

I'm determined to marry this girl, I will marry her

no matter what, all right, even if there's challenges in between,

there's other guys standing in line, I will I don't care.

It's determination, yeah, But so what have you been determined?

What have you been or what have you determined in

your mind to do right for different things in life?

Okay?

For example, many students here you're studying, okay, And if

you determine in your mind, then no matter what Christ

is my Lord, and Church is every Sunday for me.

No matter what comes your.

Way, You're going to find a way to get to church.

You're going to find a way to read the Bible,

You're going to find a way to worship Jesus, all right,

because that's your determination. But if you're not determine that,

you determine something else, then obviously you're going to do

something else. So that's a question you need to ask yourself,

what is my determination? What is my focus in life?

Amen?

Hallelujah? So a radical life? Okay, So anyway, let's as

read some scripture and then we can talk about this

some more. All right, we'll read verse one to six

if you can, all right, return to your bibles as well.

I didn't we put the scripture albums? Yeah, I'm sure

we do, Okay, all right, Okay. Jeremiah Chapter fourteen, Verse

one to six. Okay, let's here listen to the word

of God, the word of the Lord that came to

Jeremiah concerning the drought. Judah mourns, and her gates languish,

Her people lament on the ground, and the cry of

Jerusalem goes up. Her nobles send their servants for water.

They come to the cisterns, they find water. They return

with their vessels empty. They are ashamed and confounded and

cover their heads because of the ground that is dismayed.

Since there is no rain on the land. The farmers

are ashamed. They cover their heads, and even the dough

in the field forsake her new born fawn because there

is no grass. The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights.

They pan for air like jackals. Their eyes fail because

there is no vegetation. I'm reading for my own version,

all right. If you have your Bible, you're reading, you can.

I don't know what's what's this? What's the script?

Job? Okay, they're trying to work on that. Okay, don't

worry about it.

Okay, hope you have your Bibles with you and uh,

and and read your Bibles.

Okay.

Anyway, So what do we see here? Okay, there's a

drought happening. Okay, what's going on? So the drought? Uh

just rewind a bit. Okay, so rewind a bit. Jeremiah thirteen,

I was speaking this all right in Excavagaya.

Uh.

There was a situation where God gave object lesson to

Jeremiah or rather to the people through Jeremiah to wear

a loin cloth. Okay, so this loin cloth basically in

the end, you know, it's an object lesson he wore loincloth.

It represents, you know, closeness because loin cloth normally covers

intimate area, so it talks about intimacy, intimacy with the Lord.

And so God told Jeremiah to go and hide that

loincloth in some far away place, you know, uh, and

then uh, and then.

Go back and get it.

And by the time he went back to get it

after a few months, perhaps uh, it has spoiled.

And so when he took it back, it's rotten and uh.

That and and that message to the people at the

time that you were supposed to be close to me,

you know, Judah, but you you know, you are like

a rotten loincloth right now and useless to me. And

so there was a radical, you know message. And then

eventually what the message was also was saying you are

going to be exiled. You're going to be exiled, You're

gonna face a horrible punishment, all right. But now here

you look at chapter fourteen and suddenly there's a drought.

So what is this all right. So God was warning

them about exile. You're gonna get it, you know, from me.

But now suddenly there's a drought. So that's really interesting.

Why because it shows to me what I understand is

God is giving some more warnings. It's that you can

still turn, guys, you can still change. I warn you already,

I say, I'm gonna punish you, you know, ultimately.

But then.

Drought I let you feel, you know, suffering and because

of your sin. And so it's a warning again. But

then you know they don't turn. Uh in this drat

what happens is you know, at the last two verses,

I read verse five and six.

It says the door you know what the door is?

Do deer?

Okay, all right, it's a deal, all right? And uh

so animal and a donkey. A donkey is a hardy animal, apparently, right,

I think so. So so all these animals are affected

by the drought.

And what does this speak of.

It talks about how this obedience of the people affects everything. Okay,

you our decisions in our lives, our decisions where the

obey or disobey affects everything. It's not just you. It

doesn't affect just you. You think, okay, I don't go

to church. I go to church, I don't serve whatever.

It's just me.

It's my problem, right, not your problem. Why why you

want to bug me so much? But it actually is

Everyone's problem. When we are not living according to God's word,

it becomes everyone's problem.

If you didn't know that. Why I say this, it's

not my own words.

I'm just get taking this, all right, and not analogy

and showing us how that disobedience of the people cause

a drought, and the drought caused animals to be affected.

You're not just affecting you. You're not just affecting your neighbor.

You're affecting nature. When when God wants to test his people,

wants to warn his people, things around gets changed, things

around gets gets changed, and it all gets affected.

All right, And so I wanna, I wanna, I wanna

encourage us.

I want to remind us that your disobedience really makes

a difference.

Oh sorry, your and your obedience makes a difference.

Your disobedience creates issues, and your obedience makes a difference.

Amen.

Amen, tell your neighbor that your obedience makes a difference.

Amen. So yeah, say yeah, so oh cool man.

All right, Okay, so now let's go on. Let's go on, uh,

verse seven to nine. Reading verse seven to nine. Okay,

through our iniquities testify against us, act O Lord, for

your name's sake. For our backslidings are many. We have

sinned against you, Oh you hope of Israel. It's save

here in time of trouble. Why should you be like

a stranger in the land, like a traveler who turns

aside to tarry for a knight. Why should you be

like a man confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot save. Yet, you,

o Lord, are in the midst of us, and we

are called by your name.

Do not leave us. This is Jeremiah.

He's praying, he's he's he's his speaking on behalf of

the people. Right though our iniquities testify against this us.

He's talking about the people who have been sinning against God. Okay,

just to add on here a bit. How have they

been sinning the people of Judah? You know at this

time they have been turning to other gods? Is this

is the problem, all right?

Why?

Because they have been mingling with the people there, and

they have been marrying the people there, and so they

have been turning to these people, to the gods of

these people, all right. And what's so bad about that is, firstly,

you know, it goes against the commandments, right, the ten Commandments.

You shall have no other gods before me. That's one.

But the other thing is the worship of these gods

require sacrifice of children. It requires, you know, going to

the temple where there's one of the gods is a

fertility god or goddess. And what happens is they have

what they call them temple prostitutes. And so these people

when they go visit these places go, oh interesting, and

then they started joining in because this.

Is tempting.

It's tempting. So this is that's the problem, and that's

why that's why they're sinning. And that's why they cannot

stop sinning, because it's so enjoyable in a sense, I.

Think to them, all right, and.

So back here again, uh, Jeremiah, Okay, Jeremiah was praying

on behalf of them.

Their iniquities is mentioning.

Okay, now, okay, I'll move on right now to verse

ten and twelvelcate because God replies, okay, everyone say, God replies, hey,

Verse ten to twelve says, Thus says the Lord concerning

these people. They have loved to wonder. Thus they have

not restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does not accept them. Whoa,

the Lord does not accept them. Will we ever come

to this place where the Lord say, I don't accept

Everyone's like, hey, but God is very nice one, right,

He accepts all types and all people at all times,

isn't it. I'm looking at this verse I don't accept. Okay,

So there's a place where God finally comes. I don't

accept this, okay. Now he will remember their iniquity, is yeah.

The way he speaks so is It's quite interesting. He's

talking like a third person.

You know.

He didn't say, and I will remember the inequity, you know,

he says, and he will.

He's talking about himself. And I don't accept so much.

I'm talking that way a ready, and he will not

accept you know, he will remember the iniquacy and punish

their sins. This is how disgusted God is to the

point it's like, you know, I can't imagine me talking,

you know, like say, why is Daddy so angry?

He's so angry because like who you're talking about? All right?

It's like, don't call me me anymore. I'm not I

am not me or you.

It's he okay, all right? So anyway, what is this

talking about?

God? God replied the prayer you know of Jeremiah.

Okay, So Jeremiah attempts, okay, to pray, and you know,

we can definitely pray for people, we can definitely pray

for others as well. But I believe, you know, I

was just talking to Jill so yesterday because we have

this neighbor and she she's a.

Very nice person.

Always brings like juices for us and stuff like blended

or you know, dragon fruit shakes and stuff like that.

Very nice person.

Invited us, you know, to a house and dinners and

stuff or so very nice. But you know, she is

struggling with sickness and so, uh you know, my wife

will always, you know, see every opportunity pray for her.

And it's great, all right. So and she allows, she allows,

so thank God, very very good. And uh so, maybe

because I was preparing this line, then she she said, oh,

you know, praying for our neighbor again.

I said, okay, and she she allowed me to pray.

Say good, I say, I think maybe she should just

accept Jesus as Lord la by now.

Give me.

I keep praying, you know, but I don't see much

change now, you know, so what do we challenge it?

Accept Jesus land I don't know, Argae, you're no pressure.

But but but because I was preparing this, it's like

pray and pray, sharing my praying on behalf again, oh Lord,

you know, forgive them and stuff like that.

Maybe it's time to see some change.

Maybe it's time to see some action, all right, because

how much can we keep praying and praying and praying

and see nothing happen, nothing changed, all right?

So I want to encourage all of us.

Yeah, definitely, we can pray, we can pray for people,

we can pray for ourselves, we can pray, but ultimately

God wants to see action.

God wants to see action because you know, what does

he say here? Okay? You know, okay, good point here?

All right?

It's interesting that Jeremiah, I think, what was it here that.

God says, do not pray? Yeah? Verse eleven, do not pray?

Do not pray?

Have you heard God tell you don't pray before? So

actually God telling Jeremiah do not pray? You know, how

does this work. I believe because Jeremiah is such a

man of prayer, right, He's such a man of prayer

that God has to stop him to pray sometimes. So

I want to encourage all of us, you know, let's

pray until we are such people or prayer that God

have to tell it to stop praying sometimes. All right,

But yeah, anyway, that this is just an interesting thing

that I was learning about. And so the other thing

I am reminded here of is, you know, like I said,

action and change, and we pray for people. But I'm

reminded of this, you know, something called piggy piggy back faith.

Piggy back faith, So we depend on other people's faith.

So how much do we want to depend on other

people's faith? I say this because I've done it before,

and perhaps if you think about it, maybe you're also

doing it.

Right.

But you know, when I got married, I was I

got married in Cyberjaya and a venue there and Pauster

Kenneth was there. Got pass Kenneth was there because it

was a garden wedding. It was a garden wedding. I

was confident because Passic Kenneth was going to be there.

I believe in Jesus at that time. But I needed

Passickenneth more than that. I felt like that because thank God,

he's going to officiate my meeting, my wedding, so step forth. Yeah,

you know, I believe, and I believe God allowed it

because my faith was weak. It was weak, and so

that's why pass Kenneth was there. I piggybacked on his faith.

And so I know God should stop the rain because

pass Kenneth is here, he should pray, right, he should

pray for me. And so yeah, it didn't rain, although

clouds were everywhere. It was dark clouds and there was

a whiff of water. Just suddenly, sp I felt it.

I was like, oh this cool stuff all right, and

then eventually what we saw on the day was a circle,

you know, dark clouds outside and uh light colored sky

meaning like no rainer in our area the garden.

It's a miracle.

All our friends come from outside, right, say it was

raining so heavy, right, I thought you were wedding canceled,

but they said came and didn't realized. Oh but at

the time you arrived all dry, Like wow there, yeah,

praise the Lord man. But the secret I reveal that,

you know, Spass Kenneth.

I really depended on Parskenna.

But because of that, from there, I h it built

my faith, Thank God, Thank god. We can piggyback for

a while, because children piggyback on their dance, all right,

and gets carried for a while because they can't walk

yet but eventually need to walk on their own, eventually

need to work run on their own.

Right.

And some children, I'm more excited than other states, don't

carry me anymore, right, okay, but some who still want

to be carried no matter how old.

Okay, So I want.

To ask all of us here, are we piggybacking on

anyone's faith?

Right? Pusa.

Stephen is a man of faith. I'm sure he doesn't

mind a lot of you piggybacking on him, all right, Okay,

but I want to challenge you, all right, But I'm

so impressed. Okay, I've been telling the Cyber Jay guys. Uh,

there's there's a lot of men leaders here. There are

a lot of men leaders here, and you see the

whole band. Guys, maybe don't see that in Cyberjaya. Okay,

it mix mix right, okay, but uh, I'm proud of

ex right, the men are as the men step up

and uh uh, you know ladies are also ladies or

so okay, all right, it's it's it's wonderful. So anyway,

it was piggybacking, piggybacking. So I want to challenge us,

all right, if we are still piggybacking on someone's faith,

I want to challenge you to have your own faith.

It's time to walk on your own, to have your

own faith, all right. And that's why when we say

radical living, okay, are you willing?

Are you willing to live radically for Jesus? All right?

And can you be the.

One stepping up? I say, pasteven or come to me

passa jack? Say okay, I heard your message. I know

you know God, is you know, convicting me? I want

to serve. I never you know, I've always thought, you know,

just let other people serve. But now I want to

serve because it's radical, it's not normal. Right now. I

want to take up leadership. But before you take up leadership,

I want to be a disciple.

Tell me. Tell me if.

There's anything that I'm doing that is not pleasing to

the Lord. Tell me if there's something that I'm doing

that I've been going against the church. Are you willing

this is a challenge. Are you willing to be radical?

It's now on ever, I'm telling you time is running out,

and we have almost no option but to actually be radical.

Otherwise you'll be the other side. You might just be

swept to the other side. Let's live radical lives for Christ,

for Jesus.

Amen. Amen.

All right, So don't depend on piggyback faith. That's the

word here, okay. The word here also is from the

scripture that we read. God said they love to wonder,

they love to wonder, and say they don't restrain their feet.

What does that speak of? They like to go everywhere,

they like to do anything they like. They don't have

self control restraining the feet. If I'm not supposed to

go here, I don't go here. If I'm not supposed

to do this, I don't do this. If I'm not

supposed to look at this, I don't look at this.

That's radical. It's radical because everyone else is doing those things,

everyone is watching those things, everyone else is going to

those places, but we don't. Because God has instructed us

this way, we will go this way.

Right.

That's radical? Amen? Amen, hallelujah, All right what I'm supposed

to ender. Okay, thanks, okay, all right?

Are we are we doing? Okay? Here?

All right, let's go on a okay, I'm going to

read verse thirteen to eighteen. Then I said, ah, Lord, God,

behold the prophets. Say to them, you shall not see

the sword, nor shall you have famine.

But I will give you a short peace in this place.

And the Lord said to me, the prophets are prophesying

lies in my name. I did not send them, nor

did I command them or speak to them. They are

prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the

deceit of their own minds. Therefore, thus says the Lord

concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name, although I

did not send them, and who say sword and famine,

shall not come upon this land by sword and famine.

Those prophets shall be consumed.

And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast

out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword,

with none to bury them. That is a very sad thing,

you know. According to Jewish culture, if you die and

you don't get buried is really horrible. It's really a shame.

Okay them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, for

I will pour out their evil upon them.

Verse seventeen to eighteen. You shall say to them this word.

Let my eyes run down with tears night and day,

and let them not cease. For the virgin daughter of

my people is shattered with a great wound, with a

very grievous blow. If I go out into the field,

behold those peers by the sword, and if I enter

the city, behold the diseases of famine. For both prophet

and priests ply their trade through the land and have

no knowledge, very angry words and words of punishment. Sword

and famine and pestilence. Right, what does this speak about?

Okay?

Yeah, death awaits a life of deception. These prophets are

these are deceiving people. They are speaking lies. And you know,

when I was meditating on this, I was reminded that,

you know, in order to lie to people, you really

need to lie to yourself, as you need to lie

to yourself and convince yourself this is what I'm going

to say. And then when you speak as if it's

true to others. So really, these guys are lying to themselves, and.

You know, don't.

Don't live a life of deception. Look at look around you.

Think about yourself, Think about how you view the church,

think about how you view God. Is there anything you

know that you're thinking of and you're believing.

Which is actually deception?

Are we lying to ourselves about who God is, about

his church?

About pastor Stephen?

Is there a lie that you are believing and you're

lying to yourself and you know about this was Stephen.

I don't know. The guy looks young, right, I don't

know where it can lead us, although he's not that

young one, all right.

So that's that's that's why, you know, just as I meditated,

that's what I'm you know, getting in my mind deception

of the prophets right in this scripture. But it's also

you know, deception, a life of deception. You know, so

many people in this country is living in.

Deception, right, uh.

And we we have the responsibility of speaking the truth.

We have the responsibility of helping them see the truth

by by the power of the Holy Spirit. Of course, Amen,

don't go by your own mind, all right. In Malaysia,

it's dangerous, there's persecution, all right, but by the power

of the Holy Spirit, we're able to.

All things are possible. Amen.

But but yeah, the point is this, there's there's a

lot of deception around us. There's a lot of people

speaking stuff that and they make it sound like the truth,

but it really is deception. And that's why we need

to know the truth. The truth was set us free, Amen,

and the truth was set them free. So that's why

we need to know the truth and not live in

a lie, lying to ourselves, you know, living in deception.

Uh.

You know what how you think about serving, how you

think about you know what leadership is, how you think

about you know, when we say that EX Church is

a church planting church, and you know, if you're part

of ex Church, are you ready, you willing? Are you

going to get into this thing that we do called

church planting?

All right? I'm thinking about the next generation of young people.

You know.

I we went out to plant when we were very young.

And I really hope and believe and pray that that

will not stop, that young people will actually step out

to say I will plan a church. I will step

up and do it.

Amen.

Come on, yeah, because that's that's our DNA, that's our DNA,

and we are here.

There's more than enough support.

Nowadays, those days went out there like a right the

God lash single support, Thank God.

You know.

But now there's more than enough support. That's training that

we can give to you. All right, So don't be afraid.

You seek the Lord. And if the Lord leads you

to go plant a church or at least support a

church plan and go, do it, amen. It will affect

It will affect many people.

Yeah.

And the Lord really hates deception because it speaks about

death and deception.

Okay.

And the final point here is verses nineteen to twenty two.

All right, okay, that's this very interesting. Let's read this.

Huh says here verse nineteen, have you utterly rejected Judah?

And is Jeremiah again know praying? Didn't God just say

do not pray? So now he's praying, he's going against

what God told him do not pray. And he seems

like this one looks okay, Like God is okay for

him to go against this one, all right, because it's prayer,

all right? So have you utterly rejected Judah? Thus your

so loath Zion? Why have you struck us down so

that there is no healing for us? We looked for peace,

but no good came for a time of healing. But

behold terror verse twenty. We acknowledge our wickedness. Our Lord,

oh lord, he's his praying again. Say on, behalf of

these guys and the iniquity of our fathers, for we

have sinned against you. Do not spurn us for your

name's sake. Do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember, and

do not break your covenant with us. Wow, Remember remember

your people.

The songer. All right, this is reminding God, right, very

strong prayer.

Are there any among the false gods of the nations

that can bring rain?

Right? Obviously?

These gods that you know these people have been turning to.

It's supposed to be God of weather and rain, you know,

but they cannot bring the rain or.

Can the heavens give showers? Are you not he?

Oh Lord, our God, We set our hopes on you,

for you do all these things. Again, this guy is

praying when God just told him do not pray. What

does that speak of to me? It speaks of determination,

all right. Even though he was told not to pray

for these people, he still ended up praying. And this

is the type that you know that God was okay

with he didn't rebuke him. Stop, He said, okay, I

told you to pray, okay, pray, okay, fine, all right?

But you know you know why because he felt like

there's nothing else you could do. All he could do

is pray, and there's no one else you can turn

to but God?

Who else to turn to? A right? He said, God,

tell me, don't pray? Then I talk.

To who talk to these guys? They're not turning. I

can only talk to you. So that's that's the determination,

that's the.

Desperation of Jeremiah.

But I want to also bring us to another kind

of determination, you know, because God is so determined to

bring punishment to these people, right, and I want to

bring you to another determination. The people are so determined

somehow not to turn to God. So what kind of determination.

Do we have? Is it a determination like Jeremiah all right?

Or is it the determination like those guys who just

determine not to turn to God, determine not to serve

the Lord, determined to turn away from him and serve

other gods, other gods like money are the gods? Like

sometimes the studies are the gods? Like sometimes the job

are the gods? Like. Girlfriend, are the Gods like? Sometimes

our own children. They're not God's like, but sometimes we

we want to do so much for them, more than God.

So what's our determination and can we live a radical,

radical determined.

Life for the Lord? Amen? Amen, let's all stand and

let's pray.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

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hit for you. God bless